Day Trips Outside of London

Our final adventure consisted of us returning to one of our favorite European cities, the magnificent London. What a better way to end our year abroad than visiting the royal family, drinking large amounts of tea, and enjoying London's everlasting rain. Since we spent most of our time during our winter vacation exploring the city, we expanded our horizons and took quite a few day trips to outer London and nearby cities. One of our first day adventures was down to Portsmouth, a town on the southern coast of England, to visit the Mary Rose. The Mary Rose is the last surviving ship from King Henry VIII's fleet from the 16th century, and it was rediscovered under water in the 1970s. The museum consists of the half of the ship that was found intact, which restorers are in the middle of conserving, and an exhibit that holds all of the unique artifacts that sank with it. And when we say all of the artifacts, we mean hundreds of them! These were essential in allowing us to understand how a fleet ship operated during Henry VIII's reign. The exhibit was extremely well done, and what we saw of the Mary Rose was fascinating. Unfortunately, we couldn't stay long in Portsmouth, for we had to get back to London for a "girls night out" with a few of our friends who had studied with us. We fulfilled our dream of seeing the outstanding musical, "Les Miserables," in London, and we were not disappointed!

Portsmouth Historical Dockyard

Cannons from the Mary Rose.

The Mary Rose!

Going to see Les Mis!

Keeping with the theme of the infamous King Henry VIII, we also visited his popular residence, Hampton Court Palace. Located in the outskirts of the city next to the winding Thames, Hampton Court Palace seemed to be a gathering place for many families because of its luscious gardens and lawns which are separate to the palace. We visited the palace first, learning about Henry the VIII and all of his six wives (and, if you want to know how they turned out, just remember: divorced, beheaded, died, divorced, beheaded, survived). We walked through his estate rooms as well as the estate rooms of later Kings William and George I and II, who also lived here at one point. Our favorite part of visiting the palace was going to Henry's kitchens, which were actually in use by some cooks to demonstrate how the facility would be used in the 16th century. 

Hampton Court Palace

Cooks making blood sausage.

On a whim we decided to visit Blenheim Palace, Winston Churchill's birth place and his extended family's residence. Just outside of Oxford, we didn't really know what to expect from this palace, only that Rick Steves gave it high praise and said it was a must-see as far as palaces go. Walking onto the estate, we were surprised to see this magnificent palace, a "Versailles of England," with beautiful vast lawns, clear rivers and lake, and an abundance of colorful flowers. It was unlike any palace we had seen, and it was as though we were transported into the time of "Downton Abbey." While the palace had a few interesting exhibits on Winston Churchill as well as some beautiful estate rooms, it was the estate and gardens that made it a magical place to enjoy. It really was the Versailles of England, and we have to admit that in our opinion, the gardens and landscape here were actually much more remarkable than Versailles (granted we did see Versailles in the winter). 

The beautiful grounds of Blenheim Palace.

While in London, we had our birthday, and what better place to spend our birthday than at a castle, Windsor Castle, that is. One of Queen Elizabeth II's residences (and if we're right, her favorite), Windsor Castle is an amazing Norman style fortress estate set on a hill. Windsor was unlike other castles and palaces we have seen, for the monumental architecture exudes this air of strength and durability rather than elegance, which is contrasted with the rooms inside. We loved walking through the state rooms, learning about the tradition and history, and admiring the impressive architecture and views of the castle. After walking around the grounds and trying some Windsor Castle ice cream, we went into the town of Windsor for some lunch. After a fun day out, we returned to London for dinner with our dad and one of our friends, Jennifer, who was still in town. All in all, a great birthday! 

Windsor Castle!

Birthday Dinner!