More misery

I am still not feeling that much better. We ended up going to Hampton Court yesterday, which was at points breathtaking (although I really don’t recommend the maze. The gardens, yes, the maze no). Even though we had around 5 hours there, it felt like we missed a lot. We’ll probably return in a month or two when our friend from the States comes to visit. The gardens, I am sure, will be even better then.

It amazes me that people actually live there. Until the mid 20th century, people were granted the privilege of living within the palace in “grace and favour” apartments rent-free as a token of thanks for service to the Crown and the Kingdom. In 1986, one such resident was responsible for a fire that damaged a good part of the Georgian section of the palace. It also lead to his death, which was sad, but also because of his own folly. Apparently he fell asleep while reading a book by candlelight. I am not sure if any such residents are still around today, but there are still occupied apartments taken up mostly by staff and organizations associated with Hampton Court. I don’t know why this little titbit fascinates me so much. People live in the Tower of London. Maybe it was because when wandering the castle, you stumble into people’s courtyards and could gaze into their living rooms if the drapes weren’t pulled shut against such intrusions.

So we had a rather good time walking around the palace designed during three vastly different ages of English history. Little placards, the audio tour, and palace staff pointed out on more than one occasion that the guests during Tudor times would piss in the corners of the Great Hall and other areas of the oldest parts of the palace. In fact, palace staff resorted to painting white crosses in spots that looked like appealing places to relieve yourself to deter at least the Christians among the court from relieving themselves en mass in this and other castles that were in use at the time. It wasn’t that they were grossed out by peeing in a room people congregated, ate, and slept in as much as there were just so many people at Hampton Court and the other palaces when the King was in residence. If it were just a handful of people, it wouldn’t be a big deal or gross at all.