We were starting to feel more comfortable getting around with all four of us and wanted to do some sightseeing. Before going for a real day trip, we decided to hit two spots that are just on the edge of London. Both happened to have events going on that turned into a bit of a scavenger hunt - which was great for keeping the kiddo interested when the subject matter really wouldn't do it.
Hampton Court and Kew Gardens
So Hampton Court Palace was basically stolen by Henry VIII from Cardinal Woolsey to become a royal palace. From what I gather, it was then sort of the main palace for the royalty from the 1500s-1700s when William and Mary decided to move closer into the city and bought Kensington Palace. This had been on our list to see for a while, and it turned out there was a special Easter event going on- so we decided to go for it. The event was really perfect actually - there were like a dozen bunnies hidden all over the palace and grounds that each had the answer to a question about the history of the Palace written on it - and if you got all the answers, then you could get a chocolate bunny as a prize. The only problem was that the last bunny was really hard to find, but we were totally entrenched at that point, so we schlepped all over the place in search of it. Turns out, they hid it behind an ice cream truck (cheeky bastards), but then we had them all and could proudly go get our chocolate bunny and head back home. On the one hand, we were so distracted by the bunny search and baby wrangling that I feel like I missed seeing everything else - on the other hand, it did force us to visit all of the key rooms and spots and learn just a few tidbits about the history that we probably otherwise would not have heard. I guess this place (like pretty much everywhere else we've visited in the last few years) will stay on my list, in hopes we can go back again and spend more time actually learning about it.
Hampton Court Palace
I gather this is an important clock
nice ceiling
searching for bunnies
hedge mazes are just the coolest
one of the interior courtyards
feels like Versailles
well-earned chocolate bunnies
time to go home
So - Kew Gardens is the big botanic gardens in the London area (royal, of course). We had actually been here before and wanted to come back. I read that there was a Dale Chihuly (the guy who does really cool glass sculptures) exhibit in place for the summer, my mother in law was in town, so we waited for day with nice weather and made the day of it. We had a quick picnic (a standard thing for us now), and then wandered the grounds looking for flowers and trying to find all of the sculptures, which were scattered around. After everyone was thoroughly exhausted, we hopped the boat for a leisurely ride back to town.
we never leave home without a picnic these days
quick stop in the children's garden
azaleas in full bloom
roses were awesome
little boy for scale - these things are huge
these were everyone's favorite
i really liked this one
massive thing hanging down from the ceiling
time for the boat ride home
boats are better with beers
boats. beers. baby.
So both trips were a success. One lesson we quickly learned was to bring our big stroller, and fill it to the brim. We had our picnic blanket, which gives the baby a place to roll around and everyone else a place to rest and refuel, obviously snacks, all the baby-changing equipment, and most importantly - a riding board that snaps onto the stroller so the kiddo can take a break when his legs get tired, as they inevitably do. Of course it's heavy as hell, and not easy getting it onto trains, buses, and boats, up and down stairs, and pushing through gravel and cobblestones - but the alternative - putting all the stuff on our backs, the baby in the carrier, and the tired kid on my shoulders - makes me want to cry (back pain is a real thing these days). So I think we kind of have this figured out and are ready to try some day trips a bit further from home. But I'm not sure what to do about international travel now, since we can't take this beast on an airplane. We'll have to figure that out soon though, since our next trip is coming up quickly!
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