Tulips and meetups in Hampton Court

Entrance to Hampton Court Palace with planter of pink tulips in foreground.

We’re packing up and heading home today. (Finally!) I thought I’d leave you with some of my favorite images from the last few days.

As I mentioned here, we had to delay our return home due to illness, so decamped out to Hampton Court last Friday. We spent a lot of time just walking outdoors and really soaking up the gorgeous scenery.

We spent the better part of last Saturday exploring Hampton Court Palace. We’d been once before several years ago, but it was raining, so we didn’t wander the gardens as much as I would have liked. We made up for it this time!

Orange tulips at Hampton Court Palace

There’s currently a Tulip Festival going on, and the gardens were full of some excellent tulip action! If you’re in the area in the near future, I highly recommend it.

Red and yellow tulips with manicured trees in background at Hampton Court Palace.
Yellow tulips surround a golden wagon wheel at Hampton Court Palace.
Formal garden at Hampton Court Palace planted with tulips.
Susan B examines an urn in Hampton Court Palace garden.

The weather was clear, but brisk and breezy, so I was back in my down coat.

We also revisited the inside of the palace. One of my favorite parts of the tour is the kitchens of Henry VIII. I’m always most interested in the “daily life” aspects of history.

King Henry VIII's kitchens, Hampton Court Palace.
Larder in Henry VIII's kitchens, Hampton Court Palace.
Henry VIII dinner menu, Hampton Court Palace.

And the next day I did finally arrange to meet up with Josephine of Chic at Any Age. We usually get together either in London or Paris. We hadn’t seen each other in almost 3 years, so it was great to catch up. We had a lovely lunch and then spent a couple of hours walking along the river.

Susan B and Josephine from Chic at Any Age.

My little green jacket is from Herno, and the sweater from Crimson Cashmere, both purchased in Paris. Can’t seem to find the jacket online, sorry! But it’s a great little sport jacket, lightweight and waterproof.

Deer reclining in Bushy Park near Hampton Court.

Josephine recommended we take a walk in Bushy Park (one of the largest of the Royal parks) to see the stags, so we did that evening. We didn’t have to wander far before we came across a few of them. (We didn’t get close…I zoomed in quite a bit for this photo.)

swan on Thames river near Hampton Court bridge.

We kept spotting this one swan cruising around. He seemed to like hanging out near the bridge.

Sunset along the Thames, Hampton Court.

There’s something so restorative about being near the water. We enjoyed the last few days, but are quite happy to finally be going home!

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17 Comments

  1. You can follow hamptoncourtpalacegardener on instagram and keep up with all the glories. Very uplifting.

    1. Love the blue purse in the photo. It’s the style and size I’ve been looking for. Would you please let me know the make and where I might find it.
      Cheers

    2. I’m looking for a bag similar to the blue camera style one in the photo. Would you please tell me the brand and where you purchased it.
      Thank you

  2. And fortunately there was sunshine those last days when you were able to go outside again. You know how fickle the weather is in Europe.
    Greetje

  3. This is why spring is my favorite time of year to travel: bulbs in bloom, trees leafing out and cooler weather! I’m glad you’ve recovered enough to take it in.

  4. I like the picture of you and Susan. Where did you get that necklace??? I love it. Don’t say Paris please!

  5. Glad you recovered and were able to visit Hampton Court and gardens. It features in the new Bridgerton series.

  6. Have always loved the way the English put the wonderful colors together with the tulip gardens. I did try it, put the rabbits
    enjoyed each color. Gardens in England make spring a special time to visit.

  7. Beautiful! So you are friends with Greetje and Josephine. I follow both and enjoy their blogs. Is Greetje as much fun as she comes across in her blog I especially loved the red tulips and the blue pansies!!!!!

  8. Thanks for the Tour Susan. Once I got lost in the kitchen at Hampton Court – learned a lesson to always stay with your group! One of the most beautiful gardens. Someday try the Chelsea Flower Show. We also took the train up to Sandringham. The Queen loves when you visit her castles and gardens!!! Safe travel home!!

  9. Thank you so much for the palace suggestion. We are in Islington visiting my daughter . We went today 28th to see the palace and gardens , loved it!