16th Century Entertainments
On day two we again forsook the city center to visit the palace at Hampton Court, where the royal family and the guests went to frolic 'mongst the topiary, beginning with Henry VIII (not a topiary) in the 16th century.
The original manor house has had a lot of additions, so the end result is a rambling assemblage of bedrooms, ballrooms and courtyards. We toured some of the interior rooms (no photography) but especially enjoyed visiting the kitchens. Here Zoe is sniffing the spices.
We met this fop in one of the courtyards. He was rather taken aback when Molly boldly extended her hand, palm down, but he recovered his composure and responded in kind with a courtly bow and a gentle kiss on the fingers.
Molly, Phoebe and Zoe under the great clock.
That evening we went to the reconstructed Globe Theater to see a production of Much Ado About Nothing. We watched from third floor balcony seats similar to those in the upper left of the photo. In a role-reversal of the original Elizabethan productions, all the parts were played by women. Molly and Zoe are great Shakespeare fans so this was a treat for them especially. (Picture-taking was allowed during the intermission only).
