Not For Everybody

Last night, I got to see a sight in Hampton Court Palace that is not seen by everyone. This is not hyperbole! About half the people who go to the palace never get a chance to see this sight. No mystery about that, I'm not that special. The sight in question is located inside a women's restroom.

Last night was the last Ghost Tour of the season at Hampton Court Palace. At £25.00 it is a bit pricey for a tour at the palace, but in my opinion, it was worth it. Now, let me qualify that. It was worth it with the tour guide who I had. I can see that the guide you get can make or break this tour.

Two of my colleagues from the states went last week and returned poor reviews. I was afraid that the tour would be a disappointment. I was pleasantly surprised! The tour begins at the bridge (pictured above) across the Tutor-Era moat. And covers much of the palace grounds. It is essentially a collection of ghost stories that have been told about the palace over the years jumbled in with a bit of history of the palace.

The tour does cover some of the stuff in the palace that I had never seen before and included a good deal of the history of the place. It is also interesting to see the palace at night. It has a completely different feel after sunset. There are places in the palace that I have been a number of times that I am entirely familiar with. I found myself coming across these places last night not knowing where I was until I hit one of the landmarks that I know well; a specific tapestry, a statue, etc. I'd come across these landmarks and be surprised at where I was even though you know that they probably came about it the same way that they do in the daylight.

On the whole, I would recommend it if you are interested in the place and the stories. I would not if you expect people to be jumping out at you like a haunted house. This is an interesting tour and a different view than that you usually get of the palace.

I hope that wherever you are, you can look at things differently today!

Don Bergquist - 22-March-2006 - Thames Ditton, Surrey, United Kingdom