Family & Tea

The rain this morning prevented us from exploring Kensington Gardens but this afternoon we did get the chance to visit Kensington Palace.

The palace is currently home to the William and Kate, William's brother Harry, and others of the royal family.  Part of the residence is open to the public and this is what we saw today.  Out of all the museums we've seen, this has been one of my favorites to explore.  The residence has a long history and has been home to, among others, Queen Victoria and the monarchs William and Mary.  This was such an interactive musuem.  While there were certainly objects behind glass it was all about the sensory experience.  William and Mary's exhibit was probably one of my favorites.  If you sat on a window seat you could hear court gossip and the displays themselves...simply beautiful.

Court Gossip (several pieces in this exhibit moved)

William and Mary's Family Tree

Some of the exhibits even allowed you to walk through recreated rooms. In the picture below, for instance, you could explore the study from all angles.  You could touch the exhibits, examine the bookcases, explore period costumes from all angles, and read letters left on writing desks.  Some sections of the palace even had a booklet with a choose your own adventure for using courtly manners to meet the king.  How cool!

The museum also showcases some of Princess Margaret and Princess Diana's dresses.  Besides the beauty of the dresses, I appreciated the discussion on what goes into decisions about royal fashion such as color choices and the style of cut.

One of my favorite parts of the museum though was the section dedicated to Victoria and Albert.  Talk about a deep rooted love.  The walls were filled with loving words from the two both to each other and about each other.  Victoria never expected to become queen and Albert was such a support to her.  Besides that he was a great supporter of the arts and as you walked through the exhibit you could listen to music he and Victoria played together (even a song he wrote for her) and view his great masterpiece the Crystal Palace (unfortunately now destroyed but it must have been truly amazing).

“You can never get a cup of tea large enough or a book long enough to suit me.” - C.S. Lewis

After our museum adventure we finished our trip with high tea at the Orangery.  If you are unfamiliar with high tea, it is a mid-afternoon (around 3-4), light meal with tea.  We had a private room to ourselves and enjoyed a wonderful blend of tea, sandwiches, and pastries.  Delicious!  As many of my companions know I've been searching for a good tea since I arrived but with limited success.  Finally I found what I was looking for.