Day 7 on the Thames Path...and a trip to Hampton Court

Monday April 27th dawned sunny and bright - a perfect day for a walk!  So off I headed on the train to Kingston - I do like that town!  The only bad thing was I had wanted to treat myself to an English breakfast and all I could find was a pub serving it and let's say the pub did not appeal to me...I ended up with a pain au chocolate and a white coffee.  (coffee with whipped hot milk - I am becoming addicted I am afraid) Luckily I was not walking far today so that would do. 

I have to put a word in for Kingston again which is a charming little town on the river with a market and a country feel but with all the High St. shops (or if I am talking North American "all the main chain stores" )as well as cute little independent shops. 

By the way Nipper the dog was buried here...the symbol for HMV which stands for His Majesty's Voice.  Also symbol for RCA I belive....

Market Square in Kingston

I got offered a chance to do some food tasting in the hall pictured above and we know how I love my food - but had to decline as the Thames path was calling.

It was a short walk today - the gal in the cafe I visited said twenty minutes - well it took me over an hour as I dilly dallied with taking pictures, sitting down and admiring the view, etc.  Also my knee was not good - I guess it was letting me know it did not appreciate standing in the cold at the marathon the day before....so it was a good decision to cut it short at Hampton Court.

I stuck to the smaller path beside the river - mainly just me and the birds! 

As you can see it was a pretty walk; I loved every minute of it.  Soon I reached my destination:  Hampton Court Palace which is most famous for being the home of Henry the VIII and his many wives.  It was so interesting to visit.  I had been here previously but it had to be thirty years ago and it was like visiting a whole new place as while the basics are the same obviously there have been changes with new exhibitions for example.  I visited Henry VIII's state apartments, William the III (who oversaw additions of Hampton Court assisted by none other than Sir Christopher Wren) and the beautiful gardens. 

As you can see it's a fantastic place to visit...a long trip back as the trains weren't running in the area as someone had jumped in front of a train....very sad....so a long bus journey to Putney to get on the tube to Victoria so I could get the train from there back to Streatham Common.  I said this would be my last day on the Thames Path but I took a look at the trail ahead and thought "well maybe I could go a bit further". Time will tell!