Sunday 24th July - British Museum, Covent Garden & Hampton Court

What a great summer's day and what great locations to enjoy it in!  Today we travelled into London to the British Museum.  Sunday traffic was light and we made good time, entering shortly after opening time.  Even so the museum was already busy.

                         The Parthenon Marbles

There is so much to see and the best way to do it is to select a gallery and spend time there.  Famous artefacts are of course the Rosetta Stone and the Parthenon Marbles but it is worth digging around to seek out some of the other treasures.  We get to spend time here before walking down to Covent Garden.

                             The Great Court                                                                  The British Museum

Covent Garden is in the heart of theatreland and its old fruit and vegetable market is now a shopping arcade around which there are street entertainers and cafes.  On a warm summer's day this is the place to be and there is time to spend some money and grab a bite to eat.

                                   ISCA Staff                                                                     Covent Garden Street Entertainer

Then we board the coaches for the 30 minute drive to Hampton Court.  This royal palace was a favourite of Henry V111 and subsequent monarchs, who had it extended and spent a lot of time in these pleasant surroundings.  Charles 11 asked Sir Christopher Wren to extend the palace and the Georgians were very happy here as their apartments testify. 

                                           Henry V111

The lavish gardens are lush with flowers and provide the perfect accompaniment to the architecture of the palace.  Some of us make it through the famous maze while others watch Henry V111 parade around the grounds with his wife Catherine Howard.

It has been a good day and we have once again sampled some of the best bits of England.