Old Houses, day 2

 On today's schedule: Hampton Court Palace, once home of Henry VIII and also William III. To my great relief, you really can pay for tube and train rides by tapping your credit card on the entry and exit, no need to buy tickets. Fortunately I have a card with no foreign transaction fees. A few transfers and I was on the train to Hampton Court, complete with a gluten-free sandwich from M&S at Charing Cross station.

It's a proper palace, but mostly empty of furnishings. Costumed staff were in the kitchen making sugar tableware, and two other folks in costume wandered the place, but that was all. First, the Henry section:

Then, the apartment of William: 

This room was specifically for the production of chocolate drinks.

All four walls were like this. Thousands of weapons. 

I was done and footsore by noon, so I ate my sandwich on the train and proceeded to the National Portrait Gallery to take specific nerdy pictures of details of Tudor dress for my costume peeps, I will not bore you with them. Outside was a rally for a Sikh homeland, buskers played in specified places, homeless people begged. Very sore and tired (joints that will one day be arthritic let me know) I made it back to rest and avoid being out of commission.  Managed another mile or so to get dinner, then tried out that tub. The hot water was lovely. Getting in and out of the tub harder than I remember. Now to go over tomorrow's plan of attack.