A trip to England isn’t complete without a visit to Buckingham Palace. The train stop was on the opposite side of a vast park we had to cross to reach the palace. The path took us through a lot of greenery and many tourists taking pictures. Finally, we reached the palace gates.
The inside was magnificent, each room ornately furnished. The tour guide handed us headphones for the walking tour, and we put them on. Once we heard Prince Charles’ monotonous voice, I roamed the rooms with my daughter, leaving my husband and the headphones behind.
Most rooms were gloomy, and we were eager to see the grounds.
We followed the others from one overfurnished room to the next. Roped off and behind the glass were memorabilia of the monarchy.
Endless objects and clothing from the past. I’d never make a good historian.
Then we were allowed on the grounds the royal family used when they were in residence. The grass was roped off, and we were confined to the path; no wandering around for us.
Kensington Palace had better grounds to roam. However, I wasn’t impressed with the building’s small dark rooms. The Palace I liked the best was Windsor Castle, and we’ll visit it in my next article.
Kensington’s grounds were much more cheerful than the inside.
There was a maze outside, but we (or I) were too tired.
I’ve read travel brochures, but none tell you if a place is boring or worth the trouble. Since I’m adept at complaining wherever I go, I wonder if there’s a need for a ‘Is It Worth the Effort’ brochure? I would place Kensington Palace in the not worth it category.
SUSANNE LEIST 
I’m not surprised at the drabness of the place, Susanne. Turns out, Prince Harry was living like a pauper. Who knew?
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I didn’t see any paupers but ornate furnishings.
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Such a shame,its all part of our history.And I have to tell you that when I visited the palace many years ago when my Granddaughter was just 4 yrs. old. Now 27 we were not allowed in the palaces gardens at all.I would have loved to see those. Must make an arrangement to go this Summer as London is only 70 miles away from where I live.
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I would love to live in Europe, where you can hop from one country to another. I feel so far from the rest of the world.
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Hi, Susanne,
I enjoyed Buckingham Palace, Hyde Park, and the quaint little bookshop.
Thanks for sharing.
Shalom aleichem
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The next time I’ll venture out of London and into the surrounding areas.
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Susanne, I’m a history person, but sometimes I have trouble when visiting castles and/or museums with my husband. He’s an extraordinary history buff, to the point where I can’t get him out of places. I can read the plaques and information a lot faster than he can, and sometimes I could go through a place in one-third of the time it takes him. I love your photos, once again. When we went to London in 1979, we only had four days in order to make my father-in-law’s final flight with TWA, so we weren’t able to do the actual Buckingham Palace tour. We only saw the changing of the guard from outside the gates. When we went to Scotland in 2015, we saw the Queen’s palace there. I probably got the feeling of the inside of Buckingham Palace when I watched “The Crown!” LOL
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I haven’t watched The Crown, but maybe I should; I’d get a better idea of the royal family.
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I have visited many castles and historical buildings, and although some of them were beautiful, I’d place them in the “not worth it” category. I’m just not much of a history person and seeing other people’s old stuff just does nothing for me. Thanks for the heads up, Susanne! This will not be one place I visit whenever I get to London.
Yvette M Calleiro 🙂
http://yvettemcalleiro.blogspot.com
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I’m happy to be helpful. I have no patience for listening to tour guides droning on about the past. At museums, I give everything a quick look; this way, I can see more than a room or two at a castle.
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Great post, as always. I like your brochure idea. I’d love to read it!
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Thank you, Mary. The tourist industry might ban me.
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I would certainly read your “Is It Worth It?” brochure, Susanne. I loved how you pointed out the small, dark rooms. I’m happy to be living in a non-castle with my light and airy rooms. The grounds do look beautiful, but I wonder how often the royal family roams the maze?
Blessings!
Patty
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Thanks, Patty. I don’t know how they survived in those dark rooms. We don’t get to see the actual quarters where they live, so those rooms might be bright and cheerful, except the royal family doesn’t appear cheerful.
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Hi Susanne! Thanks for the heads up! I now know to leave this off my list when I visit Great Britain.
Best wishes,
Donna M. Atwood
D M Atwood
https://www.dmatwood.com
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Thanks. I’m giving pointers for the claustrophobic and hate-walking tourists. Beaches and palm trees appeal to me more, but I want to return to Europe, and I’m an armchair tourist.
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Susanne, you provided a nice tour for us, thank you! Enjoyed your post!
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Thank you. It’s fun reliving my adventures, and I’m trying to work a theme into each post.
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Maybe you should write that tour guide. I know I’d buy a copy 😏
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Thanks. It can be the companion to your guide on what doors to see. It might not be a bad idea since I take pictures of doors wherever I go. And my daughter took loads of photos of entries in Spain for The Dead Game since it has a door on the cover, and Gaudi had the best doors.
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You should package a few and share them (and your book) on Thursday Doors. Other authors have done that, and I will be sharing the doors of The Dreamer’s Alliance series at some point in February.
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