Palace Tours begin...Kensington

I am a huge fan of history.  I love to walk through an old house or down a cobbled road and wonder who has been there before and what is their story.  The older the better in my eyes...anyone who has seen my old apartment and furniture knows this about me.  Here in London and the surrounding areas there is so much it could take a lifetime to soak it all up.  I am doing my best to get it all in!  One of the things I missed doing last time I was here was all the Palaces so today marks the first day of 5 Palaces I will be visiting.  The first is Kensington Palace.  I had a bit of a rough start as I got on the tube thinking I was just riding the district line till I got there but I was mistaken..."quick adjustment and one transfer later I was on the right track again.  Seriously I really can't get over how great the public transportation is...the US really needs to catch up.  It's so freeing not having a car.  I arrived at Kensington South Station and realized it was no longer sunny and the sky was threatening rain.  I normally would not be concerned but I left the house that morning with out a jacket or jumper since it was sunny in Richmond. As I look around shivering slightly I see in front of me a glowing H&M sign beckoning me in.  I don't usally shop at H&M in the states (nothing fits and I don't like most of the stuff).  International H&M is so different...lots of designs they don't send to the states.  So unfortunate for all you american shoppers.  Also unfortunate for me was this was a necessity shopping trip.  I still managed to get a great "grandma style sweater" and a light rain jacket.  Ok, crisis averted...on to the palace.  Let's start with the gardens and greens that are surrounding the palace.  Since it's spring everything is in bloom which makes the gardens even more spectacular.

One Small Section of Palace Garden and Palace

I purchased an annual membership for to the Royal Palaces (cheaper then buying tickets to all of them individually and you get a great book) so I could go into all of them more then once since I have time and you really need more then just a few hours at each one to get to everything.  It's really been great not feeling pressured to just go, go, go all the time like a regular tourist would.  I love being able to take my time and know I can go back to anything I want.
Kensington Palace has been recently redone.  All the design and set ups of the displays and exhibits have a really different feel then I am used to at historical places.  It has a very Tim Burton Alice in Wonderland feeling.

House of Cards Display

 I definitely love that style but it kind of made the place feel a bit modern.  I had a hard time differentiating between what was new and old in each of the rooms which was a bit disappointing.  However from a design perspective it was executed really well.  I felt like I was following along with the story of the royalty that had lived there through their lives .....hearing all the little secrets.  As if the walls were talking.
There were two highlights for me at this palace.  The first was the story of Victoria and Albert.  I won't elaborate on their story because it would take to long but please look it up.  Victoria was one of the most beloved queens and her love story with Albert is so beautiful.  It will make you believe in true romantic love again.  There also is a fairly recent movie called Young Victoria which is all about this amazing story.  I recommend watching it....It's just lovely and Victoria was an amazing woman.

Victorias Wedding Dress

The other treat at the palace was a small collection of Diana's dresses that were on display.  Not only were the dresses there but also the designers sketches that were inspiration for the dresses complete with fabric swatches of possible materials for the garment.  It was really neat to see the entire process from concept to finished garment.  She was such a fashion icon during her time.  She always wore classic lines with a modern twist.

Diana's Dress Sketch

When I left the palace it had just rained....my first rain in England.  I walked the garden a bit as I left and enjoyed the flowers now all covered in little drops of rain.  There really isn't anything much more beautiful then garden fresh after a rain....I'll leave you here for now and pick you back up at the next palace.

Rain Drop Kissed Flower