Hampton Court Palace

A final excursion today - to Hampton Court Palace.  And this makes for an extremely worthy day trip.  I have been here before, but it was a while ago - and I've never been here by myself before.  Between the palace and the gardens, I must have spent about 4 hours there.  It has some terrific history, and some extremely well maintained interiors and exteriors - very photogenic.  And I feel like I could have spent much longer there (if only for perfecting those photos).  I was supposed to go for a walk after visiting the palace (to Hampton village) but it was too hot and I was too tired so I'll have to do that another time.  It didn't help that the walk takes you through an entrance to the palace that is no longer open, so requires a considerable detour.  But I did plenty of walking just from completing most of the routes in the audio guides (free with entry), having already done a lot of the same routes without the audio guide but wanting to see the main sights before it started getting too busy.  And it definitely does get increasingly busier throughout the day (I read online that it was recommended to get there around 1 pm to avoid the crowds - but I couldn't disagree more, and I was glad to be there not long after opening time). 

British Television

A few shows I've caught whilst I've been back:

Celebrity Hunted: not exactly a star-studded celebrity line-up.  The only person I recognized was Brain Conley - and he feels like a relic from a bygone era (Larry the Loafer anyone?!).

University Challenge: I never used to know any of the answers.  Now I don't even understand some of the questions.  My brain has officially been Americanized.

Gogglebox: I've been watching this quite a bit, even episodes from several years ago.  Mainly because it features a lot of clips from British shows that I've never seen, so I quite enjoy seeing what shows were in the zeitgeist. 

Ann Droid: fairly funny, but don't see how this can be a sustainable show

Rapture: not bad, kind of intriguing premise but felt like quintessential small-scale British drama and sort of fizzled out

Sharpe: caught some old episodes of Sharpe - classic 90's show.  Still entertaining, if a little dated

Dad's Army: classic comedy, always watchable

Are You Being Served: this has aged very badly

Luther: now this was a very good show

The Great British Sewing Bee: a far less entertaining version of The Great British Bake Off.

Sunday Roast

One last Sunday roast today before I head back to the US.  You just don't get them in the US - or at least not in the Pacific NW (at least on the American side, I suspect I might have better luck if I go north of the border).  Which is a tragedy.  It is right up there as one of the British meals I miss the most (so having 3 of them over the last 3 weekends is a true pleasure).  I think the only way I could ever have it back home would be to cook it myself.  And I fear that is beyond my culinary abilities.  Though if I get desperate, perhaps I should at least try.

No Film Review

Well, I hoped to tell you about how much I enjoyed (or didn't enjoy, though I suspect I will like it) watching The Odyssey on a big IMAX screen.  But alas, I never got to see it.  I did another London walk this morning and gave myself plenty of time to get to the Science Museum (over an hour).  What I hadn't accounted for was the fact that the Piccadilly line and District/Circle line all had engineering work going on that meant it was impossible to get to the museum by tube.  By the time I had realized this by trying to get there via several different, infrequent and crowded routes, it was too late to get there by any other means.  I can maybe blame myself for not checking for any underground engineering work this weekend in advance and planning accordingly (e.g. what bus or walking route to take).  It perhaps also explains why there were so many more available tickets for screenings this weekend than for any other days.  I thought about trying to see if I could get a standby ticket for a screening at the BFI, since it is right by Waterloo where I was catching a train back.  But nope, my enthusiasm for going to watch the film had evaporated by now.  I was sweaty and fed up and done with London for the day (and maybe also for this UK trip).  I'll watch it at home when it comes out on streaming. 

Portsmouth Historic Dockyard

A trip today to Portsmouth Historic Dockyard.  Convenient because it's a direct train.  And this does make a worthy day trip.  I was there for about 4 hours, and could easily have spent another 4 hours there.  The remains of the Mary Rose, HMS Victory, HMS Warrior - plus a bunch of other historic ships.  If you like your naval history, you'll love it here.  I have been here before - it must have been not long after my parents moved to Surrey because I went with both of them.  But that was a long time ago (I can't find a blog entry for it), and it was worth revisiting again.  Despite the extortionate entrance fee.  But my ticket is valid for a year, so if I'm back in the UK at Christmas (and that is a big if, since I'm having some second thoughts about whether I want to/need to/am prepared to shell out on another trip back this year) then I might well come back.  

Costco

My first time going to a UK Costco today, and I'm not going to lie - it was disappointing.  It was practically the same as a US store.  Similar layout, similar products, similar confusion as to why so many people love this place.  I don't really know what I was expecting from a UK version of the store - certainly a lot more British stuff, the kind of stuff that you can get at British supermarkets.  But nope, it was nothing special and there was very little that I couldn't get in the US.  Though I did notice that they had an 85" Samsung TV on sale for what seemed like a remarkably good deal.  That was kind of depressing to think about as I'm probably going to pay about 3 times more on a new (and smaller) TV in the US before the end of the year.  There must have been a catch - I wonder what it was.  Maybe it was just the floor model on sale?  I don't know.  I always thought electronics were cheaper in the US, but maybe that's not the case anymore. 

50

A significant milestone.  The half century.  When I Google it, the AI Overview states "Turning 50 is a major life milestone that marks the start of a new decade.  Many people celebrate with a big party or a special trip, while others use the time to focus on health, personal goals, and new habits.".  Far be it for me to criticize AI, but that sounds like any other birthday.  And as with any other birthday, I didn't really do anything special because I don't care to celebrate getting even older.  Especially considering how badly my body has failed me in coping with the heat during this trip.  But I did go out for a meal with my Mum today (that I paid for!) - does that count as a big party?  And I suppose the fact that I'm here rather than in the US does mean I have "celebrated" with a special trip.  Perhaps the AI is right.  All hail our artificial overlords.