Steak and kidney pie.

Spent most of the day at Hampton Court Palace. Had to catch a train for this one as it is about 7 miles to the west of London. Later that night, had a cheap sample platter, when it came it was huge. Steak and ale pie, steak and kidney pie, mushy peas, mash and gravy, fish and chips, fried battered scampi, pickled onions and of course ale. Ale was warm and flat and it is really pretty good. Steak and kidney for me was an aquired taste. So much so it took my breath away. Just a deap breath did the same. Katie didn't mind it.

Below is the city of Hampton and its train station.

Said goodbye to our tiny hotel room as we packed after dinner.

Started yesterday with a train ride to Hampton Court to see the castle. Another amazing castle.

Most of the castles of England are not in liveable condition since the queen does not live in them. These castles get less revenue and are almost on their own. They have to make any improvements and restorations with money collected as admissions or from the gift shop

All of the castles have annual memberships you can buy and compete against each other. This castle even has a public tennis club. It is an indoor court and is very different from tennis we know because it is centuries old. We weren't allowed to take photos there. There were players there wearing the same uniforms so there must be a dress code. They play with old wooden racquets and play the balls off all the walls. The balls also seem very dead.

The rear garden is the most amazing of the ones we have seen. It goes on for over a mile. There is an iron fence on each side and that is under restoration. Henry VIII planted 700 cherry trees there and there still are cherry trees there.

The highlight of yesterday was two more trips to Westminster Abbey. We attended Evensong, a service which is sung by the 31 member boys choir. The choir is made up with of boys ages 8-12. One noteable fact about the boys; they live there and go to boarding school there. They have for hundreds of years. They have left their mark there, literally. There is grafitti everywhere. In fact the royal coronation chair has grafitti carved into most of it. The chair is in the Abbey and you can see it there.

The service was amazing. Not just the singing. Can you imagine attending a service while sitting on Lord Tennyson, Chaucer, O'Henry, Rudyard Kipling and Charles Dickensons' graves. They were right underneath us. You can reach down and touch them. It is hard to pay attention because your eyes are constantly searching and reading the tombs, monuments and grave stones around you. There are over 3400 burials inside the Abbey.

THEN

We went back and attended an organ recital. This time we sat in the nave right next to the tomb of Sir Isaac Newton. We also sat directly on top of three tombs of knights that were covered with black granite with bronze engraving that is absolutely amazing.

You can't even imagine what that is like being around that much history. You sit next to 900 year old paintings that surround the tomb of St. Edward the Confessor.

The organ recital was very good. Four out of the many organs they maintain were played and fill the Abbey with sound.

After the Abbey we walked by St. James's Palace, Spencer House, the Prime Ministers house and more.

Right now we are at our hotel in Edinburgh after visiting Edinburgh Castle. We need to recharge camera batteries and shower.

I was really looking forward to eating haggis tonight. After the kidney, not so much.