Blackbirds in a Pie

This evening I headed back to Hampton Court Palace for a ghost tour that was well worth the journey and the price. The evening began with the small group of us gathering at the information centre, which had a large, colourful dragon hanging from the ceiling. By the looks of it, it wasn't from the Tudor Dynasty.

We began the tour at the main gate, which opened on its own. The way it opened suggested that it was not opened by one person, as we could've seen them open the massive doors that lead into the palace. The guide took us into Anne Boleyn's former apartments where we saw her secret prayer room that has been notorious for visitors to catch a glimpse of her. None of us saw her, and so we moved on. We were taken in the back where it is off limits to visitors. There, we saw Cardinal Wolsey's apartments that eventually became Anne Boleyn's and finally Jane Seymour's. It had been explained to us that the fire doors that lead to an exhibit occasionally open and unexplained images are caught on CCTV. Below is a photo of the ghost caught on CCTV:

The image is quite chilling and looks like death, if you ask me. Whilst our guide was telling us this story, her colleague thought it would be funny to open the doors and scare us. The woman who was next to me is now legally deaf thanks to me. From there, we proceeded into a corridor that would lead us into the infamous 'Haunted Gallery.' For those who love a thrill and are frequent guests to Cedar Point, this experience was far more thrilling than the Top Thrill Dragster. I went in alone, I think, and it was so horrifying that I swear I could've fainted had I not been walking quickly enough. The heating was on as I walked through it in the dark, and even though the sound of the heater was faint, it was enough to make the hair on my arm stand tall. There were candles that were faintly lit which cast shadows on the walls and one of them looked a bit like Catherine Howard, but that could've been my mind playing tricks on me. Either way, it was an experience I shall never forget. From there the group met in the Great Hall. During the day this magnificent room is my favourite; however, at night it is almost as scary as the Haunted Gallery. Photography was not permitted on this tour, so unfortunately, I have no photos of the inside of Hampton Court Palace at night. The tour was in the dark with dim lighting so it would've been hard to see anything anyway. This has been one of the most memorable things I have ever done and I hope to do it again in the future, but preferably with the living rather than the dead.

Leaving Hampton Court Palace was a bit saddening for me because I have no clue when I'll be back. I hope to visit it at least five more times in my lifetime.

Thank you for reading my blog, Liz F and Forrest!