Hampton Court Palace, Regent's Park, the London Zoo, and Hamlet!

We've had a busy and enjoyable past several days. I'll briefly share some highlights, then post some pictures. On Saturday we went to Hampton Court Palace, a former main residence of Henry VIII among many other royalty and big figures in British history. The palace itself was beautiful (got to see Henry's "apartments" and his "kitchens," the latter of which were massive given that up to 1200 people were living there at any given time during his reign). But the grounds (gardens, a hedge maze, ponds, open spaces) were at least as gorgeous. On Monday we went to Regent's Park and the London Zoo. It was a crisp, cold (around 45 degrees), but perfectly clear day -- a great day for the zoo! As we expected, Oliver in particular had a great time. He was alternately fascinated and terrified by the various beasts. We got a really, really close up view of a pacing, growling Bengali Tiger -- amazing! Last night Erinn and I got to see a production of Hamlet at the National Theatre. We've both taught this play before and have watched various movie versions of it; so we know it well and love it. The performance blew our minds. Probably the best play I've ever seen. The directing was great but Hamlet's performance was out of this world.

Here are a few photos from our trip to Hampton Court Palace: