Hever Castle

Well, it's official: I have a new favorite castle. I never expected to fall so fully for Hever Castle, but it blew me away in every way imaginable. Staying in a castle in England overnight has been one of my bucket list items for ages, so when I was planning this trip, I decided that I needed to finally make it reality. There are a surprising number of castle accommodations in England, but I never thought that one with the provenance of Hever would be open to overnight stays to the public--I mean, it was the childhood home of Anne Boleyn! I slept in the same building as Anne Boleyn (and Henry VIII, since they carried on part of their affair at Hever. Scandalous)!

Every corner of Hever was beautiful and drenched in history, from the wood-paneled sitting room to the stone-carved fireplace in Anne Boleyn's bedroom, to one of Henry VIII's locks on the door leading out of the dining hall. There were original portraits of famous monarchs, gorgeous stained glass, and a hand-carved bed in Henry's room. Anne's original illuminated prayer books are preserved in an upper room, and there is no picture that can do justice to how intricate and beautiful they are. All of that is contained in the most beautiful moated stone building overrun with ivy--and that's just the castle itself; I have two other posts in the works to cover the garden and grounds!  I honestly think I took more photos just at Hever than in entire cities elsewhere in England. Tyler and I agreed that our time here was by far our favorite experience of the entire trip; it's not too hard to see why.