England Adventure #2

We awoke to sheep baa-ing outside our window, making their way up the hill munching as they went. Before heading out for the day we were happy to eat fried eggs, Lincolnshire sausages, baked beans, mushrooms, toast and tea! What a way to start a beautiful day in the English countryside. The tea, the breakfast, the warm and lovely people all pull me back to the days when I was here with Sir, Daughter 1 and Daughter 2. Our host at the farm house was puzzled when we said we were traveling to Teigh Oakham and Brooke. Why in the world would we travel to such small villages? Jane Austen came spilling out of my mouth. Elaine just smiled and stated, “Now I understand!” Teigh Oakham was so little, if you blinked you would miss it. But it was lovely - home to the church and rectory in the 1995 Pride and Prejudice. Off we flew to Brooke via the Rutland Water. Rutland Water is the largest man-made reservoir in Europe. Once in Brooke we easily found the church, spotted a neighbor to chat with, and proceeded in. The inside of the church was used for Pride and Prejudice 2005. The church is a hidden gem. Built in the 1600s, it has survived the years when people stripped the “good stuff” out of the surrounding churches. Back to Stamford we drove with Burghley House on our minds - with our handy map we even took an alternative route just to avoid a huge accident that had lorries and cars alike backed up for miles. Burghley House is a luscious and opulent house, and has been in the same family for over 400 years! Three movies have been filmed at Burghley House: The Da Vinci Code, Pride and Prejudice 2005 and Elizabeth I: The Golden Age. We had a great walk around the park and gardens, dodging deer droppings as we went, but we really enjoyed the inside. We were able to visit 18 restored rooms that were the state rooms for important guests. The guides were great - they answered questions about the filming and were awestruck by Daughter 1’s knowledge and enthusiasm for Jane Austen. Next we walked around Stamford which was used as the town Meryton in Pride and Prejudice 2005. Daughter 1 really won over a woman in an antique book shop when we popped in on a hunt for old copies of Pride and Prejudice. She offered us a 1st edition for $72,000 – we were sad to inform her that was a bit out of our price range. Once she was wrapped around Daughter 1’s finger, the woman started pulling out copies and opening locked doors, showing us books she knew we couldn’t afford but were of great interest to Daughter 1. Daughter 1 walked out with two Pride and Prejudice books, a smile on her face and an established relationship with a woman who will email her when books arrive that she can afford! Worn out from the day we headed home and the quote of the day is, “I can’t believe this is only the second day!”