On The Move

I am on the move to London. Stay tuned for up-dates from Jolly Old England!

On the Move To The UK

I couldn't believe my passport! Three years and no trips to the UK . I decided I had ignored my previous home long enough and hitched a ride with Sir on a week-end trip to jolly ol' London. It is amazing to me how three years can go by so quickly - yet stepping off the plane and heading to customs felt like it was just last week I there having a tea at an outdoor cafe with Daughter 1.

Nothing had changed going through customs at Heathrow. The traffic on the streets remained crowded, loud and chaotic. The weather didn't disappoint me - one minute sunny and bright, the next cloudy with rain. The mixture of color and languages sharing the streets remained unchanged. Three years has passed me by and my Londontown was the same. Walking through the streets brought back so many memories my head was spinning. I am sure Sir was tired of me stating over and over . . ."do you remember when..."

How did I spend my 24 hours in town? Due to a tube closing (rail work) we couldn't venture to our old stomping grounds - so I chose - the tourist thing: walking for miles from Leicester Square to Trafalgar Square to Covent Garden to Regent Street to Embankment and finally back to the tube. I was not disappointed. The crowds of people gathered at Trafalgar Square waiting patiently to have their photos taken while on top of the giant black lions existed then and still remains a beloved activity today. The smells that drifted from China Town years ago remains exactly the same - it warmed my heart and soul. The music, street entertainers and clanking of dishes at the outdoor cafes took me back to the days when I had a stroller pushing my way through the crowded streets of Covent Gardens. I enjoy feasting on my favorite curry at one of our favorite hang outs - Wagamama's - while waving to my favorite restaurant - Belgo's - I will have to visit it next trip!

What changed? Shopping. We headed to our favorite shops on a mission .... and they were closed. Poof. Maybe my pocketbook is happy but I was down right disappointed!

After a great evening dining with friends, staying up way to late, getting to bed in the wee hours of the morning . . . I packed my bags and headed home grateful for the time spent with Sir, my walk around London, my evening with friends and 16 hours on the plane without telephone or a computer!

I won't wait for three years to pass again!

Grand Tour #22

Well, what can I say? Sir pulled a fast one on me today. With the help of several friends and my kids, Sir showed up at our friend’s house today – saying Happy Anniversary! Yes, today is my 20th Anniversary. He had to be in Paris yesterday for work and hopped on the Eurostar from Paris to surprise me! So with Daughter 1, Tim and Carole, we went to dinner at a wonderful restaurant to celebrate. Thank you to Tim and Carole for arranging so many of the details to make this night so special! The morning started as a normal day - breakfast at the kitchen table and then out the door to another museum – The Wallace Collection. The Wallace Collection is great – only two floors of a fantastic collection. The reason we went to the Wallace Collection? The Swing by Fragonard – Daughter 1 studied it in school this year. They also have a great collection of Marie Antoinette’s furniture, miniatures and other items from Versailles. Daughter 1 wrote a research paper on Marie Antoinette a couple years ago, so she had a lot of interest in seeing her goods. Next we went to our old neighborhood in St. John’s Wood to roam around, have lunch and take pictures of our old house. The high street and area around had changed so much. We had a great visit at Daughter 1’s old school, the American School in London. We visited with the admissions director – the woman that admitted us to the school! Then we saw her kindergarten teachers. Mr. P was so happy to see her and so surprised! His assistant, Mrs. A was equally surprised. We headed out the door to head home to pack before dinner. When we arrived one hour later, I had my surprise from Sir! What a delightful ending to a great trip! I wouldn’t trade the trip for anything. I missed Daughter 2 like crazy, but have loved the time I have spent with Daughter 1. These are memories the two of us will always remember. Check back next week when I am in another state – I still won’t be home!

Grand Tour #20 and #21

It is Tuesday night, my feet are hurting and Daughter 1 has taken me to so many art galleries! Our daily itineraries have been very different in London. Tim and Carole are conveniently located near a tube stop; Carole kindly walked us to the station so we would be sure to find our way home that evening. Off we went into London to start our day of sightseeing. We spent 4 hours at the National Gallery which included a fire alarm, lunch and shopping! Yes, we looked at every picture in two of the four galleries. Thanks to Daughter 1’s art history teacher, she was a walking book of knowledge. My favorite piece? The Execution of Lady Jane Grey by Delaroche. Daughter 1’s favorite piece? The Constable and Turner paintings – she can’t pick just one. Then we went to the Tate Modern. Most of the works were a bit much for me – but they did have some nice pieces. The museum is in an old power station on the South Bank - they did a great job renovating the building. After several hours of touring I was glad to see the clock turn to 5:30 so we could meet Carole for a girl’s night out. Our evening started at The Real Greek – a Greek restaurant on the Thames. After dinner we strolled down the street to the Globe Theater to see A Midsummer’s Night Dream. What a great night and a great play – we thoroughly enjoyed ourselves. We rolled into the house in time to head to bed, just to get up the next morning and do it all again! Well, this morning we headed into town to hit 3 museums. We started at the Courtauld Institute of Art Gallery in Somerset House. It was small, compact and full of great work. I loved a Picasso that I had never seen before and Daughter 1 loved the paintings by Manet. Lunch was at Wagamama’s – one of the family’s favorite restaurants in London! After a delicious meal we headed to the National Portrait Gallery. We first searched for the only original portrait of Jane Austen, but along the way we saw many others. My personal art historian told me it wasn’t so much about who painted the picture – but rather who the portrait was of. Don’t laugh, but then we took a break and went to a movie! We couldn’t find a play we wanted to go to, so we decided to see The Other Bohlen Girl. Since we have been to several of the filming locations – we had to go and see it on the big screen! It was fun to nudge each other each time there was a place we recognized. After the movie we hopped on the tube and headed to the British Library to see a letter Jane Austen wrote to her sister, Jane’s writing desk and some early stories she wrote. The exhibition room of British treasures was filled with other wonderful pieces too. Beatles memorabilia, an original Magna Carta, a Gutenberg Bible, Handel’s Messiah and Shakespeare’s First Folio. We went to Covent Garden to have dinner at my favorite restaurant - Belgos. Well fed, happy and very tired feet we made it home.

Grand Tour #19

After a good nights sleep in a wonderful bed - with 4 pillow, I might add - I woke up to another beautiful morning. We had a nice leisurely breakfast with baths, showers, laundry and ironing thrown in. Daughter 1 had picked two houses with gardens she wanted to tour - Syon House and then Osterley Park. Syon House is a beautiful. opulent house on the outside of London with acres of park, gardens and the most wonderful conservatory I have ever toured. Daughter 1 picked this house because part of Emma was filmed here, as well as several other movie such as Gosford Park, Cranford and Sense and sensibility 2008. Also, in Art History this year daughter 1 studied Robert Adams, the architect of the 1760's remodel of Syon House. He was one of the main architects that brought neo-classical architecture to England. The original house dates back to earlier than King Henry VIII, but has very little, if any, Tudor influence present. The Duke of Northumberland and family still lives there today. They occupy the inner rooms and leave the State rooms for visitors to see. After a light lunch, we headed down the street to Osterley Park, another Robert Adams creation. Again this house dates back centuries, but Adams had gotten his hands on it and the interior design looks very similar to Syon House, but a little less opulent. The house was given to the national Trust years ago, so no family is currently tied to the house. Even though the park was lovely and the English Gardens were beautiful, we were disappointed with the house overall. We were able to tour much of the house (state rooms, some family living quarters and the kitchens, wine cellars and walk-in safe) but there were no leaflets or signs explaining what we were seeing. This is the first time we have had a National Trust property that was so poorly displayed! We caught a ride on the golf cart out of the park and headed for the ice cream truck! Hot, tired and happy we headed home! Once again, I was thrilled to be getting into the back seat! Dinner is on the patio tonight, and we plan to have some great food, good wine and soulful music. Hope everyone has had a great week-end! Only 3 more days and then we head back to the USA!

Grand Tour #18

I am snuggled in bed, enjoying my new home for the next 5 days. We are staying with our good friends Tim and Carole. Tim is a fabulous cook and treated us to a delicious dinner of lamb, mashed potatoes, vegetables and dessert. While we had pre-dinner drinks in their garden Daughter 1 got to show off her finds from the trip. Their garden is scrumptious - beautiful flowers of all colors growing on the walls and in pots all around the garden. I do have to admit - I was so glad to return the car today. With a couple near misses on the road, I breathed a sigh of relief as I boarded the train from Gatwick Airport to Victoria Station. For the first time in two and a half weeks I was headed somewhere and I didn't have to worry about driving! But I realize that without being able to drive (1500 miles is what we put on the car) the sightseeing would have been cut in half! Today's excursions prove this point! The car took us two hours east to the middle of the south Downs to the Seven Sisters, a filming location for Atonement. We had an extremely hard time trying to find our way - but the trouble was well worth the pain. We found the Seven Sisters and the Beachy Head Lighthouse, and the views were marvelous. The next stop was Groombridge Place Gardens. Now let me tell you - what a mistake! They were having a special event at Grooombridge - Fairy Day! The place was swarming with little girls dresses up in fairy costumes. We were surprised to see adults dressed up too! This was not the tranquil experience we had hoped for. However, it did not stop us from enjoying Groombridge Place, home fo the Bennet family in the 2005 Pride and Prejudice. They used the house (inside and out) and part of the grounds in the movie. And yes, we covered every inch and took pictures at every relevant angle - with ipod in hand. I am most grateful for this last stop. We started the trip touring Mr. Bingley's home from the 2005 Pride and Prejudice, and we ended the countryside portion of our trip with the Bennet's home. What more could Daughter 1 ask for? While driving to the airport, Daughter 1 and I made a list of our favorites. Here it goes... Favorite Road Sign: Road Studs Removed (darn, I like looking at studs on the roads!). Favorite Gardens: Chatsworth and Stourhead. Favorite House Exterior: Chatsworth and Blenheim. Favorite House Interior: Kedleston and Chatworth. Favorite Accomodations: Park Farm House and Royal Norfolk Hotel. Favorite Day: Day at Chatsworth and then climbing Stanage Edge. Stay tuned for our adventures in London!

Grand Tour #17

We were up early this morning – we had a lot on our itinerary! We said goodbye to Highfield Cottage in Winchester and headed south. We stopped at Southampton to tour the Jane Austen sites that were relevant in her life after her father died. For a while, Jane, her sister and her mother lived with her brother and sister-in-law in Southampton. The house has since been demolished, but we were able to go to the Dolphin Hotel where she attended parties. We were brave and asked to see the old ballrooms! Around the medieval castle walls there were plaques about different places Jane would have gone. We also walked by the Titanic Museum – the ship did leave from Southampton - but didn’t have time to stop. Then it was on to Netley Abby and our first time in days to get lost – but that sucker was hard to find. Eventually we did find it and enjoyed the Abbey’s ruins. Jane Austen often visited the Abbey during her stay in Southampton – it is speculated that she drew some inspiration from it for Northanger Abbey. Our next stop of the day was Portsmouth. Jane Austen used Portsmouth in Mansfield Park as the home of Fanny Price’s family. On the way to Portsmouth, Daughter 1 saw a ferry liner to the Isle of Wright, so we said why not! So it was the first totally unplanned activity of the trip. We went to the ferry and bought tickets to the Isle of Wright! We had a great time! We rode a cute little train/trolley down the coast line to a café. We ate a yummy lunch sitting outside overlooking the water – it was another beautiful day! Then we walked 1.5 miles back to the ferry station, taking our time along the way. They were having a European food festival on the beach so we had to try some of the chocolate crepes for dessert! Once we were back in Portsmouth we went to the historic dockyards, just in time to be told we were too late! Just our luck! We did go and walk the old city walls and go up into the towers that were used for protecting the city. Exhausted, we headed to Bognor Regis – our stop for the night. This is a fun “tourist” town. Our hotel, The Royal Norfolk Hotel, is right on the water with great views of the beach. The hotel was built in the 1830’s for important guests visiting this area. After a quick sit down, we headed out for a late dinner. We walked home via the pebble beach, but were happy the tide was out so we could walk out on the wet sand. We had a great time taking pictures on the way home. Here the sun rises each morning at 5 and it is finally dark at 9:45 – this makes for long days – but we are grateful we can pack so many activities in! It is with great sorrow that tomorrow we say goodbye to the countryside and head towards London.

Grand Tour #16

I may have told you that we have been experiencing Jane Austen madness, but today it was the Jane Austen groupies! They flocked from all over the globe to see the house where Jane Austen revised and wrote her most famous novels. To make a long story short, her father died while they were living in Bath. Jane, her sister and her mother roamed from house to house, alternatively staying with relatives and in dumps. Finally her brother (who had been adopted by distant cousins because they had no heirs) inherited several homes, one being an estate in Chawton. At that time he gave the women a cottage on the estate to live in for the remainder of their lives. So bottom line, this is where she lived until she moved to Winchester to be near her doctor. Across the street was a cute place to eat – Cassandra’s Cup! What a great use of marketing the family name! (Cassandra was the name of Jane’s sister). Once again, I was in awe of all the men that were at the museum and Cassandra’s Cup – they were smiling too! It was a beautiful day and the sky was blue and with white fluffy clouds. We made our way to the church, St. Nicolas, where Jane would have went to church while living in Chawton, and saw the graves of her mother and Cassandra. We drove into Winchester and went to Winchester Cathedral where Jane is buried (yes, we saw some of the same groupies there as at the cottage). We then found our way to the Hampshire Records Office to research primary and secondary documents about Jane Austen. Most of the documents there are secondary, but they did get out for us Jane’s Baptism Records and something very unusual. Her father was a rector, so in his marriage registry book, Jane filled out a fake Marriage Bann. Well, in modern day, I think Jane would have been grounded! Too bad we don’t know how her father reacted! At least we have a great record of her humor! Then we went to 8 College Street to the house where she died. It wasn’t a museum, but there was a plaque on the front of the house. We headed back to Twyford for dinner at The Bugle Inn. I told Daughter 1 I feel like we have come full circle. We have visited where Jane Austen was born, where she grew up, where she lived in Bath, where she wrote her novels, where she died and where she was buried. Daughter 1 did her research well, for which I am grateful.

Grand Tour #15

The houses, families, gardens, accommodations and dining experiences are starting to get all jumbled together. Thank goodness Daughter 1 is here to keep me straight! We still haven’t received the call from the Earl of Pembroke’s security staff – so, I guess Daughter 1 will not be a Countess after all. We awoke to beautiful blue skies and no rain. In fact, we have not seen rain all day!! We have been assured by many locals there will not be rain until Saturday – so we are keeping our fingers crossed. We started the day at McDonalds posting the blog. We took our sweet time getting back to the car to leave town, and well, shopped along the way! We visited goodwill shops – they are very fashionable here and every charity has a shop. Daughter 1 found a couple more books –we are officially bringing home a library for her! Once to the car, we headed out for more Jane Austen touring. Not the movies, just places in Jane Austen’s life. We had lunch at The Wheatsheaf Inn, a coaching inn where Jane walked to get her mail. We even ate in the old part of the Inn, just as Jane might have done. Then we went to The Vyne, a marvelous National Trust house. The Vyne is where Jane would have gone to parties and dances. The house dates back to Henry VIII, but was altered considerably in the late 17th and early 18th centuries. A part of the Tudor house still exists – oddly enough, when the house was remodeled, most of it was torn down. Only the remaining portion was refurbished to live to in. We couldn’t get the guides to stop talking to us! Everyone had something to say in each room. Our favorite room was the Saloon, where Jane Austen would have danced at the parties she attended. The coolest thing – I asked the guide about the grand piano in the room - it dates back to 1847. He then said, you are welcome to play the piano if you know how, but you have to sign the guest book. We thought he was kidding, but he was not! Daughter 1 hopped over the rope, sat down and played the theme song from Titanic. While she was signing the book, she found sheet music to a minuet by Bach that she knew. So she sat down and played it too. What a wonderful experience for Daughter 1. I have to admit, I was pretty proud of her! Outside, the gardens were pretty, the park was huge and we were not the last ones out this time. We were driven out by a large golf cart because the entrance was so far from the house! We then visited Steventon – which today had her father’s old church and the site where her house used to stand. The church is really but and they still have church services, and Jane was christened here. Her father was also rector at one other parish church in the area and the Austen’s had many friends and family around the churches. So we went to the tiny little villages, found the churches and then found the houses – and yes, we didn’t have addresses, just village names. But really we didn’t need them this time! The villages were sooo little. We are 3 miles south of Winchester tonight, in a little village called Twyford. We are staying in a barn converted into bedrooms. For dinner we were told, “left out of the drive, go to the end of the lane and turn left, go across the foot path and into town, just a 5 minute walk.” In reality, 15 minutes to the pub and the foot path was an overgrown trail beside a horse corral. Daughter 1 told me I must close this evening’s entry with the following: After returning to the B&B from dinner, I discovered I did not have the key to the B&B. We had to walk back toward town and Daughter 1 found it along the way. Turns out, when I took my camera out of my pocket to take beautiful sunset pictures (the first on the trip), the key flew out of my pocket! Thank goodness it was not all the way back at the pub! I just realized this is so long tonight – sorry! Good night to all!

Grand Tour #14

We are so happy that we are at a laundromat! We finally found one in Salisbury – our stop for the night. We don’t have internet access, but will head to a pub or McDonalds where there is internet access! Hurrah for small blessings! We woke up to a beautiful day on the Cobb. We walked the Cobb and then walked a bit around the Marina. It was chilly but no rain. We tore ourselves away because we needed to get a move towards our next stop – Wilton House. Wilton House was used in filming parts of the inside of Mr. Darcy’s home in Pride and Prejudice 2005 - as well as a ballroom scene in Sense and Sensibility 1995. It was a beautiful house, well maintained and furnished. The best part – it comes with a 30-year-old single Earl. The 18th Earl of Pembroke and the 15th Earl of Montgomery. I did meet the head of security - I took his picture and then headed to the car park. Next thing I knew, he was there at my car to have a chat with me. He wanted to make sure I knew he was not the Earl!! I thought it was so funny. We stood out in the rain talking – the majority of the conversation was about the Earl and the fact that Daughter 1 was single. He asked me if I thought Daughter 1 was too young for the Earl – I told him “absolutely not – please arrange a meeting!” We laughed, he agreed and we are still waiting to here from him! It was pouring outside, so very few pictures were taken. Then we headed to Salisbury, ahead of schedule, to visit Mompesson House. It was used in the filming of Sense and Sensibility 1995. The house was tiny compared to what we have been seeing – we were a bit shocked. We figured over an hour in our schedule to tour the house and gardens but in less than thirty minutes we were outside in the rain once again. We walked over the road to Salisbury Cathedral, and when we came out the rain had stopped! Thank goodness! The recent weather has been dreadful but the roads are so much easier to drive on. On our two hour drive today, I spent time reflecting on the different roads in the many parts of the country in which we have traveled (Daughter 1 was watching Jane Austen movies on her ipod). In the Stamford area – I was afraid for my life - people drove so fast. I was dodging cars, sheep and shrubs while driving over 50 mph down tiny roads. In the Peak District, I had to add bikers to the list. The people didn’t drive quite as fast, but the roads were still really narrow most of the time! After we left Stratford the roads have been bigger and only a few people drive really fast so it is much more manageable. The next few days we will be in smaller villages again – we will see how narrow the roads become.

NOTE: the computer died on us and McDonalds did not have outlets – so we are back to the B&B and we will post this in the morning.

P.S. Welcome home Daughter 2!

Grand Tour #13

What a day! I headed to Stourhead Gardens early with Daughter 1, ready to take pictures. The grounds are so beautiful, but so big! We ended up staying a couple hours longer than we thought – so we threw the next two stops out the window! Daughter 1 set the priority to visit Montacute House, a filming location for Sense and Sensibility 1995. Again we were a bit disappointed in the house, another fine example of an Elizabethan home, but not refurbished to its glory. The family gave it to the National Trust when they could no longer afford to maintain it – they even sold all the house’s contents, leaving an empty shell for the National Trust! We couldn’t take pictures in the house, but Daughter 1 had a great time in the gardens with ipod in hand, retracing the steps from the movie. In the rain we happily drove to Lyme Regis on the southern coast of England. We stopped by a tiny town called Seatown on the way. Seatown is where they filmed a beach scene in Persuasion 2007. In the rain, Daughter 1 was happy to walk to the pebble beach for pictures. Once arriving in Lyme Regis we headed for the Cobb. Our room for the night is above a pub which overlooks the Cobb. We headed out for pictures and a walk on the Cobb. We met a couple who was walking the Cobb because of the filming of The French Lieutenant’s Woman. We reminded them that the Jane Austen movie Persuasion was also filmed here. I have been amazed at how many men have watched all the Jane Austen films - they are very knowledgeable about the subject too! Despite all the smiles on Daughter 1’s face, we are in need of laundry facilities again! Tomorrow we will wear our last clean outfit as doing laundry is proving to be much harder than we thought. We are also a bit shocked by the lack of internet service available for public use. We are so used to popping in to Starbucks or Panera and getting connection. All is quiet at the pub tonight – we had thought it might be really loud. Now we need to get to bed – we have to take another walk on the Cobb in the morning! Breakfast is at 8:00 am!

Grand Tour #12

We have not had internet service, so now I am behind. We had a great day – got behind and stayed behind our schedule all day! But we didn’t let the schedule keep us from having a great time. First we headed to The Courts Garden. Daughter 1 was so patient with me while I had a great time taking pictures. The Courts Garden is a great example of a traditional English garden. The layout has not been changed since the 1930’s. We then zoomed a few miles away to Lacock – a wonderful village and Abbey. Lacock Abbey was originally an Abbey, but with dissolution of the monasteries the building was converted into a private manor. The first two Harry Potter movies filmed a few scenes in the cloisters at the Abbey – it was fun to see. The town of Lacock is soooo charming. They have done a great job maintaining the original integrity of the town, yet catering to the tourists. Of course, it helps that the family who donated the Abbey to the National Trust owned the village and donated it as well. Emma 1996, Pride and Prejudice 1995 and Cranford 2007 all filmed on the streets of Lacock. With the ipod in hand, Daughter 1 traced the steps and took pictures of important places in town! We even ate at the pub they used for the first assembly in the 1995 Pride and Prejudice movie. Next we drove a few miles away to Great Chalfield Manor, a marvelous example of Medieval England. The family that gave the house to the National Trust made one provision - the family could remain in the house as long as they desired. What a great way to provide for your future generations. The house was great, just not grand. One thing I loved – the original front door is still there from when the house was built in the 1400’s. We closed down the house again – the last ones out of the gardens! We had a small snack in the car, watched the rain and plotted our route to our B&B. After a few wrong turns, we finally found our B&B, Search Farmhouse. Greeted by horses, we made our way into the house to meet our host – he happens to work for the National Trust. We had a great conversation with him – he told us we could sneak into Stourhead Gardens and not get kicked out, even though the gardens were closing in 15 minutes. So off we went, trotting from the carpark to the garden entrance. We were stunned by the beauty and enormous size of the grounds. Stourhead was used in the 2005 Pride and Prejudice movie when Elizabeth turns down Mr. Darcy’s first marriage proposal. We had been waiting for this stop to take Daughter 1’s senior pictures. We scouted out the place and then headed to the nearby pub for dinner, The Spread Eagle Inn. After we stopped laughing about the name, we enjoyed dinner and headed back to the horses for the evening.

Grand Tour #11

We are finally home from a long day of touring Bath. Our feet are tired and we are anxiously awaiting the results of the Britain’s Got Talent finals. Today was Jane Austen madness! I mean MADNESS! We slipped into Bath Abby for a few minutes before our Jane Austen walking tour began. The Abby was about to close for a wedding – we were lucky to sneak in just before. The Abby is so beautiful – even though I have been there before, I never get tired of touring it. We went on the walking tour – heard lots of stories, saw lots of buildings, saw lots of streets and learned lots about Jane Austen. I won’t give details – you would be asleep in ten minutes! We ended the tour at the Jane Austen Center and spent two hours there! First there was lunch. Daughter 1 ordered, of course, Tea with Mr. Darcy and the Jane Austen Blend tea. After lunch we went to listened to an introductory lecture about Jane Austen and then went on a self-guided tour around the center. Shopping was last on the list- we found Daughter 1 another old edition of Pride and Prejudice. We then proceeded on our own walking tour to finish up the rest of the Jane Austen sites – the Royal Crescent, the Circus, many streets where Jane would have been and some of the streets where they filmed both versions of Persuasion. The Fashion Museum was next on our list – we had a great time trying on corsets! We ended the day at Sally Lunn’s, the oldest house in Bath and a bakery for several hundreds years. Now to our hotel – it is wonderful. It is one of six gate houses for the nearby Farleigh Castle. So this mini-castle has been here for a long time. I really wanted to stay here when we lived in England, but the daughters were too young. One more thought for the night - I can’t help but take a stroll down memory lane, thinking of all the people we came to Bath with while we lived here. I have such good memories. But the past two days, I have thought so much about my visit here with my parents and grandfather. My grandfather was 86 and wanted to visit me in England, so my parents brought him over. Bath was one of the destinations we visited during his tour of the United Kingdom. Grandpa returned home and died within a week. He had two passport stamps in his passport – the USA and the United Kingdom. A dream he had his whole life. So here I am with my daughter living out her dream. Enough for tonight – goodnight to all. Mom and Dad – I love you!

Grand Tour #10

What a delightful day! And we actually slept in! Up at 8:00 and breakfast at 9:00 – boy were we happy! Today was all about Jane Austen in Bath, her home numerous times during her lifetime. We started the day at the Roman Baths. We fully enjoyed our self-guided audio tour and learning about the partially naked, muscular Roman soldiers. We decided we would love to be the slaves scraping the dirt off them after they came out of the steam rooms dripping in sweat. Just kidding! Just checking to see if you are still reading. After the baths, we roamed around town, looked in a couple of antique stores and strolled along the same streets Jane Austen walked down during her time in Bath. We stopped at the Victoria Art Gallery (because it was free) and viewed an exhibit of different architects’ visions of modernizing and updating Bath - from the late 1800’s up until the 1940’s. Bath would be a very different place if some of these changes would have been implemented. Upstairs there was an impressive gallery – we especially liked two Gainsborough portraits and two Duffield still lifes. After more shopping we headed to the Pump Rooms for afternoon tea. With beautiful surroundings, a string trio and delicious food, we had a wonderful time. The Pumps Rooms have been the center of social life in Bath for hundreds of years. Jane Austen visited and even wrote about The Pump Rooms in her novels Persuasion and Northanger Abbey. Then we were off to the new Thermal Spa for a late afternoon treatment. We arrived at 4:00 and our time ended at 7:45. In that time period we: swam in two different pools, visited three giant steam rooms each with a different aromatherapy scent, had a light snack, soaked our feet in our own mini-foot spa, took cold showers, had a hot shower that was like a waterfall and each had a spa treatment. Daughter 1 had a neck, back and shoulder massage with a rejuvenating facial, and I had a neck, back and shoulder massage with a foot massage. The weirdest part – they made us wear paper thongs for our massages. Because they were cut so strangely, I was not sure which was the front and which was the back!! We stumbled out of the spa and found the town empty – which was wonderful. Unfortunately if you ask Daughter 1 how she would describe Bath, she would tell you “dirty and crowded.” At this point it was still dirty, but it wasn’t crowded! We hung out, called home, and headed to a concert. Right now is the middle of the Bath International Music Festival, so we jumped on the chance to see a harpsichord concert. The musician was very talented and we were in a small intimate venue. I am happy to report that I only fell asleep once! Tomorrow is another day filled with the life of Jane.

Grand Tour #9

We waved goodbye to our cute cottage and headed south to start the day’s journey. Our first stop? A classic Daughter 1 move – I know the town but have no address. But we were cheering and yelling when we found it with no problem. Well, there was the nice man on the bike that stopped to help us with directions when we were stopped in the middle of a tiny country road! Edgecote was so little we passed it on the road. Edgecote House is a private home, but we had no problem taking pictures through the gate. It was Mr. Bingley’s home, Netherfield, in the 1995 Pride and Prejudice. Once we had our pictures we headed to Blenheim Palace! Wow, is this place massive and advertised as the grandest palace in England! When we entered the palace for a look around, we were told that the Duke was not in today and had given permission to tour his private wing of the house – something he does not do often. We really enjoyed the private tour. The family rooms are still very grand, but have more family photos and personal artwork on the walls. We saw the family entryway, offices, the kitchen, laundry room, other areas used by the 14 staff members and then the families’ living area. However, we were not taken to the bedrooms. I think this area was much different than what we thought it was going to be! We had a nice lunch in the Water Terrace Gardens then headed back in to see the house. It was very nice, but the inside was not as opulent as the façade on the outside. We loved the Winston Churchill exhibit - this is the house where he was born! We took a 1 mile walk around the grounds before heading out. We still had several things left to explore at the palace – but the next stop was demanding our time. Today we reached an all time low – a second classic Daughter 1 move – another town, another church and house but no address. After the biggest fiasco – even I was getting grumpy – we found the church and house. Luckington Court was the Bennet family home in Pride and Prejudice 1995. They also filmed at the church next door. We had no problem getting into the church yard. However, Luckington Court is a private residence and there were signs posted that it was private and no one was allowed in the areas around the house. Unfortunately for us, there were people out and we couldn’t sneak closer. Daughter 1 was soooo disappointed. “We didn’t come all this way to not get a picture,” was her direct quote. So back to the churchyard we went, up on to a 300 year old stone wall she went and a picture she took!! She is a woman possessed! Castle Combe, the best example of a Cotswold village, was our last stop of the day. We took pictures and then headed to The Castle Inn for dinner. It was beautiful when we went in for dinner and pouring rain when we came out! No worries, we made it just fine to our next lodging – The Bath Lodge Hotel. I will give you more details about our hotel another day! We are in a wonderful room, with a huge bathtub and we have internet!! For 3 nights our life will be easy – then we are back out into the country!

Woman on The Move driving Daughter 1 all over England!

Windy in the Peak District

I was not kidding - it was a very windy day in the Peak District! I was toooo scared to go out any further on the rocks!

England Adventure #7

We left early this morning to head south towards Shakespeare Country. I will spare you the details of driving in the rain on the motorway at 80mph one minute and then stopped bumper to bumper the next! I will only say that we were happy to arrive at Stoneleigh Abby alive, safe and without the rain! We arrived in time for a tour of the house, thanks to Daughter 1’s research. Stoneleigh was the home of Jane Austen’s uncle on her mother’s side. When Jane and her mother were visiting her uncle at his parish (he was a parson), the owner of Stoneleigh died with no heirs. With three possible heirs in a different branch of the family, Jane’s uncle (being a potential heir) rushed to Stoneleigh to take possession, bringing Jane and her mother with him. We toured rooms where Jane Austen slept, hung out and ate breakfast everyday. It is said that she drew inspiration from her experience at Stoneleigh to include in her books, most prominently Mansfield Park. This house just reopened to the public in 2003 after a 5 year restoration. It is a great example of how a house suffers when the families’ wealth decreases due to inheritance taxes and no trusts are established to preserve the house. When the last Lord Leigh died he had not done any financial planning so his exquisite possessions were sold from the house to pay for inheritance taxes. So now the house is practically bare. The English Heritage Society is now a partial owner, trying to buy back original furniture from Stoneleigh when it goes on auction at Christie’s. There was a fire at Stoneleigh around 1980 and in order to raise enough money to restore the house they had to convert some of the rooms into flats and a portion of the old Abby into houses. What a crying shame! We left and headed to Kenilworth – where we were told we could get internet service and a laundromat! They were right! We threw the afternoon plans out the window just so we could get some clean clothes! So later we drove by Kenilworth Castle for a picture, found our way to Warwick, didn’t go to the castle but went to Lord Leycester Hospital, where they filmed exterior shots for the 1995 Pride and Prejudice. With three maps in hand, we laughed the whole way through the countryside as we got lost, made wrong turns, drove through a flood (with the help of a fine gentleman driving by) and finally made our way to the next B&B, Tudor Rose Cottage. We are staying in an old Tudor cottage in a little village ten minutes from Stratford-Upon-Avon. We walked through the village to the local pub for dinner. The village is a mixture of old Tudor houses, old stone houses and a few rebuilt houses trying to look old. Tomorrow will be our first complete non-Jane Austen day. Don’t tell Daughter 1, but I am ready for a break!

Picture from Adventure #6

Shelly and Daughter 1 in front of Kedleston Hall.

Daughter 1 at The Roaches, filming site of Pride and Prejudice 1995.

England Adventure #6

I have had my shower and I am all snuggled in to bed, sipping my tea and writing to all of you. Daughter 1 is packing, watching Britain's Got Talent and looking over the goods she has purchased. We are both a little melancholy this evening as this is our last evening in the Peak District. We have enjoyed a four day tour of this area. The weather was good on Satuday, but like Sunday, today has been WINDY. Everyone tells us the wind is so unusual! Our day started early at The Roaches, where a scene from Pride and Prejudice 1995 was filmed. We struggled to climb up to the top of the rocks because of the wind. The scenery was beautiful - a rock formationhigh on a hill looking out on a vast valley. We took some pictures and got ourselves out of there before we were blown away! We headed to Stoke-On-Trent, the pottery area of England, for shopping! When living in England I journeyed to Stoke over 20 times - I felt like I was going home! However, so many thing had changed: stores have closed and shops have been remodeled. Because today was the bank holiday, the one store I wanted to go to was closed! After going in only two stores (I was very disheartened, but I am sure Sir will be thrilled when reading this), we left for our next destination. Our next stop was Sudbury Hall, which was crawling with people because of the bank holiday - we waited in line to grab lunch, we waited in line for the toilets, and we waited in line to get into the house. We loved Sudbury Hall. It was used to film several movies, including: the inside of Pemberley, Mr. Darcy's home, in Pride and Prejudice 1995; and the red room in Jane Eyre 2007. Why did we love Sudbury? In addition to the formal state rooms, we were able to tour the family rooms and bedrooms. Let me explain. In all the houses, halls, etc we have been in, you are able to tour the state rooms - the rooms built to impress and house special guests. Families that owned the homes didn't actually live in the state rooms; they had their own seperate living areas. If the family still lives in the house today (14 or 15 generations later), the family rooms are not open to the public, as many family members still occupy the family areas. We didn't spend much time in the gardens because it was so windy outside. So we headed west towards Kedleston hall, another spot in the filming of The Duchess. And oh my gosh, what a trip to get there! A tree was down across the road but thanks to two old ladies, we found the way. Upon arriving we had only 1.5 hours to tour the gardens, park and house, and unfortunately we had enough time - the gardens, most of the park and part of the house were closed due to the strong winds. This house was amazingly different from the others we had seen. This was the first house in England to be built in the neoclassical style. The house was gorgeous, opulent and over the top, but architecturally brillant. We asked for directions on how to get back to the highway because of the closed road, so we took the directions with a leap of faith and headed out. This is a direct quote "right out of the park, then the next right, a left to Duffield, then at the T go right." Considering these were all country roads - we made it and were shocked that we only had to turn around once! We found ourselves at a restaurant right across the street from the B&B. We shared a great shrimp ceasar salad flatbread pizza before heading back to pack. Goodnight! I will post again from Stratford-Upon-Avon. Hopefully we will find internet service at our next B&B so I can post daily!

Pictures from Adventure #5

Picture 1: Shelly and Daughter 1 at Lyme Park, the outside of

Mr. Darcy's home in Pride & Prejudice 1995.

Picture 2: Shelly and Daughter 1 at Haddon Hall. Filming location for Pride and Prejudice 2005, Jane Eyre 2007 and The Other Boleyn Girl.