Showers in Bath . . .but still a great day with Jane Austen!

When we arrived via train (which was a half hour late), we walked up the cobblestone street to the visitor's center (always the best move), and purchased our tickets for all the attractions we would need for our two days in Bath.

Our first stop were the Roman Baths. . . Actually discovered long before the Romans arrived, but they dedicated this natural mineral spring to their goddess Minerva. Later, it became a popular place, especially in Jane Austen's era, to 'take the waters' for the sake of one's health.

Here are a few photos:

A view from an upper level. . . 

A woman of the Roman times. . .

                                           

                                                             

The source of the spring. . . 

Another view form above. . . 

We were brave and tasted the mineral water. . .not too bad. Just a slight irony taste.

                                       

Then we went for 'lunch' and had an entire (both top and bottom) of the very famous Sally Lund Bun. It is so large, that you must eat it with a knife and fork. Here is Olivia triumphantly eating it. It's our first break in our diet since New Year's, but we couldn't come to Bath without trying one!

A few photos of the shop front. . .read all the plaques if you have the time.

                                      

                                                     

Then we took a bus tour of the city. . .the next best thing to do after arriving in a new city:

                                     

                                     

A golf course that Dan would have loved to play!

Bridge view of Bath. . .

              

                                  

                                                              

A few pic from the Jane Austen Center:

Me and Jane. . .or is it 'Jane and I'?

Tea was so dear, that it had to be kept under lock and key. . .and the mistress of the house kept the key hanging around her neck!

Beautiful regency costuming . . .

A forensic rendering of what Jane probably looked like using family descriptions, and a sketch.

Then, for dinner, we met up with an American friend, Hannah, attending Bath Spa University. We had a delightful dinner and an evening walk along the river (I'm sure Jane would have been pleased).

A parting shot of the Bath Abbey at night:

Stay tuned for day two in Bath!

Tea, Mice, Box Hill and the Queen's Quarter. . .

I'm hoping to catch up with this blogpost. We have been on the run for some time, but the last two days we slowed down a bit. Yesterday I celebrated my birthday in two cities: York and London. If the truth be told, if we had to live in a city in England (one we have visited), it would definitely be York! It has everything. Culture, history, shops, charm, fairly easily navigated, and the most lovely tea room . . .Bettys.

That's were I chose to have my birthday breakfast. It was so nice to relax with a pot of Yorkshire Tea (the best. . .even when strong, it's not bitter), poached eggs with asparagus and a bun. (A once in a blue moon treat)!

We were relieved to drop off our rental car (a Vauxhall) the night before. The two of us cheered when I turned off the ignition for the last time. Don't get me wrong. I enjoyed our travels. But the narrow streets and the constant dodging of parked cars, bikers, hikers and the occasional sheep left me tense at the very end of it all. But, I'm so grateful for God's protection through it all.

So, on to London. We took the rail, found our way to the hotel, rested a bit, then headed to dinner and a play. The crowds were enormous. Discovered today that the Queen was in town with pomp and ceremony to open the first day of Parliment since the election. The buses took forever, and we were unsure of what stop to exit at, so a kind man got off at the same stop and walked us half way there!

We have found everyone SO helpful with directions, almost going overboard for us. Another blessing!

After dinner, we walked to our theatre, St. Martins, which featured the longest running play in London. . .over 60 years! Mousetrap, an Agatha Christie mystery, never made it to publication, but was made into a very popular stage production.

We weren't allowed to take photos, so here is a pic of the cast from a poster in the lobby:

And the curtains . . .

It was very well done, and, as usual, I couldn't work out the plot, and was surprised by the ending. We took the tube home, and even at 22h30, the station was mobbed with people. When we arrived at Paddington Station, it took us a good ten minutes to find the way out that would lead to our hotel. We ended up walking through an empty parking garage and up a ramp to get there! Thankfully, there were security guards around.

Today, friends took us to Box Hill, a scene in Austen's novel, "Emma". She has never been out of her district, so going quite a few miles from her home is a big deal. Emma and a number of friends go on a picnic, but it is ruined when Emma plays a silly game that thoughtlessly offends one of the older women on her party. Mr. Knightly chides her with "Badly done, Emma. Badly done!"

The view is stunning. . .there were even picnickers where Emma and her party would have sat!

Here was a funny tombstone we found along the way:

After Box Hill, we took a drive to Eton and Windsor (the Queen was NOT in residence):

The town of Eton, home of the well-known Eton College boy's school.

                     

                                              

                                                                    

Some of the boy's Eton 'house' (think: fraternity) uniforms. . . 

The boy's houses, or dorms. . .

The Eton College library. . .

Olivia tries to 'get into' Eton. . .with no luck!

Then, we walked over the bridge and took a stroll down the Thames on the Windsor side:

A swarm of swans. . .

The Thames. . .

Egyptian Ducks

Then, into town . . .the Old and the Newer

The original Victoria rail station:

Windsor Castle. . .with a statue of Queen Victoria:

A lovely time was had by all. Tomorrow, Olivia and I will meet another friend for breakfast, and attempt to fit in three museums in one day. Cherrio!

Of This Place, I Might Have Been Mistress!

So says Lizzie when she visits Pemberley, Darcy's magnificent estate with her aunt and uncle. Because her sister, through her improper behavior, has tainted the family's reputation, Lizzie is sure, especially after refusing his offer of marriage once, that he will never ask her again.

Since we are on the Jane Austen/Eyre trail, we planned to visit both 'Pemberleys' from the 1995 BBC version with Colin Firth (our favorite), and the latest Kiera Knightley version. We tried the impossible and succeeded to see those two and Haddon Hall, which is where our favorite 2006 BBC version of Jane Eyre was filmed. Two were only three miles apart, but our favorite Pemberley was over an hour away. I can't tell you all the people who helped us get to our destinations, and the situations that made it possible, but, it was truly amazing to us. 

First, we visited Chatsworth House, which is where Kiera's version was filmed:

The outside was featured, as well as two locations in the house itself:

The Great Hall. . .

And, of course, the sculpture gallery (not my usual photography, but I wanted to be discreet):

                       

                       A little angel caught my eye . . .

This house original owners were Bess of Hartwick (Henry VIII) and her husband, and eventually was completely remodeled and became the resident of the Duke and Duchess of Devonshire. The present D&D love modern art, and have pieces in almost every room. It was a little irritating to see it mixed in with Tudor and Medieval art! But, there were a few fascinating pieces:

A cozy library and seating area. . . 

A chair in the sculpture gallery. . .

And the DNA of the present family interpreted as a 3D wall covering!

This one is more my taste: a former duchess painted as Diana, goddess of the moon and hunt. . .

Well, this post isn't about art, so on we go to our favorite Pemberley . . .owned by Colin Firth as Darcy:

They call this the 'iconic' view of Pemberley. The one you see in all the photos. Funny thing is, in the film, Lizzie and her aunt and uncle were brought to the back door via the circular drive:

Here is the area where Lizzie and Darcy took a 'turn' in the garden together, which is to the right of the back door:

And here is the gate through which she would have come:

And just look at the beautiful scenery around Lyme Park:

Unfortunately, we arrived to late in the afternoon to take the tour of the interior, but, since nothing was filmed inside, we didn't really mind. We were just thrilled that we made it onto the grounds so we could take pics. The Vistor's center was just closing as we walked up, but the young lady gave us ample information to make our visit a success!

In between the Pemberleys, we toured Haddon Hall, the location for the filming of our favorite 2006 BBC version of 'Jane Eyre':

I can't even describe what it was like to see this 'castle' . . .we were oooing and ahhhing the entire visit. Feeling as if we fell back into time, we fully expected to see Jane walk down these stairs:

Here is the great hall were many scenes were filmed. I was disappointed that the 'Tudors' were doing their reenactments, but you can get an idea of the space:

Here is the little room where Adele, her charge, took her lessons:

Then we went into the garden and were completely overwhelmed with its charm:

                

                                   

                                                       

Some views of the backside of Haddon Hall (Thornfield, Mr. Rochester's home in Jane Eyre):

                    

                                  

                                                       

And the beautiful surroundings:

And a few parting shots of us . . .

We just couldn't get enough of this place! So, next time, it will be a full Jane Eyre experience . . .