It has been nearly a week since we left London. The laundry has been done, bags unpacked and things mostly put away, we’ve re-acclimated to the time changes and begun to work our way through memories, impressions, conversations, experiences and events. Thought I would finish of this blog series with some reflections. And encourage you to go to my Facebook page to see more photos.
Somehow, as it is damp and rainy and cold today, it only seems fitting that I remember the glorious weather and beautiful countryside of Surrey during our too brief stay with Trevor and Karina. The (I know, these are clichés, but …) picturesque cottages and open fields and peaceful surroundings intermixed with side trips embracing history, tradition, and wonder. The meandering trip through the countryside to Brighton and our amiable poking through The Lanes; the incredible parking ramps that Trevor navigated without so much as a scratch on his vehicle; the Forest and the vistas from hilltops that gave way to a vast valley on the one side and the sea on the other. The buildings that so evoked movies and books and images we had seen only in other media and were now real. The celebration of Karina’s birthday at Haxted Mill on a glorious warm sunny day in company with Betty and Dave. The delightful train ride with a fine luncheon in Pullman cars that were very nearly works of art operated by dedicated and passionate volunteers. The Plough, the local pub, mobbed evenings and serving great Thai food! And then there was the outing to Hever Castle, Anne Boleyn’s home, with the superb lunch in what had been the stables and was now a restaurant, golf course and hotel, and over to the breathtaking grounds, the glimpse of life as it may have been, the company of dear friends, and, again, spectacular weather! The energizing ride in “Juicy Lucy”, Trevor’s mint Jaguar convertible along picture book lanes that challenged the handling of the Jag at high speeds, but the Jag won! Playing football with Dram and frisbee with Cava in the backyard; the tolerance that was bestowed on us by Remy, the cat; the walks in the fields and along the lanes. And then the time to part and head for the big city, London, and the conflicting sadness at leaving friends and the idyllic life in the country and the excitement of the unknown that lay ahead.
And London … so much left unseen, undone, undescribed! Our hotel with our wonderful hosts and the almost unbelievable brass that Jeff and I showed in jumping in with both feet to experience what we could, see what we could, walk as far as feet would manage, to soak up just BEING THERE, with the full knowledge that there are more trips to London in our future, for sure. Again, that sense of almost surreal time as we wandered among buildings we had seen in media and now were gawking at in person. The humorous and informative narrative we got on bus and boat tours. An evening at The Globe!!! OMG … shades of my young days and the love I bear for performing. The awesome (there is no other word) and imposing St. Paul’s Cathedral and our serendipitous opportunity to reverently worship there. The crush and roar of the Underground and the relaxing beauty of our trip to Hereford to meet Scott and break bread. The unbelievable spectacle of Buckingham Palace and the press of crowds to see the changing of the guards and my unbelievable weeping in appreciation of the pomp, the splendor, the tradition, the discipline and the core sorts of values that I believe define England, at least for us. Small things like our cheery greeting late at night by Paul, the doorman at the Lime Tree Hotel, whose gruff, shy and warm greetings on our return were so appreciated, the street performers and the patience of those in long lines. The clamor of so many languages, the unending choice of cuisines, the hearty culture of pubs, the polite and mannered people from all walks of life we met, were served by, had casual conversations with, who cheerfully pointed us in the right direction and, at the end of our stay, let us depart gracefully while assuming that we would someday again return.
Somehow, as it is damp and rainy and cold today, it only seems fitting that I remember the glorious weather and beautiful countryside of Surrey during our too brief stay with Trevor and Karina. The (I know, these are clichés, but …) picturesque cottages and open fields and peaceful surroundings intermixed with side trips embracing history, tradition, and wonder. The meandering trip through the countryside to Brighton and our amiable poking through The Lanes; the incredible parking ramps that Trevor navigated without so much as a scratch on his vehicle; the Forest and the vistas from hilltops that gave way to a vast valley on the one side and the sea on the other. The buildings that so evoked movies and books and images we had seen only in other media and were now real. The celebration of Karina’s birthday at Haxted Mill on a glorious warm sunny day in company with Betty and Dave. The delightful train ride with a fine luncheon in Pullman cars that were very nearly works of art operated by dedicated and passionate volunteers. The Plough, the local pub, mobbed evenings and serving great Thai food! And then there was the outing to Hever Castle, Anne Boleyn’s home, with the superb lunch in what had been the stables and was now a restaurant, golf course and hotel, and over to the breathtaking grounds, the glimpse of life as it may have been, the company of dear friends, and, again, spectacular weather! The energizing ride in “Juicy Lucy”, Trevor’s mint Jaguar convertible along picture book lanes that challenged the handling of the Jag at high speeds, but the Jag won! Playing football with Dram and frisbee with Cava in the backyard; the tolerance that was bestowed on us by Remy, the cat; the walks in the fields and along the lanes. And then the time to part and head for the big city, London, and the conflicting sadness at leaving friends and the idyllic life in the country and the excitement of the unknown that lay ahead.
And London … so much left unseen, undone, undescribed! Our hotel with our wonderful hosts and the almost unbelievable brass that Jeff and I showed in jumping in with both feet to experience what we could, see what we could, walk as far as feet would manage, to soak up just BEING THERE, with the full knowledge that there are more trips to London in our future, for sure. Again, that sense of almost surreal time as we wandered among buildings we had seen in media and now were gawking at in person. The humorous and informative narrative we got on bus and boat tours. An evening at The Globe!!! OMG … shades of my young days and the love I bear for performing. The awesome (there is no other word) and imposing St. Paul’s Cathedral and our serendipitous opportunity to reverently worship there. The crush and roar of the Underground and the relaxing beauty of our trip to Hereford to meet Scott and break bread. The unbelievable spectacle of Buckingham Palace and the press of crowds to see the changing of the guards and my unbelievable weeping in appreciation of the pomp, the splendor, the tradition, the discipline and the core sorts of values that I believe define England, at least for us. Small things like our cheery greeting late at night by Paul, the doorman at the Lime Tree Hotel, whose gruff, shy and warm greetings on our return were so appreciated, the street performers and the patience of those in long lines. The clamor of so many languages, the unending choice of cuisines, the hearty culture of pubs, the polite and mannered people from all walks of life we met, were served by, had casual conversations with, who cheerfully pointed us in the right direction and, at the end of our stay, let us depart gracefully while assuming that we would someday again return.
Though I was somewhat amazed at the comfort of the means by which we got to Great Britain, it pales and passes quickly out of importance when reflecting on our experiences and our friends. The photographs trigger memories of more detail and depth and capture but images of places, people and things seen to aid in recalling fully the trip.
So this journey ends … and I thank you for taking it along with me via the blog. New experience – one would hope that I get better at it in future! Back into the minutia of daily life and work, chores and restoration, ‘to-may-toes’ not ‘to-mah-toes’ but enriched. Enjoy the photo collage.
A final time, I’m off, with love --
