Looking for Mr. Darcy

Being a fan of Jane Austen, when I learned that Chatsworth, the home of the Duke and Duchess of Devonshire, was her inspiration for Pemberley the Darcy estate in Pride and Prejudice, and also when this same estate was used as the film location for Pemberley in the 2005 film version of the book.  I just had to go, and thankfully I was able to talk Shawn and Candy into it too.

Driving up to the hundred plus acres of farmland, we realized that the locals were preparing for a country fair.  I recognized the house immediately, and it was just as grand as I expected it to be. We had a picnic lunch (pb&j) and headed over to tour a few of the gardens. The gardens were lovely and I found it interesting that there were many modern sculptures alongside the traditional statues. This is a reflection of the contemporary tastes of the Duke and Duchess.

When we toured the house (which took some time because it is massive) there were also many contemporary pieces of art along side Victorian portraits. The most impressive part of the house to me, was that the ceilings were painted...almost all of them, with massive baroque style scenes. All in all, upon seeing Chatsworth, I felt like Elisabeth Bennett when she first saw Pemberley, without of course the regret of knowing it could have all been mine had I accepted Mr. Darcy's proposal.

~Sara

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPad

Location:Chatsworth (aka Pemberly)

The Oldest Hotel Room

We have a lot of Marriott rewards points, so in finding places to stay in Britain, I looked over the list of potential Marriott’s that might work.  One of the options was Breadsall Priory in Derbyshire.  This hotel was in a perfect location to launch our exploration of the Peak District and I was intrigued by its claim as Oldest Marriott Property in the World. 

Breadsall Priory.  That's our room right above the door.

15th century stonework in our room.

We arrived around 8 after our drive from Brecon Beacons.  After checking in Sara and Mom made friends with a very animated and knowledgeable porter who told them the history of the building (and even gave us a book about it).  While not the first Marriott, it occupies a building that dates back to about 1250 as a Priory of the Austin Canons (a monastic-like group).  The building has been added to numerous times through the years, such that the older parts are buried by the additions.  There are actually only two places where the oldest parts of the building can still be seen.  One is a doorway in the conference center that dates to the original 1250 structure.  The second are two exposed masonry pieces that date back to the 15^th century, and they just happen to be located in room 202 (our room)! Very cool!

Darwin Pet Cemetery.

We also learned that one of the past owners of the house was Dr. Erasmus Darwin, the grandfather of Charles Darwin.  One of the interesting features of the Darwin Family's ownership of the property was that they started a cemetery for their pets, which is still visible today.  Thursday morning we wandered the property and came across this cemetery and also took dozens of pictures of the Priory and grounds.  I which we had more time to explore this place, I would definitely stay here again!

~Shawn

There be Wales here

Wales, in addition to having their own traditional language (Welsh) that is interesting even if they use entirely too many consonants to get their point across, has some spectacular scenery. As we left Cardiff, we headed north through Brecon Beacons National Park.

It started out raining...hard.  I usually bring good weather with me (my superpower) but I was a bit concerned that maybe it didn't work in Wales. Soon the rain slowed, then a spot of blue came and while a little late, good weather found us. Once the sun came out, the mountain views were spectacular. Lush green forests giving way to barren grassy mountain slopes. There is another thing that Wales is known for...sheep. They were spotted all over the valleys and grassy mountain sides. Coming from a place where beef is king, it is unique to see so many of the white fluffy things...everywhere. It further established the perfect pastoral ideal in my mind. This is the Britain I am falling in love with.

~ Sara

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPad

Location:Cardiff

Lunch in a Lighthouse

After leaving the Doctor Who Experience, we were hungry and looking for a place to eat.  We happened to walk by an old lightship that was docked nearby and noticed a little sign that said Cafe and Tearoom.  We walked onboard and discovered that this former lightship Helwick had indeed been converted to a restaurant.  We were lucky enough to snag the last inside table, and were treated to an excellent meal of savory pancakes.

Lightship Helwick in Cardiff Harbor

~Shawn

Soaking up some Rift Energy

Growing up, my grandfather and I had a Saturday night ritual.  We would usually have either pizza or tacos for dinner and then we would tune to PBS to watch the adventures of Doctor Who, his companions, and especially his tin dog K-9.  The image and sounds of that big blue police box, the TARDIS, dematerializing were ingrained in my psyche.  When I heard a few years ago that the BBC had started making Doctor Who again, Sara and I immediately became devoted fans (aka Whovians).

Wales Millenium Center

When we started planning this trip to the UK, we couldn’t resist planning a side trip to Cardiff, Wales (where the show is made) to see our favorite sites from the show and to make our pilgrimage to the Doctor Who Experience (a museum of sorts).  To pull off our plan we had to make sure Mom wouldn’t be totally bored during our “Who” junket, so we assigned her homework on “British Culture” (to watch the show on Netflix). Luckily she also became hooked! :-)

 

Torchwood Shrine on the Cardiff Docks

Today we arrived in Cardiff (or Caerdydd as the Welsh spell it) and decided to head down to the Wales Millennium Center.  This was the home base for a Doctor Who spinoff series called Torchwood, and the location of a rift in time and space that recurs across all the Doctor Who Universe.  After seeing the iconic front of the Millennium Center, we started to walk around the waterfront looking for a place to eat.  By chance I happened to glance over the rail down toward a lower boardwalk and caught a glimpse of the word torchwood on a banner down below.  I ran down to investigate and discovered an impromptu shrine immortalizing Ianto Jones, a member of the Torchwood cast who’s character was died a couple of years ago.  There were literally hundreds of pictures, poems, handwritten and typed notes about the character.  While looking at this we realized that this shrine was posted in the location of the secret entrance to the Torchwood Institute in the show.

Daleks

Wednesday morning we finally went to the Doctor Who Experience. For those of you who understand such things, we got to: walk through the door of the TARDIS and walk around the control room, snag photos with Daleks and Captain Jack, look at props and clothing from all eleven doctors and companions, and even meet K-9 Mark I.  We had a great time! 

Sara in the TARDIS!

~Shawn

Bath

Today we spent in Bath.  All I can say is that it was amazingly beautiful.  So instead of words today you get pictures.

Parade Gardens

 

Bath Abbey

 

The Roman Baths

 ~ Sara

Stonehenge

On our way out of town heading towards Bath, we tried to not be terrified of the fact that everything including our perceptions were backwards.  I think the not being terrified bit was harder than remembering to stay on the left side of the road.  But we managed to still soak in some idyllic pastoral landscapes.  Of course we could not pass by this way without visiting Stonehenge.

I know I use the word amazing a lot and maybe I should expand my vocabulary but Stonehenge is truly awe inspiring.  From various things that I had heard, in my head I pictured this impossibly massive stone structure, that was set just off the road but far enough away as to fit comfortably within your zoomed in camera frame, and that you couldn't get very close to it.

So when I first glimpsed Stonehenge, my thoughts were that I was much closer to it than I imagined I would be, and that the stones were not as big as I saw them in my head.  They were still impressively massive, but no longer seemed impossible.

We were able to walk around the entire structure, and take pictures at every possible angle.  Every few feet the view was different, new stones visible, and the light changing so we could be amazed anew.  There are many theories, but no one knows why the stones were put there or what would motivate such an epic undertaking.  It is one of the earliest forms of creative expression that I have ever seen and maybe humanity's compelling need for expression, for memory and legacy were motivation enough.  

Tonight we stay over a pub outside bath in a little town called Warminster.

~ Sara