Polesden Lacey

Welcome to Mrs. Granville's stylish country residence,

Polesden Lacey

After buying Polesden Lacey in 1906 Mrs. Greville  

                      transformed it in to the perfect setting to host her lavish parties.

In addition to the house we explored the gardens

where royalty golfed and society gossiped.  We enjoyed breathtaking views

of the Surrey Hills on a crisp Autumn day! 

All Royalties, it seemed were intimate friends with Mrs. Greville.

"She was so shrewd, so kind and so amusingly unkind, so sharp, so fun, so naughty!"

The Queen Mother

Another perfect day in the country! 

3rd time's a charm!

San Sebastian!  How I love thee!

Tim was absolutely 'spot on' when he said this place has everything

you could possibly want for a perfect holiday weekend!

1). A glorious sunset!

2). The water......

3). The architecture..... 

This time we splurged on the newly renovated Hotel Maria Cristina....

4). The food and drink.....

Always something different....

Lobster and Strawberry Pintxos

Sweet Eli, with San Sebastian Food, leads us on a Pintxos Tour

And this time we got to see the inside of one of the famous secret 

Basque gastronomical societies! 

 With a little investigation we found our favorite Gin Bar ... Cote!

....... a proper pour of Txakoli by Tim

the cheesecake, the cheesecake!!!

The best part about the weekend ...... great friends to share it with!

Happy 'Zombie' Halloween

Fantastico y DE TERROR!

Who knew we would run into a Horror Film Festival in 

San Sebastian last weekend?

Zombies everywhere!

...a band of bloody reanimated solders from 

Napoleon's Army

marched, well shuffled, through the main streets,

by the Pintxo bars, 

drumming and scaring

bystanders .... me! 

They did look real (well I've never actually seen a Zombie!)

Whew! Time for another glass of our favorite wine of the night!

Happy 'Zombie' Halloween ! 

Handel House Museum

London is FULL of quirky, obscure yet intriguing museums....

The Handel House Museum is at 25 Brook Street nestled in a back alley among designer shops and exclusive restaurants.  It was once home to the great composer George Frideric Handel ..... and,
believe it or not,
the greatest guitarist, Jimi Hendrix.

We were there as part of an AWC Classical Music event...
following the tour of the restored Georgian home, we were treated to an elegant harpsichord concert.

**I borrowed this photo from the Handel House website! 

Isn't that harpsichord gorgeous? 

Just another day in London!  

Antiques in Sawbridgeworth

This is what I am collecting now!

Call it a soda siphon, a syphon, or a seltzer bottle - it's a pressurized glass container for dispensing carbonated water....and not re-usable!
But they were made in beautiful sea-glass colours.

Remember the Three Stooges shaking the bottle and spraying each other in the face?

Sawbridgeworth......
 is a great place to go antiquing,
relatively close to London
and easy to get to.

Start the journey at Liverpool Street Station in London....

where apparently this Hawk keeps other bird travellers to a minimum! 

Just across the street from the Sawbridgeworth Station is  "The Maltings",

a grouping of warehouses and several Antique Centre's,

my favourite is Acorn Antiques!

After hours of searching for treasures we usually make our way uphill, 

by the river and the houseboats,

through the gardens of the Great St. Mary's Church,

along the High Street.

On this trip we found a terrific restaurant big enough for our hungry crowd.

Goose Fat & Garlic 

Cute name!

It was not a successful antiquing trip for me this time 

but we all enjoy getting out of the city for a day.....

Now, what's on the schhheduwle 

for the rest of the week? 

Mont-Saint-Michel

A picture post card of one of the most recognizable landmarks in Normandy......

Our actual view as we made our early morning "pilgrimage" toward the Mont Saint Michel Abbey.  

I was here 38 years ago with my Auburn roommate, Betinna, and her family.

 I remember how amazed I was ... a sight never forgotten! 

 We drove our Volkswagen Van across the causeway and parked at the base of village before making the winding climb to the top.  

The man-made causeway evidently caused the bay to "silt up" so construction is in progress to build a new bridge and a touristy shopping/parking/shuttle village has been built to handle the mass of visitors. 

I could not help but think how disappointed Betinna's family would be to see this. 

The Abbey is so beautiful....

the cloister so peaceful....

Definitely, still worth the trip!