Lord, enthroned in heavenly splendour: look with favour upon thy servant Charles our King, and bestow upon him such gifts of wisdom and love that we and all thy people may live in peace and prosperity and in loving service one to another, to thine eternal glory; who with the Father and the Holy Spirit reigns supreme…
Being in England during the Coronation prep was such a memorable experience. What a special time in history to get to watch something unfold that reaches back to the very same Abbey in 1066. How incredible that we have been invited to be a part.
Did any of you get up to watch on TV or attend in person? I tried to talk some friends into a 5am Coronation party, but surprisingly, no one took me up on it! I was wide awake awaiting the family’s arrival to the Abbey. My sweet husband joined me a little later and I had tea and biscuits waiting for us, prepared the night before. Peep the little crown spoons 🙂
The ceremony was powerful. The music, the choir, the seriousness of all involved. I was grateful for the information we got from the exhibit at Blenheim Palace, and on the TV show, The Crown. At one point in the ceremony, the to-be monarch stands before God wearing plain clothing; no embroidery, no signs of State or wealth. That moment is between them and God, where the Divine meets Earth. All kingdoms and principalities belong to Him, after all. I cried, to no one’s surprise. My husband was surprised at how moving it was, he didn’t realize it was a religious ceremony.
Later that afternoon, my family came over for a Coronation Party. I prepared Coronation Chicken, tea sandwiches, scones with clotted cream and jam, Berries on a Cloud trifle with the Union Jack on top. And tea, of course.
We love sharing about our travels with food from where we went. It’s one of our favorite things to do! My brother or I will set up a slideshow to have our own show and tell, and hand out souvenirs. This is something we started after our honeymoon to St. Lucia, where we made Caribbean food for dinner (including handmade coconut turnovers). It’s now tradition!
After our great adventure at Chatsworth House, we began our drive back to London. We stopped in Nottingham for the night at The Lace Market Hotel. It was clean, and in a good location.
As Austin waited for me to change, he happened to look at the crime rates in town (he does this on every trip to get an idea of where to go and where to avoid). We quickly learned that it was a more “dodgy” area, and decided to just get a quick dinner and come back to the hotel. We ate at Wing Stop surprisingly enough, which was way less greasy than ours here in the States! While we ate, we people watched. We compared Nottingham to Deep Ellum (if you’re from the Dallas area). We saw a group of young men throwing things at passersby and quickly ate and left. It was an experience!
We had every intention of visiting some of the Robin Hood attractions and the Ye Old Trip to Jerusalem pub the next morning (Day 8), but forewent it when we realized there was a 50/50 chance of experiencing criminal activity… I definitely regret not stopping, but the thought of being without our wallets or worse overshadowed our adventurous spirits. I wouldn’t necessarily advise you not to visit these sites, but it’s good information to be sure you’re prepared. Our hotel was also directly across from the National Justice Museum, which could have also been an interesting visit.
So, we began our trip back. Kind of on the way was Oxford, which was on Austin’s must-see list. The city of Oxford was bustling! We love college towns.
This was the first time we experienced rain in England! We were shocked at how much beautiful, sunny weather we had the entire week. But a little rain made for an authentically British vacation.
We walked around the college, which was right in the middle of town. We tried to get into the library, but it was only for students. It was fun to imagine going to school here, and think of all who have gone here before.
We stopped in a pub to eat. This time I had fish and chips and he had the meat pie!
Then we continued our drive to London to return our car. We made it back at dusk, and the guys at Civilised Car Hire were kind enough to drive us to the nearest tube station, rather than us walking to the bus stop.
We rode to our hotel, dropped our bags, then went back to the city center to shop for last minute souvenirs. Back to Harrod’s we went! We grabbed a couple of dinner items from the Food Hall to take back to our hotel and rode the 45 minute train back out of town. Whew.
Did you know hotel rooms there don’t have microwaves? Now you do. We had to beg the man at the front desk to heat our food for us in their breakroom! He agreed, only if we promised not to give him a bad review if he ruined it, ha! He said, “I’ll do it, because I know the importance of a hot meal.” We so appreciated him and the staff at the DoubleTree by Hilton London Heathrow.
After we ate, we commenced with packing our bags with all our treasures. We were ready to start our trek back home to our puppies. The hotel had a shuttle for the airport and made it so easy to hop on our flight the next morning.
How cute is Austin in this pink cafe at Heathrow? We got there 3 hours early, and had more than enough time to get swabbed by TSA (Heathrow notoriously has the most strict security checks). At this airport, everyone waits in a large area in the middle to wait for your gate to be announced 30 minutes prior to boarding. They have so many shops and cafes, so the wait wasn’t too bad. Then, off you go!
Thank you for following along! We had a wonderful time!
We woke up from our beautiful Christmas Cottage, packed our things and headed out for breakfast. We didn’t realize the Stillhouse Cafe was in the Cotswolds Distillery. But the name “Stillhouse” should have been a clue. Sigh. The breakfast was so good, I had avocado toast, and Austin had the Chorizo Hash. Yum! The girls were so nice. One of them complimented me on my dress, which I wore just for our next stop.
Fancy cars outside the distillery
Recognize this? *music begins to play* Yes, that is Pemberly from the 2005 adaptation of Pride and Prejudice, AKA Chatsworth House. As we pulled up, I may have regretted only slightly the linen dress bought just for this occasion. The wind was a’blowin’. I could not contain my excitement.
“Keep up!” I said to Austin, as we entered the great hall. No words.
We wandered through the house, passing by beds of kings, magnificent golden statues, and some of the most realistic paintings. A visit to the Veiled Vestel Virgin.
And finally landed here, the Sculpture Gallery!
“Lizzie, is it a true likeness?” Yes, yes I dare say it is. The sign for Mr. Darcy said, “please do not kiss!” Which was not hard for me to follow, ha! I shopped and brought home two miniature busts, one of Mr. Darcy and the other the Veiled Virgin. I did get stopped in Heathrow to be swabbed, as two concrete masses in my carry-on looked a little suspicious. But I got to talk about our trip to Chatsworth with the TSA lady, and all was well.
THE fountain
Lily of the Valley in the garden
We wandered the gardens, which were just stunning. I was disappointed that the infamous balcony was closed to visitors, but we were able to stand close enough to feel satisfied. They also had a maze, but we learned our lesson on that one!
I could not contain my absolute delight in getting to visit this house! I’m so grateful my husband took a chance on spot so far out of the way.
We drove next to Nottingham, where we stayed at The Lace Market Hotel. We ate a quick bite at the local Wing Stop (way less greasy than ours here in the States), and rested for our next day.
Day 6 we woke to the most beautiful view! Breakfast overlooking the pond is something I will cherish forever. While we ate, a couple and their dogs walked through the meadow behind the pond. I love that the land is for everyone here.
On this day, we drove to Blenheim Palace, Winston Churchill’s birthplace. He was born in the coat closet! They had a spectacular exhibit going ahead of the Coronation, highlighting the Duke and Duchess of Marlborough and their long history with the Royal Family starting with Queen Anne.
I had yet to watch Bridgerton, so I did not have a full appreciation for the costumes and Whilstedown style letters throughout the exhibit. How fun to look back, especially when watching the Queen Charlotte spin-offs to see the locations where we were! Blenheim Palace was used as the set for Buckingham Palace in the series.
Swarovski Commision
Bridgerton CostumesCoronation Outfits for The CrownFrom Victoria on PBSHallway often use in Queen CharlotteDuchess of Marlborough’s dress from QEII’s Coronation
On through the exhibit were costumes from The Crown and Victoria on PBS. I was in heaven! The gown used for the Coronation scene was made by Swarovski. It was absolutely covered in Swarovski crystals and dazzled like I never dreamed. I always thought it was just embroidered, since the televised Coronation footage is black and white.
We learned so much about Winston Churchill, including that it took him several tries to get into Military School, and also to find a wife! Clementine was his third proposal… They did a beautiful job capturing his life from birth through to his time as Prime Minister.
We had tea at Clementine’s on the Lawn (The Orangery was under construction). This was Austin’s first time for Afternoon Tea. I giggled when he asked the waitress, “does this include food?” His eyes lit up when they brought the tiered tray full of delights. He may have even gotten us seconds…
We wandered the grounds for hours, there was so much to see. At one point, we did the maze and quickly realized mazes were not for us… We slipped through a side door in desperation, only to realize we had to slip back in to be able to get out. Whew, we avoided all mazes after that.
After seeing the Palace, we drove to Bourton-on-the-Water to see the Miniature Village. It was… not worth the rush back… But the town was so lovely. We walked down the lane, past the river and brick homes and came upon a step ladder over a nearby fence for a public walkway through a meadow. I truly love that the land is open, unlike Texas. Walk through our land and you might meet an unhappy end. It was an inspiration for simply hospitality.
If we ate dinner, it was not memorable. Back to the Christmas Cottage to get ready for the next day!
Bath, England, you beautiful city! We began our morning with a little breakfast. Austin tried his first official “full English breakfast,” of which… he was not a fan. The man loves beans, but the sausage is what got him. Then we walked back to the Gainsborough Bath Spa for our spa treatments. He had a massage, and I had a full body scrub. After our treatments, we sat and sipped tea before it was time to shower and pack our things.
After loading our car, we walked back into town to tour the Roman Bath House. This location is the only place in the UK with a fresh, hot spring. My family lives near Hot Springs, Arkansas, so I thought it was interesting that there is only one spot for a hot spring in the whole country!
It was amazing to tour the bathhouse, learning about Roman culture. Rich and poor would visit the bathhouse for healing and exercise. Austin was especially enamored with the ancient coin collection, with coins dating back to Jesus’ time and beyond. I found the wax tablets used to write curses to the goddess Sulis-Minerva the most interesting. My husband is a Christian minister, and often when I have been taught about the verse “bless those who curse you” (Luke 6:28), it’s often with the idea of explicit language. But Roman people would write their complaints against you and request that the goddess curse you. One man wrote hoping a curse would fall on whoever stole his cloak, either the pagans or the Christians. Wild!
We loved walking around the town, and did not realize the rich history until we were back home. We would definitely come back to Bath, and you know I’m already scheming toward that end!
Next stop: The Cotswolds! I could not wait to drive the winding trails of the English countryside. Austin had been watching a show called Clarkson’s Farm. The Diddly Squat Farm Shop was created by Jeremy Clarkson, and was on the way to our destination in Great Wolford. They had a quaint little shop, with many items to choose from. We were too late for lunch (sensing a theme?), but they had little savory hand pies and drinks. So we sat at a picnic table and took in the scene.
Diddly Squat Farm ShopWalking in Chipping Norton
We stopped in Chipping Norton at Chequers to eat. I had the meat pie and Austin had a burger. We were starving and it hit the spot! We loved the atmosphere, with the big fireplace and classic, English pub vibes.
The Chequers
We finally made it to our beautiful VRBO, the most precious barn called the “Christmas Cottage.” The hosts were incredibly kind and knowledgeable, and had some food for us in the little refrigerator. The garden and pond were spectacular. Check out the view from the bedroom! Dreamy.
We took a stroll down the lane into the little town. We wandered through the church courtyard, and met a local with two adorable dogs. The birds sang as we took it all in. Magic.
Ah, Day Four. The day we learned (unknowingly) learned that the Brits do not play games when it comes to driving.
We had a few firsts that day, including our first British taxi ride with the kindest driver. Our goal for the day was to get our rental car, avoid the high toll areas, and get to our first stop of the day: Windsor Castle. It started easily enough, with a long wait at the taxi stand. Austin decided he needed to drive a Mini Cooper in England, so that’s what we rented. What we didn’t know was that this would lead us to a “dodgy” (the taxi driver’s word, not ours) part of town. He was kind enough to make sure we made it to our stop safely. The gentlemen at the shop were so kind and funny, and they had a beautiful selection of cars.
Last morning at The ClaremontTaxi Ride
So, off we went, the law breakers we are, into the English countryside on our way to Windsor Castle.
Windsor Castle was an awesome experience. There are limited areas for photos and you have to be searched prior to entering, since it’s an actual royal residence. But the grounds were so well kept and beautiful. We skipped the dollhouses and toured the Royal Apartments. I had to sneak a few photos in St. George’s Chapel where Prince Harry and Meghan were married. Also in that chapel were the newly made tombs for QEII and Prince Philip, heavily watched over by staff.
We walked into town for a burger at Honest Burgers . I had the Pesto Chicken Sandwich with the Rosemary Chips and mmmmmm. We walked around town a little, and then headed out.
Like I said in the planning post, sometimes you don’t realize how much time you will take at a stop. So when we left for Windsor for Bath, we realized that Stonehenge was going to be closed. You can’t just walk up to it anymore, it has opening times and fencing around to protect it. But I, for whatever reason, didn’t change the route set on the GPS even though it was a longer route. We were driving along, admiring the countryside, when all of a sudden, “is that STONEHENGE??” Sure enough, there it was!! My new iPhone 14 was able to get a great video of us passing by. Hey, we can say we saw it!
Now, if you have not driven in a foreign country, you may not think about how small the roadways are in town… The city of Bath was a stressful little drive. It’s set in hills, with tiny streets. But once you ditch your car, it’s a lovely city.
View of Bath from our roomHeaded to the spa!
We stayed at the Gainsborough Bath Spa. Our goal of our one night in Bath was to relax after what we knew would be very fast paced days in London. And Gainsborough did not disappoint! They have their own spa circuit in the hotel, with a mineral water pool, hot tubs, saunas and, my favorite, a lavender ice bath. They also have hot chocolate on tap to drink while you do the circuit. It was divine. We have never felt so relaxed. The next morning we got up, had breakfast and a massage before heading out. We both wish we had stayed another night, and plan to go back just to Bath. I want to go for their annual Jane Austen Festival! I have almost convince Austin, as long as he doesn’t have to dress up as a Red Coat, ha!
Day three was another busy one! We started with pastry and coffee from Victoria Station and headed off to The Tower of London! At this point, we were feeling really good about our ability to navigate public transport. They truly do make it easy.
Tower Bridge looks over the River Thames, and the Tower of London (or White Tower). This site, full of so much history, is really a must-see. There was a menagerie (where a woman had her hand bitten off by a wild lion), a prison, a chapel, and my favorite, the Crown Jewels.
To view the Crown Jewels, you walk into a dark building and into a room where spotlights dance on gold and silver and diamonds and rubies and emeralds and all else you can imagine. Step onto the moving sidewalk for a close, but not too close view of the suite of crowns and scepters. I, unashamedly, rode them forward and back five times. The Imperial State Crown was not on display, as it was being readied for the Coronation. Queen Victoria’s tiny diamond crown sparkles so much more than I imagined from just seeing photos. It was breathtaking.
Along the wall were solid gold coronation spoons, and salt cellars and punch bowls, and other items used for Coronation Banquets. Gaudy as they were, the craftmanship was very impressive. I’ll never forget the punch bowl with a serving ladle made to look like a conch shell.
On the grounds, there is a memorial made to those executed at the Tower of London, including Ann Boleyn.
We wandered through the other towers, where my favorite spot was the chapel for the Yeomen Warders (AKA “Beefeaters” or Royal Bodyguards). It was so beautiful! The Yeomen Warders still live there in little houses on the edges of the tower grounds. We had lunch in the New Armouries Cafe inside the Tower of London. It was a great spot to pick up grab and go sandwiches, soups and sweets, as well as a coffee for our next adventure.
As you may or may not know, my real job is being a nurse. Does one choose to be a nurse, or, just as in medicine or religious work, is one called to be a nurse. Any guesses on our next stop?
The Florence Nightingale Museum was one of my non-negotiables on this trip. What a treat to learn about the woman, who by God’s calling, left her privileged life and changed the face of nursing forever. She began the area of nursing research. She was why so many survived in her battlefield hospitals during the Crimean War, where more men died from infection than from actual war. She revolutionized the ideas of cleanliness, working with the emerging Germ Theory to create better outcomes for all her patients and staff. Clearly, this was a very meaningful stop for me on our great English adventure!
Our next stop was Floris London, the oldest English perfumery. They made perfumes for Queen Victoria, Winston Churchill, Marilyn Monroe, just to name a few. They were also a favorite of Florence Nightingale. If it’s good enough for Florence and the Royal Family, it’s good enough for me! The shop was such a fun experience, and we were able to smell some of the fragrances made for the famous figures named above. They also have a design-your-own fragrance experience, but we did not have the time. We settled on our new signature scents (Tuberose in Silk for me, and Mulberry Fig for Austin), and headed out again.
Fortnum and Mason is another great, very English stop! We did not realize they also have a restaurant and Tea Room on site, and will have to visit again. But their selection of teas, cookies, candies and food items were amazing! We may have stocked up a little too much but how much is really too much? The tins make such great gifts!
And finally, what is a trip to London without visiting the famous Harrod’s? It was so large one can barely take it all in. The food hall was a delight with so many options! Who buys milk from Harrod’s?? Not us, but I guess someone does!
We had Italian food that night, and then back to the hotel to pack our things for our next leg of the trip! We walked just shy of 11 miles on Day 3. Be sure to pack good shoes!
The joy of a new day in a new city after much needed sleep is one of my favorite feelings. Up and at ’em, we left the hotel for our first full day in London. We set off to find a bakery I had seen (a true Millennial follows the ratings), giving us our first ride on a double decker bus. How clever we felt, giddily climbing the stairs to the top floor! Surely the locals know just how lucky they are? One of the best things we did to help find our way was to download the CityMapper app. This app has all the public transport routes downloaded for major cities, and follows you stop by stop. All we had to do is say where we were and where we wanted to go, and it gave us several options of how to get there. Hop on a bus or train, and it will guide you through each stop, with warning that your stop on the route is about to arrive! So, so easy. A godsend.
First bus ride!
The bakery we wanted didn’t impress, so we walked a bit to a cafe, Loka Lounge. The french toast was perfect. It was a lovely breakfast and just right for a start to a very busy day. Afterword, we walked to Kensington Gardens.
Did you know that Kensington Palace is closed on Mondays and Tuesdays? Neither did we. See, mistakes are inevitable. Much like my trip through Moscow, sometimes you win and sometimes it’s closed. Oh well. The gardens were lovely. We had ample time to see The Albert Memorial, to walk through Hyde Park, see Royal Albert Hall, make a pit stop at the Royal College of Music, and make our way past consulates and other stately homes. Then, we hopped on a bus to visit Westminster Abbey.
Kensington PalaceHyde ParkAlbert MemorialRoyal Albert HallRoyal College of Music
The Abbey, Westminster Hall, and the illustrious Big Ben all stand together on the same block. How exciting to walk into Westminster Abbey, where men and women are made Kings and Queens. Where I watched Kate become Catherine, Duchess of Cambridge. Where so many are buried and remembered. So much history it was overwhelming. I truly had no idea that people were buried inside the abbey… I found it so odd, and to just walk on top of them felt so… wrong? Anyone else go the long way in a cemetery just to avoid walking on top of someone’s grandma? In the walls and on the floor were tomb after tomb. It didn’t feel spooky like a cemetery or catacomb, it just felt like an old building.
And there it was, the checkered floors made famous by royal weddings, and the rows of seats with little lamps. Magic. All of it.
“The Floor of Heaven”The Coronation Chair
Walking through the tombs of Queen Elizabeth I, and Mary, Queen of Scots was so moving. The stone reminding us of those before us who were doing their best to serve God and honor Him. Those are thoughts for another post.
The Abbey has an exhibit for Queen Elizabeth II on the top floor called The Diamond Jubilee Galleries of Westminster Abbey. Photos were not allowed, but it was worth the extra $10 to visit. I was brought to tears by this portrait of QEII, wearing her red coronation robe, which was painted in honor of her Diamond Jubilee in 2012. The look on her face, heavy and worn. The grandeur of an empty Abbey. The light shines through the window as if God Himself looks upon her. It felt final, and sad. The world, as I gazed upon this painting, was readying itself for a new English monarch. In fact, they were painting and applying gold leaf to the Abbey while we walked around. The Coronation Chair was being readied, the world was moving on. And yet, here they stood, she and God alone in the Abbey, the end of 70 years of faithful service.
The Coronation Theatre: Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II by Ralph Heimans
Next, we headed to The British Museum. I had no idea why Austin wanted to visit a museum about England, but quickly found out this was not a museum about England at all… We saw collections from Ancient Egypt, Babylon, Greece, Rome. The Rosetta Stone, and the stone with the first written depiction of the Flood from Genesis. All controversy aside, this free museum was an incredible stop!
Gates from Babylon
After, we stopped by Buckingham Palace. What I expected to feel overwhelming, was not. They were setting up for the Coronation, lining the streets with flags and stands. It was so fun to watch the Coronation after we returned home to say, “I stood right there!”
We ended the evening with dinner at our hotel restaurant The Soak. Austin had the Fish and Chips, and I tried the Black Prawn Dumplings. All were good, and it was nice to just walk back upstairs to go to bed. We walked over eight miles this day!
A little late to the update, but I couldn’t not share the details for our trip to England last spring. If you know me in person, you know that I am obsessed with the royal family. My sports are State Dinners, Trouping the Color, and all other events where Catherine, Princess of Wales (AKA Kate Middleton), makes any sort of debut, especially involving a tiara. We were in a semi-close area, and could have made the trip to see her and Prince William out and about, but forewent the opportunity and survived. I won’t, however, let myself live down missing The Princess of Wales when she came to Boston later that year… Tragic.
Since this post is not an update on all things royal, we’ll move on. We’ve been asked multiple times: why England? Well, my sweet husband and I had not, at that point, traveled outside the U.S. together, except for our honeymoon to St. Lucia. We don’t always travel well together (two first-borns… need I say more?), and wanted to get our international feet wet without the added stress of a language barrier. We have each traveled to non-English speaking countries, he to Peru and I to Central Asia, but never together. So, we made it easy on ourselves.
Using our American Airlines miles we booked flights in April. We love to travel during shoulder seasons, as flights are cheaper and there are less crowds. It was perfect. Cold, but perfect. I highly suggest England in Spring, especially if you love wildflowers. I was enraptured by wildflowers and bright yellow fields. Magic.
Windsor Castle wildflowers
When it comes to planning any sort of itinerary, you need to decide a few things. What is the purpose of visiting this place? How much time do you have? What are major area attractions, and will there be any added disruptions such as cruises, sporting events, festivals, or concerts? Do a quick scan of the local town website to get a good idea of what may be going on, or what major sites you don’t want to miss. Trip Advisor is a great resource for things to do.
London is a great city to visit because of the incredible variety of things to see and do, all reachable by public transport. I do not recommend renting a car until you are leaving the city, and then perhaps rent one as far from the city center as possible, as there is a strict area of increased tolls/fees, and the traffic cameras are a little too good. That’s a story for later.
After that, consider a drive to the beautiful Cotswold’s and beyond. Driving on the other side of the highway can be stressful, but it can be done! If you aren’t feeling up to it, most of England can be reached by train or bus. Toto, we are not in Texas anymore!
Our Itinerary starts where every good thing starts: Microsoft Word. Good for party planning, as seen here, as well as itinerary planning. This is the rough draft outlining each day, where we start to where we finish. Clearly we did not make any dinner reservations… It all worked out, and no one went hungry.
Travel Calendar
It is tempting for some to start planning the nitty-gritty, moment by moment details of each day as you go. My advice: don’t. Start with a very basic idea of where you start and where you end the day, and fill in later. Trust me, too many details too soon can cause some burnout. First, plan flights. Then transportation, then hotels, then any concrete activity reservations (unless you’re going for a specific reason: concert, sports event, etc., then purchase those first).
When it comes to filling in the details, guesstimate how long each attraction will take (reddit is a great place to find this information). We grossly underestimated how long we would take at various points of interest… A supposed two hour trip to the Tower of London really took us four. Maybe it was my five trips around the crown jewels. Maybe it was him reading every. single. sign in the sword and armor rooms. Who really knows? But, live, learn, and give yourself more time next time. Lifelong learning, isn’t that the goal?
Okay, below is our detailed timeline of events. We stuck to this fairly well, although we did not do the Robin Hood Tour or Warwick Castle. My best advice is to always start your day earlier than you think. Most crowds start lining up around 10am, so if you get up and get going, you can see what you really want to before having to fight someone else to see it. Austin kept saying, “man, our timing is so perfect!” Thank you, remember that tomorrow when we are up at 7am!
ItineraryItineraryItineraryItineraryItinerary
There, of course, is so much more to see in London and beyond. We missed quite a few sites in Bath simply for lack of time and knowledge. Our goal for Bath was to relax and soak up the mineral waters. Next time, I would see more of the historical sites, and obviously, any and everything Jane Austen. I hope this helps you in planning your next adventure!
The House on Ladd 