Summer Vacation in England - Aug 10 - Sept 10, 2017

Our vacation began on a fine, summer August afternoon in Cambridge with Jason, Marie, Luc, and Kristal. On their large terrace overlooking a bountiful garden we had a good, long chat. Dinner, inspired by what needed picking from Marie's garden and allotment, was a hearty affair of courgette soup, steamed string beans, roasted beets and butternut squash. A medium bodied French red wine that Marie had just brought back from France proved to be a perfect match for the meal. This pleasant evening was the perfect segue to the big celebrations that followed.

Blo Norton

Almost the entire clan converged for three fun filled days at Blo Norton Hall, in the Suffolk countryside where Daryl and his siblings grew up. An assortment of milestones, including significant birthdays, gave us an excuse to experience a Downton Abbey style English manor, sans servants and opulence. The enormous estate, consisting of spacious bedrooms, modern bathrooms, a dream kitchen, lounge areas, and dining halls, was set on sprawling, landscaped grounds.

Blo Norton Hall

Glynis and Mike took on the monumental catering duties for our group of 18 spanning 3 generations.
The weather cooperated with their plans for a barbecue dinner on our first evening out in the garden. Sitting around the great big outdoor table we chatted, we laughed, we ate, we quaffed, our spirits high from being with loved ones on a gorgeous summer evening. A rich chocolate cake from Fitzbilly's in Cambridge finished off the splendid meal.
The next day, another sunny day, we were joined by Roger, Gil, and Dominic who drove out from London, and Hazel and Vim, who lived nearby. We spent most of the day in the garden around the table chatting, snacking, sipping Pimms, and just generally having fun.
In the evening Glynis and Mike served us a splendid Greek themed meal in the formal dining hall. To heighten the celebratory vibe we dressed up for the evening, and drank champagne. Dessert was summer berry pudding which I had made a day earlier. Served with a rich custard it was quite a hit.
On our last day at Blo Norton, a day bordering on scorching, Daryl and I strolled to the villages where he grew up. First to Thelnetham, past the windmill to Willow House, where he was born. The new owners were doing gardening chores and when we greeted them and introduced ourselves we were warmly invited for a cup of tea and a chat about the time when Daryl's parents lived in Willow House. We continued our walk to Hepworth and a peek at Home Farm, where Daryl spent his childhood, and to the Churchyard where Joyce was laid to rest.

In the evening at Blo Norton we had our final dinner with the family, a Spanish themed meal featuring paella and various salads. More champagne, more cake, and sadly, the next morning we had our last breakfast together in this glorious place.

Warwickshire

Off to Kenilworth to see David and Rona Epstein. A day in Stratford on Avon started with a wander around Bancroft Gardens to admire sculptures of characters from famous Shakespeare plays.

Lunch at Hall's Croft allowed us to experience some history in this Tudor home of the Bard's daughter and her husband, John Croft, a doctor who kept meticulous records to advance medicine. We continued on to Shakespeare's burial site at Holy Trinity Church. A walk across Shottery Park brought us to Anne Hathaway's cottage and gardens, and across the street we indulged in cream teas in the garden of a cafe. This full and fantastic day ended back in Kenilworth with Rona's delicious cottage pie and an exquisite lemon cheesecake made by Julia, a newly minted graduate of Edinburgh University. The night before Julia had made a superb courgette risotto - her first ever - so we'd already been primed for an unforgettable dessert.

Bristol

Bristol was next on our UK itinerary. A full day of traipsing around the city center revealed an attractive, lively, progressive city without the insanity of most big cities. We spent our time admiring old stone architecture, especially Bristol Castle, soaking up the cheerful atmosphere around the port, strolling along the Avon River, and then a brisk walk into the upmarket Clifton neighborhood, followed by a hike up Cabot Hill to the tower, where we climbed up a steep, spiral staircase for panoramic views of the city. We ended the day at the elegant Bristol 1847, a gourmet vegetarian restaurant where we had fancy sounding food like tequila infused carrots and battered haloumi. In the morning we left the city via the stunning Clifton Suspension Bridge which spans the River Avon and the Avon Gorge.

As we penetrated Somerset county the scenery turned bucolic with vast expanses of vibrant green fields and flocks of sheep.

A lunch stop at Glastonbury, a magnet for left leaning artistic types, guaranteed a satisfying vegetarian meal at a random café. We worked off our meal of soup and mezzes by hiking up to Glastonbury Tor. After a strenuous climb up a steep, emerald slope we reached St. Michael's Tower, a roofless stone structure, and the most iconic of the town's features. We took shelter here as a storm broke out. Lightning flashes and the dull roar of thunder created a romantic, though eerie scene. Within minutes the storm dissipated and it was safe for us to make our descent.

Dartmoor

We continued our drive down to Devon and into Dartmoor. Based in the village of Widecombe inside the national park, we had phenomenal views of expansive fields studded with tors. These strange piles of huge granite boulders are remnants of ancient volcanoes.

Wild ponies roamed around these fields that were a patchwork of verdant green grass, purple heather and yellow gorse. From our living room, we gazed at Hay Tor, the biggest and most famous of the tors, while sipping single malt and listening to a live BBC Proms' broadcast of Mahler's Symphony No. 2.
Our meals were as local as you could get. Milk and eggs from cows and chickens we could see through the window, and produce from garden stands down our lane.
FOMO (fear of missing out) nudged us to The Old Inn for a pub meal in the village center across from the 14th century Gothic cathedral. It would certainly have been a shame not to have sampled the fondue and rustic bread followed by a scrumptious mushroom pie and flavorful ale in the very atmospheric low beamed dining area.

We didn't spend all of our time roaming around the moors, staring at wild ponies, scrambling up tors, gazing at wide open undulating vistas, and gulping in earthy, heather infused air. A need for coffee beans from Waitrose got us to the charming seaside town of Teignmouth, where we went on a  beachwalk, and sampled local pasties for lunch with a sea view. And a rainy afternoon gave us an excuse to drive on those narrow lanes (holding in our breaths and tucking in our tummies) through the moors into Tavistock, a cute town, with pretty buildings and a scenic river walk. On our drive back to Widecombe we stopped at Two Bridges for cream teas at a charming hotel that seemed stuck in a previous century. This being Devon, of course the clotted cream and scones were beyond reproach. And the tea, served piping hot out of fine china, was just perfect. Through the window of the Old World styled dining area we stared at the satisfying scenery of tors rising above rolling fields.

Exmoor

Leaving Dartmoor after three exquisite days, we headed north to Exmoor, another area of scenic beauty, where we'd be staying in an old stone cottage in the woods. En route we made a lunch stop at Bude in Cornwall for a traditional pastie and a glance at the Atlantic. It was hot and sunny day as we strolled through this bustling town filled with vacationers here for the surf and sea. Cornish pasties were ubiquitous, and we were pleased with our choice. A Cornish clotted cream ice cream for afters was impossible to pass up.

Arriving at our cute cottage in Dulverton we smiled in anticipation of a quintessential English experience for the next three days. Built over a hundred years ago, the cottage had spacious common areas and large bedrooms upstairs with big windows providing beautiful views of woods and meadows.

To get into the town center we stepped into the woods, and found a trail along a gurgling river. It felt so remote we couldn't believe it when half an hour later we crossed a bridge and entered a built up center with traffic filled roads and busy shops and noisy pubs.

"This is actually the way into town and not just a fantastic trail for a hike?" asked Saff and Gwen, when they arrived the next day from Yatton to spend a day with us. We had just eaten a big lunch and a walk seemed like an obvious next activity. Saff and Gwen especially loved the view of the river and banks from the bridge leading into the town center. We had much catching up to do with these two family members so we mostly spent our time sitting around the garden table back at our cottage. It was a perfect summer day, with a clear, blue sky and out in the peaceful garden we traded stories over tea, then champagne - always a celebration to be with these two - and then a simple home cooked dinner of rice, lentils, and broccoli. Just as darkness fell, we had to wave goodbye to this much adored couple.

On our last day in the Southwest countryside we drove across the moors, a flatter and less remarkable landscape than Dartmoor, into Lynmouth. In this stunning North Devon coastal town we hiked along the Valley of Rocks trail on the South West Coast Path.

Cut into steep cliffs that hug the coastline the trail provided jaw dropping views. Rugged, rocky terrain alternating with grassy slopes, and constant expansive views of turquoise waters fringed by a curvaceous coastline had us spellbound. A section called Poet's Walk displayed verses by Wordsworth, Coleridge and Shelley, poets who loved and celebrated this area's beauty. We would have hated having to leave this place, but for the fact that our next destination was London.

London

It was time for an intense cultural fix in our favorite world city.  At the Harold Pinter Theatre in the West End we saw a satisfying production of Hamlet in a modern setting. Andrew Scott (Moriarty in the current Sherlock Holmes series) was sufficiently compelling in his role as an anguished, tortured son of a newly deceased king.

An indulgent meal to celebrate our recent anniversary, my upcoming birthday, and Daryl's promotion to Distinguished Professor, at the Michelin starred Pollen Street Social gave us a chance to feel pretentious. Each course met the criteria of satisfying all senses. We ordered a wine matching too, so we sampled maybe six different wines, each described in detail by a sommelier displaying ballet like body gestures. We felt most sophisticated. In fact, when the waiter accidentally brought us espressos midway through our meal, we didn't show our shock. We just gracefully sipped the caffeine as if it was perfectly natural to take a break before continuing with more fine wine and elaborate courses. Later, everyone giggled at the faux pas!

In our three intense days together in the city we managed a few hours each at the British Museum, the Science Museum, and the Museum of Natural History. We also did some of our favorite walks alone Regents Canal, across Primrose Hill Park, and on Hampstead Heath.

As August came to its end, Daryl boarded the Eurostar for Marseille, and I hopped on a train to Edinburgh.