CONFESSIONS OF A SERIAL TRAVELER

Victoria here.  I love to travel.  Any place, anytime.  As long as it starts or ends in London. Big Ben  Buckingham Palace Gate I travel for fun, to study history and biographies of famous people, to sort out the eccentricities of the natives and the visitors alike, and -- I admit it -- to peruse the  gift shops wherever I go.  Ordinarily I am not a very good shopper.  To me, most shopping is in the ERRAND category, to be dispensed with quickly and with a minimum of fuss.  BUT!  Not so when I am in a museum...or a stately home...or a cathedral...or a palace...or in Liberty of London. Liberty Exterior Interior, Liberty, Regent Street Trying for a shot of Apsley HouseI love to take lots of pictures, abetted by the wonders of the digital camera, with which you can delete any picture you don't like immediately and try it again.  Snap, snap, snap.  Of course, my husband tells me I have way too many pictures and that I will soon fill up my hard disk, but I can't wait to be at it again.  He especially laughs at all the flower and garden pictures I take.  A rose is a rose is a rose, he says.  But I know that one rose comes from Cadogan Square. Cadogan SquareOr from the heart of Bloomsbury: Gordon SquareOr from Windsor Castle. Garden at Windsor Castle Another one comes from Hatfield House!  No two are the same.  The Old Palace, HatfieldAnother favorite of mine is wisteria.  I can't resist grabbing the camera and shooting away when I encounter those dripping purple blossoms. \Old Palace, HatfieldAnd did I mention how much I love to browse in the gift shops?  We all know that every one of those items is probably available on line -- and if I ordered it, I wouldn't have to crowd my suitcase with new possessions.  But I am helpless in the face of that sign: This Way to the  Gift Shop.  I love to visit in the winter... Eastwell Manor, Kent...spring bluebells and rhododendrons at Bowood, Wiltshire...summer Old Palace at Hatfield House...and autumn 

Sheffield Park, East Sussex I love to visit castles Bodiam Castle, Sussex...Palaces Blenheim Palace, Oxfordshire ...Stately Homes Bowood, Wiltshire ...Cottages   ...Villages Lower Slaughter, Gloucestershire...Towns Chippingham, Wiltshire ...Cities  British Library, St. Pancras Station and Hotel, London...Roman Sites Chedworth Roman Villa...Medieval sites Cothele, Cornwall ...Tudor sites Hampton Court Palace...Georgian sites Kew Palace...Regency Sites Brighton Pavilion...Victorian Sites Highclere Castle...Small Museums The Salisbury Museum, Wiltshire ...Huge Museums The British Museum ...Art Galleries The Wallace Collection, Manchester SquareAnd did I mention gift shops? Of course, I also love the food. Fish n' Chips...The Ubiquitous Full English Breakfast Well, at least a little of it!...Sunday Roast with Yorkshire pudding and veg...Tea in all varieties Pump Room Champagne Tea, Bath...and the ultimate in shopping for the gourmets and gourmands among us, Fortnum and Mason.


Fortnum and Mason, Piccadilly

Fortnum and Mason Window
Best of all: Bookstores!
Hatchards, Piccadilly
Sorry, I can't add more now --- too busy browsing the shelves!  See you in England!!Hugs, VictoriaJOIN THE DUKE OF WELLINGTON TOUR SEPTEMBER 4-14, 2014
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