CONFESSIONS OF A SERIAL TRAVELER

Victoria here.  I love to travel.  Any place, anytime. 

As long as it starts or ends in London.

 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.

I 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.

Or from the heart of Bloomsbury:

Or from Windsor Castle.

Another one comes from Hatfield House!  No two are the same. 

Another favorite of mine is wisteria.  I can’t resist grabbing the camera and shooting away when I encounter those dripping purple blossoms.

And 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…

…spring

…summer

…and autumn 

I love to visit castles

…Palaces

…Stately Homes

…Cottages 

 …Villages

…Towns

…Cities

…Roman Sites

…Medieval sites

 

…Tudor sites

…Georgian sites

…Regency Sites

…Victorian Sites

…Small Museums

…Huge Museums

 …Art Galleries

And did I mention gift shops?

Of course, I also love the food.

…The Ubiquitous Full English Breakfast

…Sunday Roast

…Tea in all varieties

…and the ultimate in shopping for the gourmets and gourmands among us, Fortnum and Mason.

Best of all: Bookstores!

Sorry, I can’t add more now —

too busy browsing the shelves!  See you in England!!

Hugs, Victoria

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