The Queen, at your service
Barry and I have just returned to Annapolis after spending the entire month of August away. We had a blast (see below), but it’s good to be back, to see how much our grandchildren have grown in just six weeks, 
Our voyage to England was beyond wonderful! Thanks to that generous retirement gift from Barry’s former students (36 years worth!) we boarded the Acela for New York City where we stayed at the Waldorf Astoria, ate fabulous food, and saw “Xanadu,” a hysterical new musical based on an outrageously bad movie from 1980 about a painter and his muse (Olivia Newton-John) who find love at a roller disco in Los Angeles.
The New Yorker raved: “so ridiculously brilliant, so lavish and sublime … it’s probably the most fun you’ll have on Broadway this season," and the New York Times called it “heaven on wheels, in leg warmers.” We couldn’t agree more! Would love to see it again.
The next day, we were whisked away by shuttle to Brooklyn where we boarded the Queen Mary 2 for a gala seven day, six night crossing to England. A steward who already knew our names welcomed us to our stateroom (with balcony!) where we found complimentary champagne chilling in a bucket … from the minute we stepped aboard, it was the royal treatment all the way. 
Each night we dined in the elegant Britannia Room where the service was impeccable, the food five-star, and the conversation with our tablemates, stimulating. Three dinners aboard were drop-dead formal, followed by dancing in the Queens Ballroom. Barry and I even took ballroom dancing lessons so we could step out in style. In fact, everything on the Queen Mary 2 is done with style and class; we felt like characters in a play, and loved every minute. I’m afraid the QM2 will spoil us for air travel forever. Another advantage over flying? They advance the clocks an hour each day so when you arrive in the UK – no jet lag!
As retirement gifts go, a cruise on the Queen Mary sure beats the heck out of a gold watch!
On arrival at Southampton we simply walked off the ship, the messy business of customs and immigration having already been accomplished on board by Her Majesty’s Immigration Officer, at sea, somewhere south of Greenland. At the terminal were met by sailing friends (Phil and Suzanne Watkins, owners of Tradewinds, the property we rent on Dickies Cay in the Abacos) who whisked us away for a weekend on their 37-foot sailboat, Calypso. Calypso is moored on the Beaulieu River (that’s “Bew-Lee”), and the Watkins had arranged for perfect weather for some exciting sailing on the Solent, near the Isle of Wight, smack dab in the middle of Cowes Race Week. 
After a driving tour of the New Forest ("New?" It was established by William the Conqueror in 1079), Phil and Sue dropped us off in Portsmouth at the home of our longtime friends Admiral David Bawtree and his wife, Ann, who drove us to London 
and turned over the key to their London flat on Rampayne Street, just across from the Pimlico tube station.
In London, we spent a delightful week going to museums (Any cats in the audience? Leave now. The mummies at the British Museum were a real hit, particularly with the Japanese tourists!)
Saw “Wicked” which we enjoyed, although we were seated in the nosebleed section. (CULTURAL ALERT: The "stalls" are the best seats in a London theater, not the "dress circle". Who knew?) We were also able to tour the State apartments at Buckingham Palace – a real treat as they are open only for the several weeks in the summer when the Queen is at Balmoral in Scotland. On Sunday, we attended services at St Brides, Fleet Street, which had a wonderful choir.
After London, we took a bus to Oxford where I attended the annual Crime and Mystery Weekend at St Hilda’s College, always a highlight of my summer. Heard interesting and informative talks on the theme "Strong Poison," met old friends, introduced Barry to Colin Dexter (a big thrill for Barry as he always sympathized with hard-drinking, classical-music-loving, never-quite-getting-the-girl Inspector Morse), and I was thrilled to be able to chat with one of my idols, PD James. 
On Sunday, as is the custom, we attended services at St Cross, the church where Lord Peter Wimsey married Harriet Vane. 
After St Hilda’s, we drove south to Pickford House, a favorite B&B in Beckington, near Bath, for a week of pampering by owners, Ken and Angela Pritchard (The food! The wine!) while attending the beautiful and inspirational “Music in the Liturgy” festival at Edington Priory. 
Built in 1352, the priory survived Henry VIII, the Reformation and even the Victorians pretty much intact. To attend Compline at 9:15 pm when the sanctuary is illuminated solely by candles, to hear a dozen perfectly-matched men’s voices singing plainsong chant -- magical! The priory is nestled in a fold at the base of Salisbury Plain, and on the last night the full moon rose over the plain, shining through the stained glass windows. How do you spell "awe"???? While in Somerset, we visited ancient Glastonbury where I finally got to climb the Tor, 
and where else but Glastonbury can you find an "Internet Falafel Bar?" 
We visited Wilton House (which displays a lock of Queen Elizabeth I's hair), and made side trips to Devizes, Bath, and one of my favorite towns, Bradford-on-Avon, where the Bridge Tea Rooms serves the finest cream teas in the land, and Alison at Quire will sell you not only greeting cards but fine wool; you can even see pictures of her sheep.
After Edington, we drove via Hay-on-Wye (the Welsh town of bookstores!) to the beautiful medieval village of Ludlow in Shropshire where we were guests in the gracious Edwardian home of our dear friends, Carol and Rory Chase.
Carol (better known as the mystery novelist, Kate Charles – Secret Sins is available now at fine bookstore everywhere!) had arranged dinner parties, shopping (!), tours and outings for us; we had a marvelous time. Ludlow boasts a famous castle, historic St Laurence’s Church (the final resting place of A.E. Houseman -- "Or come you home of Monday when Ludlow market hums..." A Shropshire Lad), but is probably better known for its food. Every meal that Carol and I prepared was made almost entirely of fresh, local produce – meat from the butcher, cheese from the cheese shop, vegetables from the farm, and milk (with cream still floating on top) delivered directly to her door. Heaven!
Another highlight was the “Black and White Villages Trail”, a circular drive along a route that took us through village after picturesque village in rural Herefordshire. This tour particularly interested me because I am a diehard fan of the Merrily Watkins mystery series by Phil Rickman which are set in Herefordshire. Merrily lives in “Ledwardine” 
which bears more than a passing resemblance to Woebley. Compare this photo I took in Woebley to the cover of the paperback edition of Wine of Angels and you’ll see what I mean.
The highlight of our day was an invitation to join Phil and his wife, Carol, for tea at their medieval farm near Peterchurch, in the heart of the Golden Valley. 
It was difficult to drag myself away from Ludlow and our excellent friends; to drive through traffic moving at break-neck speed along the M-4 to London’s Heathrow Airport and the flight home. I’m already saving up my frequent flyer miles for next summer!
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