Saturday, September 23 - Jane Austen's Home and then back to London

“I could not sit seriously down to write a serious Romance under any other motive than to save my life, & if it were indispensable for me to keep it up & never relax into laughing at myself or other people, I am sure I should be hung before I had finished the first chapter. No - I must keep my own style & go on in my own way; and though I may never succeed again in that, I am convinced that I should totally fail in any other.”  - Jane Austen, letter to Cassandra

8:15 Drove 10 minutes
Drove by Winchester Cathedral - Jane Austen's burial place and old beautiful cathedral 

Winchester Cathedral 

Our car barely squeezed by the black posts on the left. One of many too-small streets around here. 

Drove 30 minutes to Breakfast at the Austen Café

I had to order full English Breakfast
at least once so Mom could try
the baked beans.  They tasted
like... baked beans. 

11:00 am Tour Jane Austen's House (We were an hour late but they didn't care)

Jane Austen lived here for the last eight years of her life. While here, she wrote and had published all six of her globally beloved novels: Sense and Sensibility, Pride and Prejudice, Mansfield Park, Emma, Northanger Abbey and Persuasion. Today, Jane Austen’s House is a cherished museum with an unparalleled collection of Austen treasures

It was such a privilege to visit this house.  What a special place our Jane had where she finally felt settled and at peace enough to write her deliciously rich and funny and romantic and entertaining novels.  As we sat listening to narration in the kitchen about her life in this house, I had the feeling she is aware of us and of how her gifts have impacted so many around the world.  That thought makes me glad,  and I am happy that she was given the honor of being buried at Winchester Cathedral. 

The brilliant Jane

Mom and I think it's entirely appropriate that
Jane Austen is on the ten pound note!

Her very house where she lived her last eight years

In this sitting room,  Jane first read aloud her book
that had just been published and delivered to her
home - Pride and Prejudice.  Mom and I sat
on the sofa and read the first couple of pages of that
delightful book and smiled and laughed.  

What beautiful handwriting Jane had!
Letters to her sister,  Cassandra. 

Shawl made by Jane, quilt made by her mother and Cassandra 

We rock this look

Jane Austen's donkey cart

The Bake House

Drove five minutes to Sainsburys for London snacks and chocolate presents

Drove 2 hours to get Petrol - construction traffic was stop-and-go much of the time.  Yuck. And the closer we got to London,  the busier the roads got.  We drove a mile in a tunnel under the Thames River, so that was interesting.  I figured out how to pay the toll online later. 

Drove fifteen minutes to London City Airport, where we found the car hire company closed, so we left the keys at the airport (which was also closed, but there was a security guard there).  That VW Passat was wonderful but I was not sad to say goodbye. 

Back in London...

“Here I am once more in this Scene of Dissipation & vice, and I begin already to find my Morals corrupted.” - Jane Austen, letter to Cassandra, from London

Took an Uber to Radisson Blu Edwardian Kenilworth London hotel

Oh my goodness,  WORST TRAFFIC EVER.  I don't even want to write more about it because I'm so mad that the traffic made us miss our West End play. Our drivers were Naveed from Pakistan, and Alexandru from Romania.

We had a late leisurely dinner at our Radisson hotel restaurant.  It was lovely to relax after such an exhausting day of traffic.  After super delicious food and fancy dessert,  we hit the pillow hard. 

Brief stop outside the Tower Hotel while we waited for the next uber

Dinner at the Radisson 10/10

Desserts so fancy, I can't even remember the names

Saturday, September 16 - University of Cambridge - Punting with Sheehans on the Cam River

“He knew her to be clever, to have a quick apprehension as well as good sense, and a fondness for reading, which, properly directed, must be an education in itself.” – Mansfield Park

7:00 Breakfast at The Tower Hotel

8:25 Check out of hotel

8:30 Take Uber to London City Airport to Pick up rental car. We had Erno from Hungary as a driver and he was our favorite so far.  Pleasant as can be. As a kid, he always wanted to learn English, but under communism, kids weren't allowed to learn anything but Russian. He had a teacher who invited him to come an hour early each day to learn English from her secretly. He's so happy to be in England and feels like he belongs here. 

9:00 Pick up rental car - This took a whole hour!
EuropCar Tel: 03713843412
King George V Dock, London E16 2PX, UK

Our car:  VW Passat,license plate GF70UNN

Since picking up the car took so long, Carma offered to get us a later punting time in Cambridge.  Thank goodness she was free to help us because I was busy trying to learn how to drive on the left side of the road. 

Drive one hour, fifteen minutes to Cambridge

Cambridge is a city on the River Cam in eastern England, home to the prestigious University of Cambridge, dating to 1209. University colleges include King’s, famed for its choir and towering Gothic chapel, as well as Trinity, founded by Henry VIII, and St John’s, with its 16th-century Great Gate.  Cambridge is well-known for many things, including King's College Chapel, Sir Isaac Newton's apple tree, and the fact that Stephen Hawking and C.S. Lewis were professors.

Carma, Ian, and Braddock (16) met us at a petrol station and Carma jumped in our car with us so she could guide us into Cambridge. That was so helpful because the bus and bike and car lanes and all their different signal lights are confusing.

We parked close to Scudamore’s Punting for £12.
Scudamore's Punting
Tel: 01223 359750
Meet at Mill Lane 

The first punts are traditionally associated with the River Thames in England and were built as small cargo boats or platforms for fishermen. Pleasure punts – specifically built for recreation – became popular on the Thames between 1860 and 1880. Since a punt has no keel, it draws only a few inches even when fully laden; this makes it very maneuverable and suitable for shallow water.

1:30 Tour of Cambridge on the River Cam (45 minutes)  I loved being on the water and seeing the beautiful trees, grounds and buildings! I honestly didn't hear much of the narration from our punter because I was so busy chatting with Braddock and Ian, but one interesting thing I remember the guide telling us about is the Cambridge climbers.  "The Night Climbers of Cambridge" are a group of students who play elaborate pranks on the school by climbing to impossible heights on the buildings and leave things like Santa hats on spires, or hoisting a van to the top of a building. Ian was super helpful with getting Mom in and out of the punt.  It was a very low seat!

Braddock & Mom

Mom & Carma

King's College Chapel

St. John's College

Ian, Braddock, Teresa (and our punter, Christian)

King's College Chapel 

Mathematical Bridge

There are cows wandering around campus.  Ok!

Mom and Carma and I strolled around the town while Carma pointed out different buildings and told us some history.  I can tell she has spent a LOT of time in Cambridge. She knew everything!

Gelato!

The table where the discovery of DNA was announced at The Eagle pub

The Eagle

Newton's apple tree

We drove to Sheehan's house in Bury St. Edmunds and had a tour of their awesome home and church, and finally saw Jak (17). Then all 6 of us went to a pub for dinner and had amazing seafood and steak. 

Backyard

Grape vine growing in their mud room

Nice kitchen!

Their Anglican Church around the corner

They all humored me and put
their reunion shirts on for a photo :)

Delicious pub dinner

We drove one hour and stayed overnight at Delta Hotels by Marriott Peterborough. Our parking spot was close to the door.  Good job bringing your Handicap placard, Mom :)