This trip was by two hired buses starting at the FSU study center. The students live there. It was really pleasing to ride along at an elevated height and view the sights as we travelled around 20 miles from London. The director and her assistant and other staff were very welcoming and warm. She gives the impression of being thoroughly engaged with and charmed by the students.
I was thrilled to go to a country manor house a la Downton Abbey and got much more than I anticipated. Just thrilling to be at the place where Elizabeth I learned she was queen and where she had lived her young years. The great hall of the old house where she lived is just as I imagine in my fantasies a great hall of a castle would be like. Enormous fireplace. Oaken timbres. Ancient brickwork. Wonderful. The new house (wish I could tell you when it was built--It's not new by any means) is magnificent. Large sumptuous rooms with large fireplaces. A very pretty chapel. A Victorian kitchen. Flash pictures were prohibited as there are painted portraits everywhere as you would imagine. I accidentally took one flash, thinking I had my camera set with the flash off (I mean doesn't a lightning bolt with a line through it signify no flash to you?) Pretty embarrassing. Was chided. So I explored the settings and found one that says "For taking pictures where flash is prohibited". What could be plainer? Scrupulously checked and double-checked this. Took a couple more and then, lo and behold, it flashed again. This time the guard scurried over with a very severe look on his face as if he were going to grab the camera out of my hands. I showed him the setting but put my camera round my shoulder and left it alone the rest of the time. I was mortified.
The gardens were wonderful. They are sculpture gardens so they consisted of hedged square areas containing well placed sculptures. And there were flowers, of course. And a maze. Perfect.
Well on to Harry Potter. Huge cavernous warehouses full of parts of sets including the complete banquet hall. Make up areas, costumes, outdoor buildings such as the house where Harry's aunt and uncle brought him to live. Enormous place. Tons to look at. They spent ten years there making Harry Potter movies. The students were hooting and hollering with enthusiasm. I was pretty clueless.
All in all a thoroughly enjoyable, if long day. We left at 9 and returned a 7. Long bus ride and hike back home.
Let's see if I can post some Harry Potter pix here.
Couldn't. Hurrying. May have created a new blog with them. Fingers crossed.
What a great day, with descriptions that remind me with my childhood fantasies of castles! Were the fireplaces like the ones seen in movies - big enough to walk into? I imagine the art work on the walls was beautiful - were there fabulous floral arrangements about the place? I can't wait to see the pictures you were able to capture without garnering any stern looks!
ReplyDeleteThis sounds like the kind of day one would hope for while in London! So glad you had this experience; so happy you shared it!