I arrived in St. Ives (Cornwall) in time for a great storm to hit, producing massive waves...
I returned to Cornwall in the fall, this time to Penzance
I visited Dover Castle because of a documentary showing the way they'd recreated the interiors of these (mostly medieval) rooms. A lot of castles are presented without furnishings or any remnants of what they would have looked like when they were in use. Dover Castle has hired historians and craftsmen to research what the dining hall and personal apartments would have looked like at the time of Henry II (in the 12th century). This gives a much better sense that these people were just like us... they played board games, ate and drank with familiar utensils, enjoyed colorful wall decorations.
The castle looks every inch the medieval fortress as you approach
After visiting Dover Castle, I went on to Canterbury to see the Cathedral...
I made two fall visits to the Wildfowl & Wetlands Trust in West London
I was privileged to attend an evening talk at Hampton Court Palace in October, arriving as the sun set
To commemorate the 100th anniversary of the end of WWI, the Tower of London installed thousands of torches in the moat, representing the fallen soldiers
This was my second year going to this, and it's still enchanting. Kew Royal Botanical Gardens gets different artists or companies to put together sound and light installations, which are scattered around a one-mile path through the grounds. In between the installations are food and beverage kiosks, including mulled wine, hot chocolate and even toast-your-own marshmallows. (And I have to say, the British marshmallows are nothing like their gooey, tasteless US equivalents.)
The night was cold but clear, with a distant full moon
I went to a Vintage NYE party with a friend at Festival Hall, Southbank Centre...