Fish and Chips and Chatsworth

Chatsworth. It didn't mean anything to me, but there we went and I couldn't believe it! It is a huge mansion that has had twelve dukes. The rooms are decorated beautifully. Some of the walls are carved and painted, some have intricate wallpaper. There is a cascade of gravity-fed water, several pools, a rock garden, a maze, etc. The estate was used to film Pemberley in Keira Knightley and Colin Firth's Pride and Prejudice. I didn't realize this until the moment that I was walking through a room of statues and saw the bust of Mr. Darcy that Elizabeth walks around and her aunt asks her if she doesn't think that he's a handsome fellow. I also recognized the fountain in front of the house where, at the end of the movie, he calls her Mrs. Darcy.


Marie and I are still up to our "chinwags" as she calls them. It's like we're catching up on everything we've experienced.

Tanya asked me for pictures of rolling hills. Oh, you've got them now! I took loads and loads of them.

We had fish and chips for dinner. Yum! Jez said that eating fish and chips would reinforce bad stereotypes. Did I already post that? Anyway, Jonathan convinced Marie that we needed to have some good English chocolate too. I have eaten and eaten and eaten so well here, and all of it has been wonderful.

I finally finished my book, Rain of Gold. The cultural differences between gringos and Mexicans astonished me in some ways. I never knew about the Mexican Revolution. Please read it if you can. I'll have to send it back to Utah as it is due back at the library in the next few weeks. I think I'll buy Anna Karenina to read in my upcoming travels.

Tomorrow I head to London. There is a tube strike, but the line I need to get to Alana's is still running, fortunately.