Pop Quiz: How many of you recognize the building shown behind me? Most of you, probably. Once upon a time I was a fan of Downton Abbey. My favorite characters were the servants, not the wealthy Grantham kin. I watched for Mr. Bates and Anna, mostly. I stopped watching during season 4, particularly after episode 3.… Read more

I never really thought about what kind of beach one finds in England. I guess I imagined a rocky coast like that of Maine. This past weekend I even visited a chalky coast line in Seaford. The beach itself consisted of millions of pebbles ranging in size. I even managed to pick up a heart-shaped one… Read more

I have always wanted to visit the white cliffs of Dover, but they have always been too far away! Little did I know that on this trip I would visit the white cliffs of Seaford, which look like the white cliffs of Dover! As it turns out, there are more white cliffs than one, and… Read more

  Today was my last day to volunteer at Chawton House Library. Friday was my last day at Jane Austen’s House Museum. Of course, this will not be the last time I go to these places, but in the future I don’t suppose that I will be a volunteer. I will go back to that… Read more

Yesterday we visited Brighton. You wouldn’t know it from this image, but this is not an Eastern palace situated in some far off clime. Oh, no. It is a British palace located in the heart of downtown Brighton. The Royal Pavilion was commissioned by the Prince Regent, George, who would become King George IV. The… Read more

I knew it had to happen eventually, but I hoped that it wouldn’t happen at all: I have been called out as being an American. Yes, most people who talk to me know that I am American (except for those few people who thought I was from Canada or New Zealand). Many British people have… Read more

On Wednesday, the Jane Austen Society of the UK’s wonderful secretary, Maureen Stiller, picked me up from the Stables and drove me out to Steventon. For those of you who do not know the significance of Steventon, it is the village where Jane Austen was born and lived in for the first twenty-five years of… Read more

A simple, polite sign* sits on a piece of furniture in a museum or gallery. It nicely asks you not to touch the items. It is cautionary by nature, unthreatening in appeal. Still, people disregard its humble request. Maybe it’s OK to touch that chair, desk, piece of paper, glass bowl, or book! Maybe the… Read more

On Friday, July 28, I entered the fourth and final phase of my trip. I moved from Winchester to Chawton. If you are keeping track, you will remember that I started in London for a few days, moved to Alton for two weeks, and then stayed in Winchester for two weeks. Now I am in… Read more

Last Friday, Adam suggested to me that we should go see a play on Saturday. I looked online to see what was playing nearby and to what shows we could get tickets still. In my searching for Shakespearean plays, I accidentally found a Royal Shakespeare Company (RSC) production on stage that weekend. The best two parts:… Read more