England

When I got back from England, Stuart asked me why he hadn't been invited to go with me. I reminded of him of how sometimes during the week, I need to have "mommy time," but that this trip was Jaime Time, something I hadn't had for ages. Dan chimed in that it had been since April 22, 1999.

I must confess that at some points in our travels, I felt more at home than I do in New England. The whole experience seemed to be laced with tiny hints of deja vu, and even at certain points "joy" as C.S. Lewis defines it in his autobiography. So much reminded me of home: the wild vegetation, the abundance of trees, yet the rain and green were more. We were there the last week of July, and I could already feel hints of fall. It was perfect.


The whole exciting trip came about when my friend Julie and I both came up with the idea to go to England at the same time this last spring. Our books we are each writing are set in England, and we both felt it was time we saw for ourselves. Getting there was a story in itself, but now all that matters is that we went, surely thanks to Divine Intervention. Our husbands watched our kids, and we took off.



After attending the London Temple in Surrey, we headed to Leeds Castle. Though a highly frequented tourist attraction, it had beautiful sprawling grounds, a winding stream, and even a white peacock: perfectly fitting after reading the latest Harry Potter.


On Friday we saw Wilton House, a grand estate owned by the Earl of Pembroke. On the inside, we almost felt we were touring a museum instead of a home, as it was home to dozens of priceless paintings of artists like Rembrandt and Briegel.

Saturday was our day in Bath. Well, it was amazing. Like all the locals say, "You need at least a day in Bath." That's what we did, and afterwards, we were completely dead on our feet -- probably from walking on all that cobblestone.


I might mention that driving there was completely terrifying. I was fortunate enough to not be a driver on the rental agreement. Poor Julie. Not only do you drive on the left side, but the speed limit is at least 50 on back, narrow, winding roads. Plus people will tailgate if you're not going at least ten over. Insane.



Most of my book is set in Henley and Oxford, so we arrived there on Saturday night and went to church in the at the ward near the University. Julie recognized one of the ward members as her Shakepeare professor at BYU, so he and his wife invited us to their home for lunch. This was definitely the highlight of our trip. The Thomas's were intelligent, generous, and absolutely delightful. After lunch, they took us on a personal tour of Oxford University, highlighting all the spots of interest for a C.S. Lewis fan. We saw the Kilns, Magdalene College, and The Eagle and Child (the famous meeting place of the Inklings), as well as Lewis's burial place and parish. Paul and Sandy Thomas were excellent guides, and we could never thank them enough.

That night, we headed toward the city and left the next morning. I arrived home late Monday night, and I've been dreaming of England ever since.