Friday, November 13, 2015

Goodbye England





Oh England, you have captured my heart and you won't let go.  I've traveled to Europe four other times and have never felt this way.  I have loved visiting all of those beautiful countries in Europe but traveling to Europe has always given me the feeling that I am far, far away from home.  I can even go to California, Alaska, or Arizona and be aware that I am far away from home.  Home in Virginia has always been a magnet for me.  My family has lived in Virginia since 1609.  Virginia is very much a part of my being.  England, I don't feel far from home with you.  I've felt your gentle arms wrap around me as we traveled around your beautiful countryside.  Your lovely people have been so kind and helpful.  Even with your small roads and driving on the wrong side of the road, it has been the most grand adventure I could have ever dreamed.  Having ancestors from England surely must be a reason that my heart feels this way.

England I must bid you farewell today!  We have now turned in the rental car and we are now riding in the taxi to the pier.  I'm happy we are traveling back home on the Queen Mary 2!  It will help take the sting away of having to leave England.




Having taken the QM2 to England, we know what wonderful service we will enjoy upon our return.  I've missed my children and grandchildren.  They mean the world to me.  Still I feel a certain ache in the pit of my stomach.  I am tired.  We have seen so much and packed a lot into each day.  We always do this on our travels.  I'm ready to relax on this journey back to home.

We have given our bags to the porter and now have checked through security.  We are now able to board the Queen Mary 2.




We are directed to our stateroom and begin to settle into our home for the next seven days.  After having unpacked we decide to have a little lunch in the King's Grill.  Before the sail away we participate in the mandatory Muster Drill.  It's a beautiful day to enjoy the festivities before departing England.  So we make our way topside to bid our last farewell to England--Oh no!




Wait a minute we can't go without recalling all the wonderful places we've seen!  Grayden made a wonderful map of all the spots we visited.




As you can see we have had a packed eleven days.  Thank you dear readers for coming along on our journey.  It has been so exciting sharing all of our travels with you!

I must also again thank Susan Branch for her wonderful book, A Fine Romance, for the inspiration for this journey!  If you ever think of going to England and want to visit the English countryside, you must read her book first!




Of course, I must thank my sweetheart for all of his work planning this trip especially for me.  Grayden you have spent hours and hours working on all the places I wanted to see.  The maps you plotted before leaving home, the pre- programmed GPS were lifesavers for us!  You have driven us just under 2,000 miles around England.  The roundabouts, the narrow roads, the driving on the wrong side of the road didn't phase you one bit!  There is no one on earth I would rather have shared this trip with!  I love you, my sweetheart!




I also must mention the National Trust.  Bravo to you for maintaining the integrity of all the beautiful properties in your care.  You are a wonderful organization that I am thrilled to be a member of through the Royal Oak Foundation (The American arm of the National Trust of Great Britain).  I highly recommend joining this Foundation before traveling to Great Britain.

It's time for us to depart.  We are standing at the stern of the ship ready to say goodbye.  There are tears of joy and happiness at all we have enjoyed.  I think I'm ready....




We stayed at the stern gazing as we went through the passage out into the ocean!  Goodbye to all the beauty of the Lake District, the castles, the charming old homes, the gardens, the gorgeous cathedrals, the miles and miles of stone walls dotted with sheep.  I could go on and on.  I'm waving Deb!  I hope you can see me!  It's getting dark now and we must go inside and begin our journey back home.

I can't be sad.  We have a week of relaxation to enjoy.  We have programs and afternoon tea to enjoy.  No, I won't be sad.




The entertainment and programs were different than our voyage over so we enjoyed ourselves immensely on our crossing home.  The course home was a little bit further south, so the weather was more agreeable to long walks and relaxing days on the deck.  They track the polar icebergs and they were floating south so we stayed clear of those.

I never knew the ocean would be so blue so far out!  It was gorgeous!  Several days we spotted dolphin and one day Grayden spotted whales!  How awesome are our great oceans!  The captain gave updates at noon and made us feel well taken care of.




After seven wonderful days we are greeted by the beautiful Statue of Liberty!  We are back in the United States of America!







26 comments:

  1. I have a lump in my throat, Martha Ellen. I think this is why I've not gone yet--I know I will feel like you did when it was time to leave. Thank you for sharing your very special time in England.

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    1. Cathy, I have dreamed of going to England for quite a while. I never knew it would have this impact on my heart! ♥

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  2. Oh no! A very lengthy and beautiful comment, if I do say so myself, just went poof. Thank you, Martha, for sharing your beautiful trip with us. Is Grayden preparing a new itinerary?

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    1. Oh Vee, I'm sorry your comment disappeared as I would have loved reading it. Thank you so much for coming along with us! Grayden did plan our trip to Arizona in October and I will be sharing some of it. England was so difficult to leave. It has consumed my posts, even though I said it wouldn't. ♥

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  3. Each word, so heartfelt and poetic, dear Martha Ellen! I could feel all of the tugs at your heartstrings throughout your wonderful adventure. I am so very grateful that you shared so much of England with all of us! I do understand your feelings, for I feel the very same way about France and Germany. They keep calling me to return again and again! Wherever I roam, though, it always feels so wonderful to come 'Home Sweet Home' when each adventure comes to an end.

    Special thanks to Grayden for highlighting your journey on the map of England. I can tell that you had great fun sharing all of your wonderful memories and favorite photos with us. We enjoyed every single day of your adventure. Your travel journal will always be a true treasure, Martha Ellen! It holds so many blessings and stories that you will continue to enjoy forever! Huge hugs!! ♡Dawn@Petals.Paper.SimpleThymes

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    1. Thank you, Dear Dawn, for sharing my joy on our adventure. It has been quite surprising to yearn for a place I've only been once. Truly, it felt like home to me.
      The hardest part of writing about our time in England was sharing our photos. We thought they were all worthy of posting. We are so happy that you are going on this adventure yourselves and I can't wait to hear what you think about my second home. xo ♥

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  4. Oh, Martha Ellen, I have tears streaming now. We all know there's no place like home, but when there are two places calling to your heart and pulling those heart strings ~~~ well, I know that feeling myself. Thank you so much for sharing your Grand Tour of England with us. I was waving, I saw fireworks of celebration light up the skies as you sailed by, just south of me. It has been a pleasure and a joy, as well as an honour, to be along for the journey with you and Grayden. I'm looking forward to your next visit! ~~~waving from Across the Big Blue Water~~~Deb in Wales xoxo

    p.s. I think you could write a book on this, you know.

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    1. Dearest Deb, it was my honor to share my Grand Tour of England with you. I'm so glad you saw me waving from the stern as we slipped into the Big Blue Water. You are so blessed to live in such beautiful place, my friend. Don't be surprised if we find ourselves having afternoon tea at one of your lovely tearooms with you one day! xoxo ♥

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    2. One day we will! I've been looking at Grayden's map too, and I can't help saying that you still have so much, so very much of England, even Wales and Scotland, waiting for you to explore!

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    3. Dear Deb, there is much to see in Great Britain! I can't wait to visit your lovely Wales and Scotland of course. We sqeezed in as much as we could on our whirlwind visit to the English countryside. ♥

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  5. This closing post gave me goosebumps. You expressed your feelings so well and I could just sense how you felt as you pulled away from England. How wonderful you had a leisurely week to adjust to going back home and away from your beloved England. It seems like you planned a perfect trip…and so cool that you followed SB's book!!!

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    1. It was perfect for us, Dotsie! We couldn't have asked for a more perfect trip to the English countryside. Thank you for sharing my joy! ♥

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  6. Love you in your pearls along side the ship! Great map Grayden, I like maps too. Great idea to remember the path of the trip. Thank you Martha Ellen for sharing your trip!!! What a great blog. I am going to go back and read it again.

    We were to Jamestowne on Wed., and I thought of you.
    Hugs,
    Margot

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    1. Thank you, Margot for coming along on our adventure. Grayden had a map for each of our days---all plotted for each visit. That was too much to post here, so he made this one for me.
      I'm so glad you visited Jamestowne. There is much to ponder there about those brave souls that came to the New World. ♥

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  7. You could write your own book, Martha Ellen!! What a joy it has been to travel with you and Grayden! (I hope he didn't mind us tagging along. ~smile~)

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    1. Cheryl, Grayden and I have loved you coming along on our adventure! It's been so nice for us to relive it with our friends! ♥

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  8. Wonderfull post and great fotos, love much yhis country.

    http://louisette.eklablog.com

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  9. The map is a wonderful touch...LOVED seeing your travels on that map! I've never sailed the QE2 but have done a crossing on NCL and seeing the Statue of Liberty as we sailed out of the harbor was amazing...brought tears to my eyes. Thank you also for showing Susan's book...I was going to ask if you were on the same trip as she and Joe and then I saw that particular photo. Your husband is a lovely man, putting together such a memorable trip.
    Sandra, my BFF, and I are planning a UK trip next year and your blog posts will help enormously.
    Thank you Martha!

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    1. Sandra, our trip was based on Susan Branch's "A Fine Romance" ...but we didn't have two months to spend away from home as she did. I've always dreamed of visiting the English country side---this trip was it! I'm so excited that you are going to England next year---I already want to return. xo ♥

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  10. All the wonderful sites you saw in England, delicious meals you ate, historic landmarks you experienced,,,,,I can see why it was hard for you to say good-bye, Martha Ellen. But I bet you smiled when you got back in the United States and saw the Statue of Liberty. Such a grand statue. This is a cute picture of you and husband, and it looks like you are making a toast to England!

    ~Sheri

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    1. It is so moving to come into the harbor in New York, Sheri! Tears leaving and tears returning--we had a great time! We were toasting England as we sailed away. The Queen Mary 2 invited us to to a party as we were departing! ♥

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  11. I so enjoyed this series of posts, Martha Ellen. I felt that I was right there with you, visiting these amazing places and soaking up the history and loveliness of it all. Where are we going next?
    Amalia
    xot

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    1. I'm so glad you joined us on our adventure to England, Amalia! We went to Arizona in October for our anniversary and birthdays, so I'll be sharing some of those photos soon. Enjoy your day! xo ♥

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  12. Oh, Martha! I have so enjoyed touring around England with you . You two did pack a lot into your days in England. I feel right at home seeing the Queen Mary 2. We've sailed on her a couple of times but were never able to really enjoy the deck like you. You look so cute in your green jacket! I haven't read Susan Branch's book but now I've got to get it! I certainly appreciate your visits!
    Be a sweetie,
    Shelia ;)

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    1. Thank you, Shelia. It has been so wonderful reliving our trip with all of my friends here. You must pick up Susan's book. She hand wrote and illustrated it with her wonderful watercolor artwork. I am a big fan of her's. Following her all these years, she has been an inspiration to me in so many positive ways. Enjoy your evening. ♥

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