My husband had been working on this itinerary for the better part of two years to fulfill a dream of mine to see the Cotswold’s; it morphed into something much bigger as he saw opportunities for timely add-on’s.

We began our sojourn in London where on the first night we dined with my stepdaughter and her partner at Ivy Asia St. Paul’s who offer up an amazing dining experience of Japanese food amongst the most eclectic décor including a samurai warrior at the men’s urinal to an up-close view of St. Paul’s Cathedral out the window.

The next evening, we were entertained by Andrea Bocelli at the BST Hyde Park; guests included Seal, Hans Zimmer and Katherine Jenkins to name a few.  And it not only rained, but it also poured!  Despite the inclement weather the omnipotent Bocelli was magnificent!

The next day we were at Wimbledon – a first for me.  I am not a tennis person but did appreciate the grandeur and tradition of this championship and the rain that accompanies.  We were excited to learn that our court was to be the location for Andy Murray and Emma Raducanu in the mixed doubles.  This was no doubt to be Andy’s last match at Wimbledon but alas Raducanu pulled out at the last minute not only disappointing fans but arguably a career limiting move on her part.  Tennis fans everywhere were not impressed.

We then moved onto the Cotswold’s – first staying at Bourton-on-the-Water, then Broadway and finally Oxford.  We spent our time hiking through picturesque trails and villages.  The beauty of the Cotswold’s is really something out of a fairy tale, despite the rain.

Rain free days not in our hiking shoes included a tour of the gardens of King Charles’s beloved Highgrove House in Tetbury.  Unfortunately, the King nor his Queen were in residence busying themselves with duties in Wales at the time.  A few days later, we found ourselves at Blenheim Palace, where we toured both the Palace State Rooms as well as the inner workings of the Duke of Marlborough’s downstairs’ residence.   We made time (not enough) for some splendors of the surrounding Blenheim Park.

Blenheim Palace was presented by the English nation to John Churchill, first Duke of Marlborough in recognition of his victory in 1704 over French and Bavarian troops.  Decades later, Winston Churchill would ask Clementine Hozier to marry him while staying at the Palace.  He took her for a walk in the Rose Garden and then made his proposal in the Temple of Diana.  #romanticstuff

Having walked in Winston’s footsteps, we took extra time that day to visit Winston’s grave in Bladon, at a small unassuming Parish Church of St. Martin’s.  The Palace honours Churchill with a wonderful exhibit.  When we viewed his funeral video, I began to cry because I found it moving how he was revered by so many.  Somehow following this bit of history helped me grieve for my brother who passed away the first day of our Cotswold’s trip.

Despite being estranged from him since our mother died, I found myself profoundly saddened – for the relationship that we once had.  Unfortunately, what I regarded as a close relationship was turned on its head by his twisted actions.  My brother had an ego that could fill a room without an empathetic bone in his body.  I prayed for his soul in the churchyard at the Church of St. James, Clapton-on-the-Hill when we came upon it on one of our walks.  My grief was kept in check by the memory of the last words he spoke to me.  #horrificstuff #torturedsoul

Onto Oxford, the home of the Bodleian Library that was originally gifted 300 books ordered destroyed by King Henry VIII when he created the Church of England and banished Catholicism from the territory he reigned. Thirty of the books were sent to the Vatican to be saved.  When Oxford asked for them back centuries later, the Pope said NO because Oxford had demonstrated in the past that it couldn’t protect the books. :>) In the University Church of St. Mary, our guide pointed out the ceiling whose stars are painted in the same position as they were the day Christ was born.  #aweinspiring

CS Lewis (The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe author),  Einstein (brain the size of a small planet), and Charles Lutwidge Dodgson (aka Lewis Carrol who wrote Alice in Wonderland) were part of the academia at Oxford.  We saw Einstein’s Theory of Relativity on a chalkboard preserved under plexiglass from his second lecture on May 16, 1931, and its equations connect the age, density and size of the universe.

In fact, the men and women who have studied or taught at the University among them are 28 British Prime Ministers, 30+ international leaders, 55 Nobel Prize winners and 120 Olympic medal winners.   Oh, to have been part of that University!  I left Oxford with my knowledge expanded and could only imagine how life would have been different for me should I have attained a degree there.

And if all of that wasn’t enough, off we flew to Glasgow for The British Open, now officially known as ‘The Open’ where we watched two days of championship golf in the pelting rain and wind of Troon.  Known for its inclement weather my husband was wise enough to get us access to inside hospitality where we could enjoy the golf from a covered balcony on the final day.

I can honestly say that I returned home feeling overwhelmed after these two and half weeks.  It’s taken me a while to process through the sensory overload.   As I write this blog, I remain thankful for the experience of travel for there is no better teacher and the kindness of the man I chose to marry sixteen years ago.  Yes, we did celebrate our anniversary at Glasgow’s oldest restaurant, The Buttery, albeit exhausted from a day of chaotic travel during the CrowdStrike incident. #chaos