Sometimes you just need to get away …. and this weekend was it for us. Trying to find a cozy, little place to ‘get away to’, within an hour or so’s drive, on a busy summer weekend, when you only have a couple of days (and a budget) is very difficult. But we were very fortunate to find a (“European-style” – their words, not mine) B & B that just happened to have a last-minute cancellation. Wonderful!
It was much needed and we’re back …. rested, rejuvenated and ready-to-go! What I did find interesting about this bed and breakfast was the need to describe themselves as “European style”. What does that actually mean? Whenever we travel, we always try to stay in Bed and Breakfasts. They are a comfortable, personal and affordable way of lodging (short of youth hostels) and are a great alternative to the usual disconnected, corporate atmosphere of a hotel.
We’ve been very fortunate staying at B & B’s in many different countries and have never had a bad experience. Some B & B’s are larger than others. Some are just a room or two in a home to help the homeowner offset their income. For others, this may be their primary income and they have five, six or more rooms ….. some even with a small bar. One thing you can be sure of though is that, in addition to the personal attention, you are going to get a great breakfast. No, not just some muffins, a banana and a glass of orange juice, but a full “hot” cooked breakfast. And quite often with ingredients plucked right out of their garden.
In Thailand the hostess wanted to give us ‘toast’ along with our breakfast because we’re American, but she wasn’t sure how to ‘toast’ the bread. So she lit a campfire and put the bread on sticks. Nothing tasted better! In Wales breakfast included whatever was picked from the garden that morning along with farm-fresh eggs, locally sourced ham and freshly baked, whole-grain bread.
You are also going to get a plush, thick, comfortable mattress with a down-filled duvet (and, as was the case in Thailand, mosquito netting). You’re going to get a key to the front door (or back door, or side door) as well as your room. You’ll definitely meet the house dog and cat (and on one occasion be asked if you could take him for a walk).
Friends might come by. Family will certainly be there. You’ll be asked to sign the ‘guest book’ to let everyone know where you are from and when you stayed. If you need a recommendation on where to go for dinner, you’ll be sure to get a good one, with directions, along with the name of the owner and whoever may be cooking that evening.
If you need a suggestion on how to spend your day, the homeowner will be ready with first-hand knowledge of local places, activities and events. And when you come back after your excursions, a hot cuppa tea or coffee with a home-baked sweet or two will always be offered.
Do you need a wake-up call? Don’t expect that annoying house phone to ring. But do expect someone to politely knock on your door. In Kenya, we were awoken by someone standing outside our door ringing a little bell. The night before they had also put hot water bottles in our bed to warm it up! No, you do not get this service at the Marriott Courtyard.
One B & B we stayed at also invited us for dinner. Of course we would love to ….. but, she wanted to know what kind of fish we liked. We like all kinds of fish. Why? “Well, Tim is going out fishing and I want to tell him what to catch.” These are the personal touches that a B & B experience can provide.
Did this New England B & B provide us with the classic “European” ambiance, attention to detail and personal service that we have come to know and love? They certainly did!
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On November 28th, 1582, William and Anne were granted a marriage license by the Bishop of Worcester and were married quietly in the village of Temple Grafton, approximately five miles from Stratford. After their marriage, Anne left her family farm and moved in with William’s family on Henley Street. A short seven months later, Anne and William became the parents of Susanna Shakespeare. Two years later, Anne gave birth to twins, Hamnet and Judith. And for the next 16 years, Anne lived in the Shakespeare family home, shared the household chores with her mother-in-law, Mary, her sister-in-law, Joan, and cared for her children. (Hamnet died at the age of 11 from the plague).
Where was William, you are wondering? Three years into the marriage, in 1588, William left Stratford for London. William wanted to be an actor! Did William want Anne and the children to join him? We’ll never know. Was she a homebody or was she afraid of the always threatening outbreaks of the plague in the big city? Remember her only son, Hamnet, died of the plague at the age of 11. What we do know is that Anne stayed in Stratford while William, over the next 25 years, pursued his career, and other loves.
Six years later, Anne was able to celebrate her husband’s success when his bust was installed near the altar at Trinity Church, where he was buried.
