We get up early and take the tube to St.Paul’s Cathedral, burial place of most of England’s most illustrious sons and a few daughters. An imposing edifice, the nave is fairly plain (the area where the people sit) while the choir and alter are enormously elaborate and decorated. One of the many churches designed by Christopher Wren after the Great Fire of 1668, it epitomized the institutinoalizationofnthe Anglican Church. In the crypt, Nelson’s tomb is quite amazing … I can’t think of any American military hero who is quite as revered as Lord Nelson was. From the top of the dome, we saw the skyline of London, both the old and the new (notice the enormous numbers of cranes).
Rushing back to The Orange, all packed and ready to go, we wait for our ride to King’s Cross station. And wait.
We were to meet Maureen Matthews, Briony’s mother, on the train to Kings’s Lynn. Because of cross-town traffic, we missed our rendezvous moment with Briony’s mother, so called her frantically to arrange to take the next train and then the bus to Staithe House. We run into the station, a very helpful man helps us get our tickets (and we find out we have something called an old pound (which is no longer legal tender), and we run for the front four cars of the train, making it just in time. Throwing our bags inside, Barney went to look for Maureen, and he found her right away. A quick call to Briony and all was well. The train headed out one minute later, and off we went to Norfolk!
Norfolk was pretty … fairly flat and very green, and you can see landmarks like Ely Cathedral looming in the distance from far away. We’re picked up at the train station by Eddie, Briony’s garden and caretaker, who we later learn has been taking care of the garden for some 50, yes 50, years. He’s also done some butlering at Sandringham (where the Queen and her family spend Christmas), so he gave us some of the inside gossip, especially about the house William and Kate are preparing nearby. He said that the Queen really likes coming to Norfolk because she can be herself, walk around town and not be harassed.
Briony and Simon’s home is called Staithe House, and was the famous architect and designer William Kent’s own house. Every room has different moldings, with authentic paint colors and furnishings in the old Georgian part of the house, and a more modern (yet very comfortable) hook in the large new addition on the back. The views from the back were breathtaking, of the creek then the golf course then the North Sea.
We settle in, then take a walk up the street to the Jolly Sailors pub, for half-pints of ale, sandwiches and pizza. Briony arrived with the dogs, Gatsby full of energy, Cassie wanting to be left alone. Briony clued us in that men don’t order half-pints of ale, for future reference. Briony suggested that we take advantage of the early high tide to go kayaking in the morning. Off we went to our lovely room with a view of the sea.
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