Our April "cottage" in the Cotswolds |
It all came about whilst I was reading a novel set in England, whereby the protagonist rents a countryside cottage. That she finds herself slipping back into time when she stumbles through a wormhole in the basement is neither here nor there, but it did make me curious about cottage rentals.
One of the great things about a Kindle fire is being able to research an idea that comes about while reading as soon as you think of it because with my current state of mind by the time I get to an actual computer I will have totally forgotten what I am wanting to research in the first place. It didn't take me long to find a few links that led me to the lovely Sansome Cottage. Halfway jokingly I sent the link to my partner in crime, Donkey, who halfway jokingly said we should do it. This back and forth kept up until the joking half was overtaken by seriousness and before we knew it we were writing the owner, Felicity.
Felicity seems to be a dream landlord; she certainly responds to any email questions quickly and very thoroughly, and stocks a mean kitchen. I mean just the coffee makers alone boggle the mind of this non-coffee drinker: French press, hob top espresso, Nespresso capsule coffee machine, and electric drip filter machine. For simple ole me, there's a smoothie maker. And not only a toaster but also a sandwich toaster. I'm assuming this refers to a panini press-yum-but if not it'll be an adventure figuring out what it does.
If we were really to do this, however, Cheryl had two requirements: to visit Highclere Castle, otherwise know to the world as Downton Abbey, and to see the tulip fields in Holland. I had watched a few episodes of Downton but hadn't really gotten into it; Donkey on the other hand, is a rabid fan. The Castle is only open during certain times of the year, including the weeks prior to and following Easter. So to try and hit Holland *bam* during peak tulip season and also visit Highclere we had to stretch our initial two-week stay into three. Fortunately, Felicity was able to accommodate us and now you have it...a three-week stay in a cottage in the English Cotswolds, a top ten on my bucket list, followed by several days in The Netherlands. Now, if it'll only have a time-hopping wormhole in the basement we can have a never-ending vacation.
Shrekie
