Leaving beautiful Romania… but going to equally beautiful England…  I wasn’t expecting to visit Great Britain again for some time, but restrictions changing made this the best next destination for me… By the way, I have ceased calling the area “the United Kingdom”, as they haven’t felt all that ‘united’ for some time – but I prefer “Great Britain” anyway… it harks back to ‘my’ era of the late Victorian and Edwardian eras…

So, on to my journey…

I love how these clouds actually follow the landscape!  If there are any meteorologists reading this post, please reach out and tell me why this is so…  Thanks!

Champagne breakfast… Delightful…

After staring at and play with this “coat hoot” button for ages, I finally asked the man in the seat near me if he knew how it worked…  This lead to a wonderful conversation with my fellow traveller – a fascinating man who is a multi-talented artist in several disciplines, and turned out to be very much a kindred spirit… and yes, he did help me get it sorted!  (one turns then pulls, if you are ever in need of a coat hook)

Arrived at Heathrow for a four-hour layover… and was fascinated by yet another button… this time a supposedly “self-cleaning” elevator button…  really………….?  The sweet man pushing my wheelchair said as far as he knew it was the same button that had always been there – just now with a sticker above it…  Hmmmmm…

…a view of times gone by………

…and arrival at my beautiful hotel…  I am here just for a week or so to get settled and sorted, then have rented a pretty little cottage for the duration of my stay…

The staff here are ever so lovely – and it’s like being in an old-fashioned family sit-com… they are hilarious and just wonderful…

…and the view from my balcony… bliss!

~ Bella

All packed and ready for another adventure, this time to the Riviera del Brenta in Italy.

My flight departed from Edinburgh, so I decided to stay a couple of days in Dalmahoy, a lovely 18th century mansion – also where James VI of Scotland (who became James I of England) stayed in 1589 in the castle that was on the site before the current building.

…and I had booked one of their prettiest rooms – only to find when I arrive that it is at the top of the oldest part of the hotel and there is no elevator (look down and down and down at those staircases)……………  oh, well…  I just had to consider it part of my physio…  🙂

Friday was a bit wet and dreary, and since there were three movies at the cinema I wanted to see and the nearest cinema was one of the type with comfy armchairs – I decided to see them all!

‘Judy’ – followed by ‘Ad Astra’ – followed by ‘Downton Abbey’.

…and home in time for cocktails…

At the airport, there was pandemonium when it was announced that only one piece of hand luggage was allowed…

Flying over the River Forth…

…and buongiorno Italia…

Picked up my rental car and stayed overnight at a cute little family-run place just near Lake Como… but more on that in my next post…

~ Bella