9 August 2024

Jane Austen tour 2024

Hello readers,

Some of you know I had been dreaming of a Jane Austen themed holiday for quite some time. Well I finally managed to make it happen, with help from family and friends, which made it even more special.

Here is a recap of our journey, hoping it might be useful should you feel inspired by our tour. 

We didn't manage to fit everything in.... Derbyshire... Southampton... Lyme Regis .. so there are a few places left to visit for another JA tour in the future : )

Day 1 - STONEHENGE AND BATH

Drove to Stonehenge, parked the car in the visitors car park. 

Pre-booked our tickets the night before, so claimed our passes and went in the museum, then got on the shuttle bus to the site. (https://www.english-heritage.org.uk/visit/places/stonehenge/)

When visiting the site we took some photos following the instructions which were placed round the henge. Then we enjoyed an ice cream from the van which was strategically placed nearby, before walking back to the car park along the mysterious ancient path in the field (about a 20 minute walk). 



Ice cream van near Stonehenge

Drove Stonehenge to Bath, arriving from the hills and stopped to look at the view from here.

Parked the car in Avon Street car park and walked to the hotel.

Stayed at the Travelodge Bath Center.

Dinner at The Raven (very good Ploughman's lunch and pies, also great Ale) and then wend for a short walk round town center to get our bearings.

Day 2 - BATH 

Breakfast at The Cornish Bakery opposite The Pump Room, which is featured in Bridgerton, and with a view of the Cathedral facade.

Visit to the Roman Baths (allow 2 hours): https://www.romanbaths.co.uk/

Met up with friends at the Museum gift shop.

Walked to The Abbey Deli which is used as the front of 'The Modiste', the French seamstress in the series Bridgerton. 

Lunch at Sally Lunns - recommended meal is a savoury bunn followed by a sweet one (we shared) https://www.sallylunns.co.uk/

Afternoon walking tour to the Circus and the Crescent.

Ice cream in the park in front of the Crescent.

Went to Jane Austen Center and had guided visit, plus dressing up and writing with ink pen.

Dads and Kids went to the playground.

Dinner - Pizza at The Oven.

Evening: Walk around town across Pulteney Bridge, inspired by Palladian architecture, along Great Pultney street, to see the front of The Holburne Museum which is used as the setting for Lady Danbury's house in Bridgerton.

Walked over the other Bridge and took great night photos of Pulteney Bridge from North Parade Bridge.

Day 3 - BATH AND COTSWOLDS

Breakfast at The Cornish Bakery again.

Walked round town to do window shopping went to buy stationary in Waterstones.

Checked out of hotel and drove to Castle Combe, where they filmed War Horse.

Visited the village Church which had pannels about the way the village has been used as a set over the years. 

Had pub lunch in The White Hart (jacket potatoes and ploughman's lunch).

Bought a take away carrot cake and flap jacks from Ellen's Cottage (you leave the money in a kitty outside the door).

Drove to Kelmscott and checked into the Plough Inn.

Dinner at French Restaurant Fleur del Lys in Bampton


Day 4 - KELMSCOTT TO LECHLADE

Had fantastic breakfast at the Plough Inn.

Thames walk from Kelmscott towards Lechlade. Arrived at the Trout Inn, and had pub lunch.

Walked over the bridge to see Old Father Thames statue, made by Italian sculptor Raffaele Monti, next to St John's lock.

Spent the afternoon reading and painting in the pub garden.

Dinner at The Five Alls pub restaurant in Filkins. 

Day 5 - BOURTON-ON-THE-WATER AND DIDDLY SQUAT FARM.

Breakfast at the Inn, the log fire had been lit because it was quite cold. 

Hoped to visit Kelmscott Manor, where William Morris lived with his wife and for some time with painter Rossetti, but it was only open Friday to Sunday (prebooked visits on Thursday, see website).

Got take away cinnamon buns, as recommended by friends, from Blakes kitchen at Clanfield

Visited beautiful Bourton-on-the-Water and had take away coffee (to go with our cinnamon buns) from the Bourton Riverside Café

Bought pretty souvenirs from Hartwells.

Would have been great to visit Cotswolds Motoring Museum and Toy Collection as well as Birdland Parks and Gardens but unfortunately didn't have time. 

Drove to Diddly Squat Farm, near Chipping Norton. Had a drink and bought a mug from the pop up gift shop. 

Day 6 - WINCHESTER AND CHAWTON

Day trip to Winchester.

Parked in Tower Street multi-storey car park.

Walked along the High Street which was filled with market stalls and had buskers singing and playing music creating a beautiful atmosphere. 

Bought a take away coffee and drinks from Starbucks on the High Street.

Walked to Cathedral grounds, past Jane Austen's last home, past Winchester College, and along the Weirs. Look out for Vincenzo's ice cream van. Walked back up via the High Street past King Alfred's statue and bought a Pret-à-manger pic nic which we had in the Cathedral grounds (always pack a pic nic rug : ).

Visited Winchester Cathedral (allow 1 hour for very good guided tour).

Drove to Chawton and visited Jane Austen House, where JA lived between 1809 and 1817.  Allow about one hour and extra time for the gift shop : )

Had a very good lemonade in The Greyfriar pub, which has a very pretty garden.

Unfortunately Cassandra's Cup tea room had just closed, but would definitely be worth going back for (Cassandra being the name of Jane's only sister and best friend). 

Drove to Basingstoke and had fish and chips with friends, followed by home made cheesecake.


Useful links:

https://visitbath.co.uk/

https://www.visitwinchester.co.uk/

https://www.austenheritage.com/



2 November 2017

Esame di stato e corso di Business



Ecco un piccolo aggiornamento su questo blog.

A  Luglio sono finalmente riuscita a iscrivermi all'Esame di Stato per Architetto Junior. Essendo mamma con due bambini piccoli era una sfida che avevo rimandato da molti anni. Nel frattempo avevo frequentato il corso di Interior Design qui a Vicenza, e nel 2015 mi ero diplomata cominciando a fare qualche lavoretto. Ma mi mancava non aver fatto quell'esame, che vedevo così difficile. Sono riuscita a superare la paura di fallire, dicendomi che avrei provato a farlo tre volte prima di pensare che forse non ce la facevo. Con questo trucco sono riuscita ad ingannare il mio cervello e ce l'ho fatta. Ora sono abilitata e posso iscrivermi all'ordine.

Adesso mi sono iscritta ad un corso per aiutarmi a costruire la mia 'Creative Business' che ruota intorno alla mia passione per l'illustrazione, la scrittura e l'interior design. La lezione che sto affrontando ora è quella del branding. Che non viene così automatico data la varietà di interessi.

Per ora mi sto focalizzando sull'organizzazione delle illustrazioni per il mio portfolio online. Poi vorrei inviarle ad alcune riviste con l'idea di fare qualche illustrazione editoriale. Nel frattempo continuo a illustrare i biglietti per il mio negozio etsy.

Ecco! Questo è il punto a cui sono arrivata!
Forse questo blog si tramuterà in un piccolo sito/portfolio online.

Intanto. Alla prossima!
Laura

Le cinque esse - Lean in fabbrica




7 April 2017

Off to the Salone del Mobile!


Hey! I'm off to the Salone del Mobile, the International design fair in Milan, also known as Milan design week!
I'll be taking lot of pictures and keeping my eyes open for new trends and beautiful designs. And then write them up on this little blog for you to read about!

25 November 2016

Top tips for a beautiful bathroom

What makes a perfect bathroom:

1) Simple tiles or finishings
Keep the colours light and design simple, most bathrooms are not gigantic and this will keep the room feeling spacious.

2) Carefully thought out layout
Layout makes a lot of difference as it can make a smal space more efficient. If needed get a professional opinion for the best layout. make sure there is enough storage space and enough space to move around freely.

3) Great lighting
Whether you have a naturally well lit bathroom or not, artificial lighting will make a big difference to the comfort of the room. Make sure you have a central light as well as one above or integrated in the mirror.

3) Colour coordinated towels and accessories
Look in magazines and online to see what colour towels and accessories would suit the colours of your bathroom. These elements should go well together and create a pleasant feeling.

4) Free from clutter
Although there will occasionally be some clutter in the bathrom, try to plan storage spaces and keep supplies to a minimum. Keeping surfaces bare will make the bathroom easier to clean and the space more pleasant to look at.

via Pinterest
via Pinterest

via Pinterest