This England: A Road Trip to Basildon Park

What could be a more delightful way to explore England than a road trip? (Especially if it might include a visit to historic homes, including one that was in "Downton Abbey" (see link to see how t was used as the Crawley's London home) and "The Crown"?) Our friends, blogger Jenny and her husband, T, offered to show us some lovely spots, so we took the next three days to see more of England's beautiful countryside.

Our first destination would be Basildon Park, a beautiful manor house located in Berkshire. You may never have visited Basildon Park, but if you have seen programs like "Downton Abbey," "Pride and Prejudice," "The Crown," "Pride, Prejudice and Zombies," and "Bridgerton," you have seen a bit of this beautiful estate.

This England: Remembering the Veterans

Those of us in America may well have had parents or grandparents who served overseas in World War I or World War II, and many did not return home. But our country was not physically attacked. We may have had blackouts or rations, our men and women and working to support the war effort. But we were not bombed, with entire cities and towns being destroyed. Many in my own generation may or may not have served in the military. In Europe, it was a different story.

 On November 11, 1918, World War I ended. One year later in the U.S., president Woodrow Wilson introduced Armistice Day, which honored the end of that way. In the UK, Remembrance Day (or Poppy Day, because people wear red poppies that day) evolved from Armistice Day. It was during World War II that the name of the holiday was changed to Veterans Day in the U.S. Now we honor all veterans on this holiday. But many are remembered every day through memorials, and we saw many during our recent trip to England.