Well, we’ve had a couple of little outings. This is Wentworth Woodhouse. We heard that the BBC may be making a new production based on the life of the family who owned it, the Fitzwilliams. One of them was supposed to be the original of Mr Darcy! Anyway, it is only 7 minutes drive from mother’s house, so we thought we might as well get a few snaps, just in case it’s as successful as Downton and there is massive demand! My grandmother came from the village of Wentworth, which is owned by the estate, so it seems likely that some of my (and yours, Victoria and Caroline) ancestors worked on the construction of the house, and some were probably in service there. I’m sure they would also have worked in the mines which produced the wealth which enabled the Fitzwilliams to build this house, one of the grandest in Europe in its day. Thank goodness times have changed!
If there was one place we really didn’t expect to be disappointed, it was Barcelona! However, such is life. We spent 3 days there, with only half a day of sunshine. The attractions are very spread out so hard work to get to, though we took the tourist bus, it still took ages. It is VERY crowded! In the end, we decided there was no point hanging around to take exactly the same photos that have been taken 1000’s of times already, when we weren’t even enjoying ourselves! So, we left. We think cities are best done as seperate trips, from a hotel in the centre, so it’s easy to nip back and have a rest in the afternoon, so we may take a week by air some time.