Victoria's Vibes -- a blog

Staying at Hartwell House, Aylesbury, Bucks

9/12/2023

Despite those threatening skies, can you think of anywhere else you'd rather spend a week in May? Below, photos of the grounds. Please click on each for full images.

Above, some of the local livestock across the ha-ha. The calves were most inquisitive.
Below, left, equestrian statue of Frederick, Prince of Wales (1707-51), son of George II and father of George III; the artist of the bronze of 1751 was John Cheere. Right, St. Mary's Church of 1753-5, Henry Keene, architect, in early Gothic Revival style.

Above left and right, our spacious room overlooking the lawns.
Mentioned in the Domesday Book of 1086, the property's present house grew out of an early 17th C. building constructed for the Hampden family, prominent in Buckinghamshire political circles, designed in Jacobean style. Various Hampden heirs held Hartwell until the death of Sir Alexander Hampden in 1618. Having no children, the estate went to his sister, Eleanor, Lady Lee, and her husband Sir Thomas Lee of nearby Moreton. The house history booklet tells us this couple produced 24 children.
Below, our room and our desk. What could I write here?

Above, The Great Hall, now a sitting room for hotel guests, stands almost exactly as designed by architect James Gibbs in 1739-40. The mantelpiece was probably carved by Italian stucco artists Giuseppe Artari and Giovanni Bagutti.

Above, more views of the Great Hall; left, the ceiling medallion designed by Gibbs portrays Genius Rewriting History among the ruins of Antiquity.
Several generations of the Lee family lived mostly at their family seat at Moreton, raised to the baronetage. It was Sir William Lee, 4th baronet (1726-99), who completed the refurbishment of Hartwell begun by his father, including extensive gardens and outbuildings.
Below, left, the Morning Room, where we were served tea, right. Yum.

Above, left, the ceiling medallion in the Morning Room and right, another view of the comfortable furnishings.
Below, views of the Library. The portrait over the fireplace of Lady Elizabeth Harcourt, Lady Lee (1737-1811), is by Sir Joshua Reynolds (1823-1792). She and her husband Sir William Lee (see above) are largely responsible for the 18th C. decor of the reception rooms. Gilt brass wirework protects the volumes in library bookcases. Middle row, right, the television provided for us to watch the coronation from London.

Above, left, King Charles III; right, the view from above of Westminster Abbey during the ceremony. Below, the Drawing Room, another sumptuous yet comfortable reception room for hotel guests. The many books and magazines available almost made us yearn for a rainy day.

Above left, King George III (1738-1820) by Gainsborough Dupont (1754-1797, after Thomas Gainsborough (artist's uncle). At the right, a bust of French King Louis XVIII (1755-1824), who lived in exile at Hartwell House during Napoleon's reign in France. After Napoleon abdicated following his loss in the Battle of Waterloo in June 1815, Louis XVIII returned to rule his native land until his death.
Below, the amazing staircase, left, with portraits reproduced below of the French King and his wife, and right, the chandelier crowning the staircase.

Above left, portrait of Louis Stanislas-Xavier, comte de Provence, later Louis XVIII, King of France (1755-1824) by artist Joseph Boze (1746-1826); right, Marie-Josephine Louise de Savoie, comtesse de Provence (1753-1810), also by Boze, 1786.
Below, additional photos of the staircase.

Above left, carved statues on the Hartwell Hour grand staircase, which included, right, Winston Churchill (1874-1965).
Below, views of the stables and Spa pool, delightful!

Above, the dining room, designed to resemble the work of architect Sir John Soane (1753-1837) after Hartwell House became a hotel.
Below, a house on a nearby lane, recently re-thatched with decorative hares on the roof.

Above, left, the Egyptian Well and Spring about which there are several explanations of its name and origin on the web, but nothing I could find about the odd structure which looks neither ancient, holy, nor mystical. But one of the stories, oft repeated, says the name "Hartwell" comes from the deer which were seen to drink from the spring. However, on the right is the Bugle Horn, a nearby pub at which the food is delicious and the ambience exactly what one desires in a country establishment.
You can stay at Hartwell House and dine at the Bugle Horn on Number One London's Town and Country House Tour, May 29-June 3, 2024. Website at
http://numberonelondontours.com

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Travel Pause to Visit Old Friends at Home

9/5/2023

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Pat, my sister-in-law, and I recently visited the Milwaukee Art Museum and renewed our admiration for both the building and some of our favorites in the collection.

Above, the Milwaukee Art Museum Calatrava Wing, known as the Quadracci Pavilion, in August, 2023.

Above left, a Shrank (wardrobe, cabinet), 1700/20, Frankfurt, Germany; right, Portrait of Friedrich IV, Duke of Altenburg, 1815, by German artist Carl Christian Vogel von Vogelstein (1788-1868).
Below, left Jocko with a Hedgehog, 1888, by Edwin Landseer (1802-1873); Portrait of a Woman, possibly Mrs. Anastasia Robinson, 18th C, by English artist Daniel Gardner (1750-1805).

Above, two portraits by George Romney, English (1734-1802); left, Miss Grace Ashburner, 1792; right, John Parker, 1778-81.
Below, Portrait of Jane Emma Orde, c.1806, by John Hoppner (1758-1810); right, portrait of Charlotte-Francoise DeBure, 1776. by French artist Catherine Lusurier (1753-81).

Above left, The Shepherdess, 1750-52, by Jean-Honore Fragonard (1732-1806), typical of 18th C. French Rococo art; right, Pat admires Spanish artist Francisco de Zurbaran's (1598-1664) Saint Francis of Assisi in His Tomb,1630/34.
Below, two interior images of the Museum addition by Spanish architect Santiago Calatrava (b. 1951), completed in 2001 on the shore of Lake Michigan.

Above, left, La Pere Jacques (The Wood Gatherer)1887, by Jules Bastien-Lepage(1848-1884); right, The Two Majesties (Les Deux Majestes), 1883

Below, the Portrait of Miss Frances Lee, 1769, by English artist Francis Cotes (1726-1770), is the subject of a special exhibition until October 22 and two gallery talks on Thursdays, September 21 and October 19, 2023. both at 12-1 pm; European Art Galleries, Level 2, Gallery S202, Milwaukee Art Museum.

From the description: "Focusing on a singular work from the Milwaukee Art Museum’s collection, A Very Strong Likeness of Her explores the challenging and sometimes conflicting histories that an artwork can represent. On its surface, the portrait is a charming image of a young girl and her napkin-turned-rabbit companion. The exhibition’s close study of the painting, however, reveals a complex story of identity, family dynamics, and British colonialism in Jamaica... (and) employs a range of materials to bring to life the underlying narratives in this deceptively simple painting." Further explanation tells us Miss Lee "was the eldest daughter of Englishman Robert Cooper Lee who traveled to Jamaica in 1749 to make his fortune on a British sugar plantation. There he met her mother Priscilla Kelly, the daughter of an African slave. Robert and Priscilla could not legally marry in Jamaica. They were married only after returning to England in 1771...Nicknamed Fanny, she was sent back to England at ten years old, to board at a girl's school, due to her delicate health. An uncle commissioned the portrait for Fanny's parents so that they would have an image of their daughter...." Photo credit: Larry Sanders.
Anne M. Powers edited and published in 2012 A Parcel of Ribbons, the story of the 18th C. Lee family told through their letters, available though Amazon. Frances Lee was born in Jamaica in 1758, never married, and died a wealthy woman in Devonshire Street, Portland Place, London, in December 1839.

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Going to the Dogs...Wallace Collection

8/13/2023

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Rounding out our London visit last May, two events remain.
Below, in the Atrium at the Wallace Collection, where we lunched before visiting the exhibition, a delightful dining experience, by the way. The image on the poster is Dog of the Havannah Breed, 1768, by Jean-Jacques Bachelier (1724-1806).
Don't forget to click on the thumbnails to enlarge the pictures.

Above left, The Townley Greyhounds, Roman, 1st-2nd C. CE, purchased for the British Museum in 1805; right, Pilau, a Performing Dog, by artist John Charlton (1849-1917), 1910
Dog.
Below, left, Ah Cum, a Pekingese Dog, unknown maker, taxidermy, c.1896; right, Kylin, also a Pekinese, 1917, by artist Arthur Joh Elsley (1860-1952).

Many prominent artists painted pets, both others' animals, and their own. Above, left, Lady Archer's Maltese Terrier, 1787, by George Stubbs (1724-1806); right, Tristam and Fox, artist Thomas Gainsborough's (1727-88) spaniel and collie.
Authors too wanted mementos of their canine pals. Below left, Lord Byron's Lyon, the Wolf Dog, 1808, by Clifton Tomson (1775-1828); A Scene at Abbotsford, 1827, by Edwin Landseer (1802-1873), dogs belonging to Sir Walter Scott.

Edwin Landseer was especially known for his many portraits of dogs. Above. left, A Saluki Hound, 1840-4; right, Laying Down the Law or Trial by Jury, c. 1840, usually hangs in Chatsworth House; after purchasing the canvas, the 6th Duke of Devonshire asked Landseer to add his Blenheim spaniel Bony to the scene at left, behind the greyhound.
Below, British artist David Hockney (born 1937) is represented by paintings of his dachshunds. Right, Dog Painting #41, 1995.

One of our favorite things in the UK is the traditional Sunday Roast. To enjoy a day with our pal, writer Beth Elliott, we took the train to Reading and met her to drive to the Packhorse (above left) where we dined on rare roast beef. Yum! And Beth, being all things historical, took us to see the Maharajah's Well, an added bonus. Above right, Kristine and Beth in front of the Well at Stoke Row, Henley-on-Thames, Oxfordshire. Thank you, Beth, for a perfect Sunday! The Well was a gift from the Maharajah of Benares to the people of Oxfordshire in the 1860's.
Next. off to Buckinghamshire.

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And again to London...

7/29/2023

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It was the penultimate destination of our adventure, a few days in London in late April and early May, 2023, before our visit to Buckinghamshire. The metropolis was all decked out for the Coronation of King Charles III. Please click on the photos for complete versions.

On our 2022 visit to London we happened to arrive the day before Her Majesty Elizabeth II died at Balmoral, Scotland. We had planned to participate in conference on the Napoleonic Wars at the National Army Museum, which was canceled as were most other London activities. The next day we took flowers to Buckingham Palace, accompanied by thousands of others as well as the media and security forces according, we heard, to plans long ago prepared for the event.

Our 2022 hotel, Royal Horseguards, just off Whitehall, was smack dab in the center of security arrangements from numerous events, with battalions of armed soldiers and police , horse vans and their occupants, dogs, and scads of security equipment of all sorts. Our mobility was definitely limited. London was jammed with people and this year, 2023, would be the same for the Coronation. Therefore we stayed far from the ceremonial routes and quietly slipped off to the country before the big event. Enough of the mobs of celebrants. The view was best on the telly. Below, we stayed at Stratford House, just north of Oxford Street, the Oriental Club. Guess who was the founding president of the club in 1824?

I am sure you recognize, above, right, the 1st Duke of Wellington. The club was formed for men who had served the East India Company and/or His Majesty in the East. A clubhouse was built at 18, Hanover Square where it was located until 1962 when it moved to 11 Stratford Place, the present site, formerly known as Stratford House.

Built in 1771-73 for Edward Stratford, who became the second Earl of Aldborough, by Richard Edwin to a design inspired by the work of Robert Adam. Now a Grade 1 listed site, it has been remodeled several times, most recently in 1960 for the club's use. Below, various pictures from the club's interior.

We managed to fit in several meals with friends and two exhibitions. Below, images taken at the Queen's Gallery, Style & Society: Dressing the Georgians. Below, left.. the Catalogue, showing a detail of Thomas Gainsborough's (1727-88) portrait of Queen Charlotte (1744-1818), usually hung in Windsor Castle; right, George III when Prince of Wales, 1759, by Sir Joshua Reynolds (1723-92); middle row, left, Stitched Stays, c. 1780's, worn over the shift to shape the torso; right, Princesses Louisa and Princess Caroline, 1767, by artist Francis Coates (1726-70), two of George III's sisters.

Above, left, right, Court Dress back view, 1760's, cream silk with embroidery. right, St. James Park & the Mall. British School, 18th Century
Below, the Coronation Robes of the 1st Duke of Wellington and his sons, Lord Charles Wellesley, age 13, and Arthur, Marquess of Douro, age 13. These costumes were worn for the Coronation of George IV, on 19 July, 1821. The duke was appointed Lord High Constable for the ceremony. It will not surprise those who study the 1st Duke of Wellington that he termed the outfits, planned by George IV himself after Elizabethan and Jacobean fashions "too showy."

Next, Going to the Dogs.

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The Peninsular War...Tidbits in 2023

7/14/2023

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Traveling with Kristine Hughes, Author of Waterloo Witnesses and an eager student of the life of Arthur Wellesley, 1st Duke of Wellington (1769-1852), the honored general is never far from our thoughts. Was Artie (we are all good pals) here, we ask? We found many connections in Portugal, where he led the British Army during the Peninsular War (1807-1814) against the French invaders.
Please remember to click on the photos for complete versions. Below, Row 1, left, Arthur Wellesley, later the 1st Duke of Wellington portrayed by Sir Thomas Lawrence; right, obelisk at the park commemorating the Battle of Vimiero, August, 1808. Row 2, Portuguese blue tile plaques illustrating battles scenes.

Above, left, the landing site near Vimiero for the British troops; right the tile portraying the landing. The Vimiero shots were taken on a previous trip I made to the site.
The early phase of the Peninsular War ended after Vimiero in August, 1808. A British expeditionary force, joined with Portuguese troops, under the leadership of Lieutenant-General Sir Arthur Wellesley had defeated French forces commanded by General Junot. Instead of pursuing and re-engaging the French as Wellesley wanted to do, a pair of senior generals, who had arrived during the fighting, insisted on negotiations for peace. The Convention of Cintra was agreed August 30 requiring the British Navy to transport the French Army back to France, thus freeing Portugal, a situation which lasted only a few months.
The Convention was signed at the Palace in the room below. Though Wellesley at first refused to sign, eventually he did so. However when the news reached London, the War Office and most of Parliament objected. All three generals were recalled and subjected to an official inquiry. The National Palace of Queluz was begun in the 17th C. near Lisbon.

After being vindicated by the London proceedings, Sir Arthur returned to command the Allied British and Portuguese troops once more, arriving in Lisbon in April, 1809. On May 12, he directed a daring daytime crossing of the Douro River, defeating Marshal Soult's French troops in what is known as the Second Battle of Oporto.
Wellington's headquarters were at The Serra Convent high on a bluff overlooking Oporto from the south side of the Douro River. British guns located nearby fired directly on French troops on the northern river shore.
Below left and right, the Monastery of Serra do Pilar, now a UNESCO World Heritage Site, begun in 1538 by the Order of St. Augustine.
Middle row, left, Today's view of the River Douro and Oporto from Serra; right, reproduction of traditional Douro River craft.

Above left, British medal commemorating the Battle of the Douro, featuring Wellington's distinctive profile; right, the reverse side.

A tour of Peninsular War sites will be led by Kristine Hughes and military historian and author Gareth Glover in May, 2024.
For more Information, click the link.
http://numberonelondontours.com/peninsular-war-tour/

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July 14th, 2023

7/14/2023

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A Neo-Classic Sojourn in Rome

6/27/2023

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There is so much to do in Rome, one could be hastening around all day every day. Which we were, except Rome at Easter is super crowded. Travel advice: Don't go then unless you love a mass of humanity. We stayed at the Westin Excelsior, on the Via Veneto, a delightful mix of neo-classic and beaux arts design. Below, the lobbies and rooms were both comfortable and beautiful and the service was excellent. Please remember to click on the photos for complete copies.

Below, left: The Borghese Gallery; right, a 2nd century copy of Sleeping Hermaphroditus discovered in1781. The original, an ancient marble sculpture found in the early 17th century, which once stood here, is now in the Louvre.

Above, left: Apollo and Daphne, a marble sculpture by the Italian artist Gian Lorenzo Bernini (1598-1680), created between 1622 and 1625, and hailed as one of the artistic marvels of the Baroque age. In Ovid's Metamorphosis, the nymph Daphne escaped from Apollo by changing into a laurel tree. At right, a close up of Daphne's foot turning into leaves.
Below, two views of Venus Vitrix by Antonio Canova (1757-1822), a renowned Italian neo-classic sculptor, in actuality portraying Pauline Bonaparte Borghese, commissioned by her second husband, Camillo Borghese, 6th Prince of Sulmona.

Above left, Pauline Bonaparte (1780-1825) was a sister of Napoleon Bonaparte. A life-seize reclining figure, the portrayal was created in Rome between 1805 and 1808.
Above, right, a copy of the statue in the British Embassy in Paris. When the Duke of Wellington acquired L’hôtel de Charost, the British Embassy in Paris, 39 rue du Faubourg Saint-Honoré, in August, 1814, after the first defeat of Napoleon and his exile to Elba, Wellington purchased it indirectly from Pauline Borghese. A replica of the renowned Canova sculpture still stands in the British Embassy.
Below, left, the Palazzo Bonaparte in the Piazza Venezia in Rome, one of the homes of Napoleon's mother, Letizia, also known as Madame Mere. We attended both to see the building and the vanGogh exhibition. Right, we were amused to see the replica of Canova's sculpture Napoleon as Mars, the Peacemaker, aka Mars the God of War. (You choose.)

Above, left, the replica in Rome's Palazzo Bonaparte. Right, the original, which stands in Apsley House in London. Canova was asked to make a bust of Napoleon in 1802 but chose instead to create this large statue representing Napoleon as Mars, Roman God of War. Napoleon disliked the statue and consigned it to storage. After his eventual defeat, it was acquired by the Prince Regent in 1816 and presented to Wellington. The floor of Wellington's residence at No. 1 London had to be reinforced to hold the weighty marble statue which stands over ten feet tall.
Below, a pair of the vanGogh (1853-1890) paintings in the exhibition from the Kroller-Muller Museum in The Netherlands. At left, Flowers in a Blue Vase, 1887; at right, Garden in Saint-Remy, 1889.

Below left, the view of Rome from the Capitoline Hill. Right, the Capitoline Venus.

Above, left and right, The Capitoline Venus:
From the Text Panel: "The statue, slightly larger than life size, was found sometime between 1667 and 1670 near the basilica of San Vitale and given to the Capitoline Museums by Pope Benedict XIV in 1752. The Goddess is nude, portrayed in a sensual but modest gesture, her arms attempting to hide the harmonious shapes of her body from the viewer’s sight. The objects at her feet, her nudity, and the arrangement of her hair indicate that she she is bathing. The statue is a variant of the Aphrodite sculpted by Praxiteles in the fourth century B.C. for the goddess’s shrine at Cnidus Turkey...The number of known replicas and variants of this work attest to its success in the Roman world. The high value ascribed to this statue is borne out by the fact that it was discovered hidden in a walled up space, where its owner hoped to save it from some impending danger."
The Capitoline Venus was one of many ancient Roman treasures taken by Napoleon and installed in the Louvre in Paris. It was returned to the Palazzo Nuovo on the Campidoglio in 1816. About fifty copies exist, most in museums, but also as garden sculptures.

Piazza Navona... Arrivederci, Roma!

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Jane Austen & The Royal Naval Dockyards, Bermuda

6/5/2023

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On a recent Cruise from Miami, Florida, to Rome, Italy, Kristine Hughes and I visited Bermuda, my very first time though one of many jaunts there for KH. Our ship docked at the Royal Naval Dockyards (RND), a complex now developed into museums, a dolphin activity, shops, and many colorful restaurants. We headed straight to the museum.

Bermuda is a collection of islands in the Atlantic Ocean, 650 miles east of Cape Hatteras, North Carolina. A British territory with local self-government, Bermuda has a subtropical climate and today is a tourist and resort magnet. When we were in port, there were three large cruise shops docked.
The English settlers arrived in the early 17th C., about 1612, establishing a maritime economy which remains today. After the American Revolution, the island became a major base for His Majesty's Navy and remained so until the mid 20th C.

Above, deep within the thick stone walls, text panels told the history of the fort and naval dockyard over several centuries. Below. left, the Commissioner's House, built in 1820; right, uniform and regimental drums on exhibit.

Two of Jane Austen's brothers were officers in the Royal Navy, and long after her death in 1817, both were promoted to the rank of Admiral. Below, right, Sir Francis Austen (1774-1865) fifth of the six Austen brothers, and, left, Sir Charles Austen (1779-1852), the sixth, spent their careers serving around the globe.

Frances (Fanny) FitzWilliams Palmer Austen (1789–1814) is the subject of Jane Austen's Transatlantic Sister, based on her papers, by Sheila Johnson Kindred. Fanny, above right, met Captain Charles Austen, Jane Austen’s youngest brother, in her home in Bermuda when Charles served as a naval officer in the West Indies. The youngest daughter of the Attorney General of Bermuda, Fanny was born in Bermuda and married Charles in May, 1807. Their first child, Cassy, was born in December 1808. Between 1809 and 1812, Fanny sailed in his ships between Bermuda and Halifax, Nova Scotia, five times. She and her daughters lived on the HMS Namur off the Kent coast from 1812-14. After just seven years of marriage, Fanny died there, after the birth of their fourth daughter; the child died at three weeks of age.

Sheila Johnson Kindred based her book on letters which chart "how Fanny was a source of naval knowledge for Jane, and how she was an inspiration for Austen's literary invention, especially for the female naval characters in Persuasion. Although she died young, Fanny's story is a compelling record of female naval life that contributes significantly to our limited knowledge of women's roles in the Napoleonic Wars."

Sheila Kindred was born in Ontario, and lives in Halifax, Nova Scotia. She taught philosophy at Saint Mary's University, Halifax. The book is published by McGill-Queen’s University Press, 2017.

You can follow Sheila's blogs on Jane Austen's Naval World at
https://sheilajohnsonkindred.com/news

Audible version of Least Likely Lovers will be available any day now. Narrated by the excellent voice artist June DeBorahae, you can find it via Amazon and Audible soon.

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Traveling Again....

5/29/2023

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I recently returned from a great trip and many wonderful adventures. Here's how we started... March 22, 2023

Above, the Riviera, an Oceania vessel headed from Miami to Italy via ports in Bermuda, the Azores, Madeira, Portugal, Spain, Monaco, & Italy. Below, left, Kristine Hughes and I toured the Bermuda Museum housed in an 18th C. fort, part of the Royal Naval Dockyard. More about this soon. Right, the Commissioner's House in the fort.

Though I have crossed the Atlantic by ship several times, this was the first time I stopped in the Azores and Madeira, islands that belong to Portugal but are located far away. The Atlantic is 4478 miles from Miami to Lisbon. The Azores are a Portuguese archipelago about 930 miles west of Lisbon; Madeira is 434 miles west of Morocco and 528 miles southwest of Portugal. Below left, Riviera. Right, some of the famous flowers of Madeira.

Above, the beautiful harbor in Monte Carlo, Monaco. Among our wanderings there, we enjoyed Princesse Grace Roserie, a memorial in flowers, just beginning to bloom. Hundreds of varieties honor the beloved late wife of former ruler, Prince Rainier III, and mother of the present ruler, Prince Albert II, the former U.S. film star, Grace Kelly (1929-1982). They claim more than 4,000 Rose bushes are planted here.

When we reached Civitavecchia, Italy, we were ready to stay on dry land for a while. We spent a few days in Rome revisiting places I last saw eons ago, before I was married. But whatever possessed us to travel to Rome on Easter weekend? The crowds were unbelievable. Below, left, Trajan's Forum, and right, a view across Rome.

Above left, Rome's Villa Borghese; right, sculpture of Venus Victrix (Paolina Bonaparte Borghese) by Antonio Canova (1757-1822).
I loved Florence on past trips, but I am not sure I sufficiently appreciated Signore Botticelli, for example. However, this year, since every teen-ager in Europe seemed to be in town while we were touring, it was dicey to see much of anything!! Below, left, the Ponte Vecchio over the Arno River, from our Room with a View. Right, view of Firenze from the Piazza Michelangelo.
Middle Row; Michelangelo's David, actually a copy of the original which is protected from the elements inside the Accademia. Right, a statue of Dante Alighieri stands in the Piazza Santa Croce.

Above, Left in The Uffizi: Left: Annunciation by Leonardo da Vinci 1472-76; Right, Primavera by Sandro Botticelli, c. 1480.
Escaping from the crowds, we stayed for several relaxing days in Menaggio on Lago di Como, very much a kind of paradise itself, but not quite what Dante had in mind. Below, left, the lake from our balcony; right, dining al fresco overlooking the view.

Above, the Quelez Palace outside Lisbon from the garden; the Throne room, where the Convention of Sintra was signed in 1808. Below, our cruise on the Douro River from Oporto east to the Spanish border and back, passing gorgeous scenery of alternating olive groves and vineyards. I will soon make a few observations on the British in the Peninsular War in Portugal, 1807-1814. Watch this space.

Readers of this blog will not be surprised to learn that from Oporto, we flew to London. It was April 28 and the the city was gearing up for the Coronation of King Charles III. Since we had been caught up in the crowds after the death of Queen Elizabeth II, we decided to leave the city before the big day.

We booked ourselves into the lovely Hartwell House Hotel in Buckinghamshire, from which we could watch the Coronation and visit two more excellent National Trust locations,
Stowe Landscape Garden and Waddesdon Manor.

In the coming weeks, I will report in detail about a few of our adventures. Please stay tuned. And watch for the interruption when the Audible copy of Least Likely Lovers, narrated by June de Borahae, is released soon.