Where Am I Today?

Well, if everything goes as planned, today Marissa is posting this because I’m in London! My dear friend and critique partner Kristin is with me, and we’re running around like crazy people, trying to see and do everything I’ve always longed to see and do. There are so many things on the list that squeezing the most out of the 5 days we have on the ground will be a daunting task. However, I thought perhaps you might like to know some of the places we hope to hit:

The Wallace Collection: This amazing private collection of art, furniture, and porcelain was bequeathed to the government in 1897, with the stipulation that nothing be added or taken away. We can wander through the 25 galleries and imagine we are the daughters of a wealthy house, and all this wonder is ours. http://www.wallacecollection.org/

The Thames Police Museum: I so want to write a story about these heroic men! They were one of the first organized state-sponsored police organizations in the world, founded in 1798 by two brilliant and charismatic visionaries. Our guide on this private tour tells me he’s just finished proofing his galleys for a book on the river police from that fateful day to 1830. I told him we’d have sooooo much to talk about! http://www.thamespolicemuseum.org.uk/

Spencer House: This Mayfair mansion was built in 1766 for the first Earl Spencer, an ancestor of the late Princess Di. I want to wallow in the opulence.

St. Martin in the Fields: This is one of the churches favored by the aristocracy (the other being St. George’s Hanover Square) in nineteenth century London. We hope to take in a lunchtime piano concerto and eat in the Café in the Crypt. Really. http://www2.stmartin-in-the-fields.org/page/home/home.html


Bath: This town still looks remarkably like it did when our nineteenth century teens visited with their mamas and elderly relations to take the waters at the spa. We hope to take a walking tour with a guide from the Jane Austen Centre, where they’ll no doubt have to drag us kicking and screaming from the gift shop. http://www.janesausten.co.uk/index.ihtml


I promise to take pictures and soak up ambience and report all when I get back. Until then, happy reading!