Waddesdon Manor at Christmas

Ever since I first visited Waddesdon Manor in Buckinghamshire a year ago, I've been trying to figure out a way to return at Christmas. You'll read much more about this neo-Renaissance  French style chateau built in the late 1800's if you go to the highlighted link, but for our visit this month, our focus was on the Christmas holiday. This year, the National Trust manor house was decorated to honor its French heritage.

The cherubs pointed the way in

where we viewed enormous and spectacularly decorated Christmas trees with French themes from art, culture and music. Every room had at least one blue spruce tree, sometimes as many as three in one room.

The smoking room was warm and cozy

and the billards room honored the celebrated can-can from Le Moulin Rouge.

Garlands graced every doorway including this whimsical one festive with fleur de lis, ribbons and garlic.

Louis XVI oversaw the White Drawing Room where the table was set in a elegant style laid out for a Christmas dinner.

The half circle table was dressed with swags and boughs of blue spruce, accented with pine cones, chilies, cinnamon and cloves. Winterberries filled the vases with color, and the French silver made in Paris for the English King George III added to the sparkle.

Champagne was the theme of the Blue Dining Room

with its fascinating chandelier, made of broken modern porcelain, designed in 2003 by Ingo Maurer and called, "Porca Miseria" or "Oh my goodness" in Italian.

There are many ties to Marie Antoinette and this Rothschild home, and a dress worn by Kirsten Dunst in the recent movie about the French queen was on display for the holidays,

as well as a costume designed for Joely Richardson for The Affair of the Necklace. Located beside the gown was Marie Antoinette's actual personal writing desk.

It wouldn't be Christmas if there were not characters for the children to enjoy, so Babar the French elephant paid a visit,

and Cinderella sat by the fire with her little white mice dreaming of going to the ball. There are many versions of Cinderella that have been told through the years, but one of the earliest versions was written down by the French author, Charles Perrault in 1694. She was known as Cendrillon in that version.

While Cendrillon yearned for a pretty dress and a night out, her ugly stepsisters were taking their time primping for the party.

It was much later in the story that Cendrillon learned she had lost her slipper at the ball and commiserated that her mice would no longer be her footmen for her coach.

We trekked down to the stables to see if we saw any signs of the illusive coach that disappeared at midnight that fateful night, but all we found was a nice lunch,

and a sleigh for picture taking. Memories captured once again of friends on adventures. Stay tuned for more adventures to come....

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Christmas at the Ritz

Time for a party, and this year my husband's company party was at the Ritz. Definitely a night for glitz!

You'd have a hard time finding anything more beautifully decorated than the Ritz in London. Trees, garlands, bows, gifts everywhere you turn. Two recurring motifs in the tree ornaments were tea pots and crowns--very fitting, I thought, and I would have loved to take one of those home with me.

We started out in the Marie Antoinette room for cocktail hour,

where the conversation and the guests were lively. One of Mike's colleagues from Scotland came in native attire. He explained to me that since a traditional kilt does not have pockets, they wear a sporran, the Scottish Gaelic equivalent of purse, his being made from seal's skin. 

And you wouldn't be properly fitted out without your knife tucked neatly into your socks. Good to know you're always protected when hanging with a man in a kilt.

Then it was on to one of the highlights of the year, a lovely dinner with good friends who really enjoy their job.

Here's a sneak panaroma into the beautiful scene that night as we enjoyed the carolers in the hall. You'll see smartly dressed guests who had gathered for afternoon tea amidst all the decorations. You'll find in the front the King's College Choir from Cambridge, composed of 16 young choristers and 14 choral scholars. The King's College Choir was first founded by Henry VI shortly after establishing the King's College in 1441. Their function is to sing in daily chapel services, and among many performances they do, they also sing on BBC each Christmas Eve. Since my clip did not feature the young boys, I've added another video clip from their website which showcases their beautiful young voices.

To see full screen, click twice. I think you'll enjoy hearing their beautiful voices this Christmas season and seeing the beauty of the chapel they call home. Enjoy!

Lord Mayor's Parade

Nothing like an exciting parade on a chilly November day to put some fun into our weekend. It was the occasion of the Lord Mayor's Parade, as he made his way from the City of London to the Royal Courts of Justice where he swore his allegiance to the Crown. A little background information first--the Lord Mayor is selected each and every year to represent the City of London, which distinguishes itself from greater London. The City of London, or Square Mile as it is sometimes called, is the business and financial heart of London, as well as its historic core, and it has the same boundaries as it did in medieval times--roughly about a square mile in size. With much fanfare, the new Lord Mayor is introduced and sworn in.

The Band of Welsh Guards kicked off the parade

and all in all, there were 20 bands participating,

including the Queen's Band of Household Cavalry.

Bands of bagpipes are always a favorite.

All branches of the military were represented,

including the Royal Navy.

Over 6000 participants walked the parade route, and there were some interesting characters along the way. I think this chap could easily pass as Lancelot.

There was sometimes a feeling of a carnival flavor

as they danced their way down the parade route.

Paddington Bear would have been quite pleased that many bears were part of the excitement, possibly because the name of the new Lord Mayor is Michael Bear.

It wasn't unusual to see participants in historic costume.

The livery companies were well represented. Having their origins in the trade guilds of the Middle Ages, they are now known as the Worshipful Companies.  In this photo is The Worshipful Company of Paviors.  

Their steamroller represents the paving work they are still doing on today's roads around London.

There are still 108 livery companies in London,

many of whom were represented in the parade, including the Worshipful Company of Farmers.

The parade ended with much pageantry as the Lord mayor approached. Aldermen preceded him in their coaches.

Traditionally, he is escorted by the Pikemen and the Musketeers of the Honourable Artillery Company.

At long last, the Lord Mayor approached us

in a State Coach,  first built in 1757. Welcome Michael Bear--may you serve your city proud!

Leeds Castle

A few weeks back, I took the chance to get out of London with some friends and spend the day at Leeds Castle. Originally built over 900 years ago by Robert de Crevecoeur, it later became a royal palace in 1278 for King Edward I and his queen Eleanor of Castile.

During the Medieval times, the castle became a part of the Queen's dower, which is a settlement a queen receives upon the death of her husband, the king. Over  a period of 150 years, it was held by 6 different medieval queens.

During the times of the Tudors, Henry VIII visited often with his queen, Catherine of Aragon.

Later, his son Edward VII gave the castle to a courtier as a gift for his services. Since that time, the castle has been in private hands and has seen many additions and changes through the years.

 A few of rooms were returned to their medieval style, including Queen Eleanor's bedroom,

and her bath. Bathing in the Middle Ages was not a very popular pastime, but Queen Eleanor of Castile, having grown up in Spain, brought her bathing habits to the English court. Her bath was a wooden tub lined with linen sheets and cushioned with sponges. Water was heated first and scented with flowers or sweet herbs, then added to the tub. The aristocratic ladies who followed suit, wore thin linen gowns for the purpose of modesty. Their attendants would wash them with natural sponges and rinse them with rose water. Definitely a spa-like treatment.

Henry VIII's dining room is decorated in Tudor style.

But many of the rooms are shown in a more recent style and are quite lovely with beautiful views of the grounds.

Leaving the castle, we set out to explore the grounds, some 500 acres of parkland, 

only a small portion of which we explored that day, leaving good reason to come back when the weather is warmer next spring.

Many birds  make their home there, either in the internationally known aviary found there,

or freely strolling the grounds.

But alas, the fall colors have gone and winter has made its way to Leeds Castle,

Wikimedia Commons

leaving it blanketed in snow last week, along with many other regions of England.

A different view, a different season,  another timeless treasure of Britain.