UK Vacay – The Bookish Things
One of the most exciting things on my Springtime Adventure List was a trip to England and Scotland! Now that we’re back home and have nearly conquered the jet lag, I’m excited to start sharing parts of our trip with you guys. First: The Bookish Things! *insert happy squeal of joy here!*
London is one of my favorite places on earth! I really do love this city. In all of our visits there when we lived in England, I never went to (or even HEARD of!) The British Library. Our daughter and I learned about it on this trip and just HAD to go! From its website: “Our collection of over 170 million items includes artefacts from every age of written civilisation. We keep the nation’s archive of printed and digital publications, adding around three million new items to our collection every year.” WOW!
Cassandra and I didn’t have long, so we dove right into the Treasures of the British Library exhibition. You guys! We saw original manuscripts by Lewis Carrol, Jane Austen, and Charlotte, “one of those wretched Brontë girls.” (Bonus points if you caught this reference!) We also saw original scores by Beethoven, Handel, and Elgar as well as original lyrics penned by The Beatles. You wouldn’t believe all the amazing things in this FREE exhibit! You can get a peek at all of it HERE! And check out the online gift shop too. It’s a good one!
We discovered The Little Apple Bookshop just down from our hotel in York, England. It was a sweet little shop chock full of all kinds of books! The owner/sales clerk was kind and incredibly patient. I watched him graciously serve a rather pushy group of tourists who didn’t speak any English at all. He helped with with the strange-to-them coins and currency and worked hard to understand their questions and gestures. He never raised his voice or acted exasperated. That’s the kind of owner I want to support, soooo…
I purchased this signed copy of The Apothecary Rose by Candace Robb as a souvenir. The cover is unfortunate, but I’m enjoying the mystery. A former military man is sent to York in the year 1363 to investigate two suspicious deaths. He is apprenticed to the local apothecary and begins his investigation. I’ve not read many books set in this time period, so I’m finding it interesting. I’m having fun picturing the streets in old York as I’m reading! This is the first book in the Owen Archer series. (Update: Yikes! Some of the scenes in this book are not what I care to read. Just a heads up! I’ll finish it but may not continue this series.)
We stayed in some great B&Bs on this trip, and one of our favorites was the Albyn Townhouse in Edinburgh, Scotland. Owner Lydie must be a bookish soul because she stacked books all over the place! I felt SO at home! I’d love to stay here again sometime and explore her collection.
And now for my favorite bookish surprise of the trip!!!
As we were driving on the single-track road on the very north part of The Isle of Skye, THIS is what we (almost literally) ran into!!! It’s the Skye and Lochalsch Mobile Library! Be still my heart!!! Was I the only kid who was always fascinated by bookmobiles?!? What magical things they always seemed, and to see one out of the blue like this made me grin from ear to ear!
Yep! It was a great trip! I’m excited about sharing it with you, so I hope you’ll pop back in again soon!
Follow me in social media:
5 thoughts on “UK Vacay – The Bookish Things”
Just this one aspect of your trip is fantastic! How delightful! Glad you guys are able to travel! Treasure it!
Thanks for sharing my bookish joy! And absolutely. We savor every moment of travel. We don’t take it for granted. This is a special period of our life after so many years of being apart so much, and we’re wringing it out!
I love how you highlighted all the book things! My kinda gal! I can’t wait to see more!
Thank you, Mary Jane! I’m trying to come at the vacation recap in fun ways rather than just day by day. I’m excited that you’re enjoying it so far! Stay tuned!
Oh yay! You *did* get to hit up a bookstore after all! (Sorry that the book is more racy than you expected! I would have never thought to visit the British Library but what cool exhibits they have! If we ever make it to London, I’m adding that to my “must-do” list! That bookmobile is adorable! And that bookish guesthouse?? Swoon! Can’t wait to read even MORE about your adventures!