Lullaby of Broadway

The 17 hour flight went surprisingly quickly, with a few sleeps, some decent food and the new Indiana Jones movie. In 20 minutes I was through customs with my luggage. Not so efficient were my efforts to locate the hire car desk for my transport to the Cotswolds (four different lifts and a lot of step retracing…). In need of some coffee and a leg stretch , we made a short stop in Burford and I had a little morning snack at Huffkins, a bakery group that seems to be ubiquitous in the Cotswolds. My ultimate destination is Abbots Grange - a 13th Century monastery in Broadway which is now a tiny boutique hotel. The room was ready when I arrived and I gratefully surrendered to a little one hour snooze to revive. The hotel is absolutely gorgeous - thick stone walls, diamond paned windows and four poster beds. I was welcomed with a bottle of champagne on chill and a happy birthday box of chocolates. There were a huge number of birthday messages once I connected to the WiFi, and I worked through those over a cup of tea. I’ve not attempted to light the open fire in my sitting room but will be brave tonight. An afternoon stroll through the village took me up to pre dinner drink time (and a slice of a delicious lemon drizzle cake) in the Abbots Grange great hall in front of the fire. The pub across the road was the perfect dinner destination for my first night in the UK, serving up a delicious pie with mash. The whole day has felt a bit surreal - the jet lag coupled with the extraordinary beauty of the Cotswolds has left me feeling dreamy and dazed. Off to bed to rest up for my adventure tomorrow.