Side Notes:

A.    The bus driver, my hero! The area of England in which I am interested is Kent. It is called the Garden of England. There are many adorable British cottages, historical houses, gardens, villages, bookshops and tea rooms. The roads are very narrow and there are a lot of sheep and hedgerows. Driving in a car would be such a challenge, besides learning to drive on the other side of the road. But driving in a bus was a worldly feat! We all were very grateful to our patient and talented driver.

B.     I am in awe of the historians! Yes, this was a historical tour. Most of the participants joined because of reading Alison Weir novels. Some had been on numerous tours (Yes I do want to go again! LOL!) But the nice thing is, you could listen a little or a lot, and you could choose what you wanted to do. You did not have to do everything, and this was the fun of the trip. If you were not a historical person this was still great, because you got to see and do so many things. For me, the historians were the icing on the cake. If you go on the tour due to your historical interest, it was, as Allen says a history geek’s dream! The historians were, as below, in case you are interested.

C.     Alison Weir -- Author of many English historical novels, organizer of the tour, and around wonderful person.

D.     Julian Humphries -- Julian Humphries is a tour guide and has been one for quite some time, including in France. He was especially adept at military history and had a ferocious sense of humor. He and I regularly had conversations like this: Which do you put on a scone first, the jelly or the cream?? My kind of person!

E.      Michael Jones -- An amazing historian. An amazing mind. He spoke history like he used A1 -- he rarely needed any notes. A specialist on many things including Richard III, the Black Prince and military history.

F.      Tracy Borman -- Tracy has done a lot of speaking and programs about the Tudors. She is Chief Curator at the Tower of London and the author of many books.

G.     Sarah Gristwood -- What a mind and great person! She has written about many things in which I am interested, including Beatrix Potter and Vita and Virginia Woolf. I really enjoyed her company.

H.     Nicola Tallis -- Nicola was a charm. She has a mind like a trap and is also a very fun person with whom to spend time. Her interests are the jewels of monarchy, the theme of her PhD which she achieved not long ago from College of Winchester, which is also where Rishi Sunak got his degree. She lives in Bath.

                                                           THE END!😊