In 2005 I made a memorable trip to England, my first visit to that country. But the reason for the trip was what made it most memorable. In September of that year, my only son married an English woman named Steph, whom he’d met while they were both students at the University of Bangor in Wales.

We made the family trip an adventure. A week before the wedding my husband and I and two daughters left the US, flying to Edinburgh, Scotland. We were only there a few days, but we managed to pack a lot into it, visiting Edinburgh Castle, the Scottish National Arm Museum, the Royal Mile and Calton Hill.

Edinburgh Castle

From there we caught a train to London and spent a few days there, taking in the Tower of London (of course!), the Thames tour, Greenwich, Westminster and the Parliament building, the British Museum and some lovely shopping.

Another journey by train deposited us in the town of Hastings, where we stayed at The White Rock Hotel a lovely venue right on the waterfront (run by my son’s bride’s uncle). The wedding itself was in the town of Saltwood in Kent at a picturesque 12th century Norman church.

Saltwood Church

Finally after the wedding, our daughters had to return home, but we stayed on for a few more days and returned to London with friends. We walked over much of the city, saw Westminster Abbey, Parliament, the British Museum of Art, and even got to tour Buckingham Palace. We lucked out there since the only time it’s open to the public is when the Queen is taking her annual vacation in Scotland.

We’ve been a couple more times since, but the circumstances of that trip made it one of the most memorable vacations of my life.

Sponsor’s message: This blog post is brought to you by the ebook version of my Romantic Suspense novel, A QUESTION OF FIRE, which is still on sale at Amazon for $1.99.  (A Huge Bargain for a book that’s almost 90,000 words long!)

Blurb:  When Cathy Bennett agrees to attend an important party as a favor for her boss, she knows she won’t enjoy it. But she doesn’t expect to end up holding a dying man in her arms and becoming the recipient of his last message. Bobby Stark has evidence that will prove his younger brother has been framed for arson and murder. He wants that evidence to get to his brother’s lawyer, and he tries to tell Cathy where he’s hidden it. But he dies before he can give her more than a cryptic piece of the location.

The man who killed Bobby saw him talking to her and assumes she knows where the evidence is hidden. He wants it back and he’ll do whatever it takes to get it, including following her and trying to kidnap her.

Cathy enlists the aid of attorney Peter Lowell and Danny Stark, Bobby’s prickly, difficult younger brother, as well as a handsome private detective to help her find the evidence before the killers do.

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