CRASH! Yes, that is the sound of me falling back to Earth after a heavenly time on The Executed Queens Tour. The tour was absolutely amazing and I feel very blessed to have spent the past week with 24 wonderful people and to have shared with them such incredible experiences – I’m missing you all like crazy and I’m now speaking a very strange mix of American, Irish and British! Love you guys and miss you if you are reading this!
I’m sure you have been reading my daily diary blogs of the tour and I hope that you enjoyed them. I apologise if they didn’t make any sense whatsoever but I was writing them very late at night or very very early in the morning. It was so hard to say goodbye to everyone on Saturday morning and also to say goodbye to Hever Castle, a place that has got into my blood and somewhere that feels very much like home to me. Everyone felt the same about Hever, there’s something very magical and mysterious about it. Apologies also for not returning emails or responding to comments but one just cannot do it when one is on a Royal Progress of Warwickshire, Leicestershire, Yorkshire, London and Kent. Sorry, I really will get back to normality soon.
Do check out our photos on our Flickr page – http://www.flickr.com/photos/theanneboleynfiles/. Enjoy!
Welcome back!!
I am sure you all had a great time! I know from experience that visiting Tudor places is an exciting and unforgettable experience! But sharing all this with people who also love Tudor history and meeting experts like Eric Ives must be much more exciting!
Claire, I thought you did a great job of keeping us up with the tour and I loved the winning essay. You really can multi-task! I am still working on walking and chewing gum at the same time LOL!
Hello Claire. Thank you so much for all the wonderful work you have done for us. I have been avidly following your blog. Exams meant I was not able to make the trip to the Tower on the 19th, but knowing that you went made me feel better about it somehow. I sent six red roses to the Tower and I wondered if perhaps you had seen them? I really hope they got there okay. I am extremely envious of you for going to Hever. I know what you mean about that place, it really does feel special doesn’t it? Magical in a way. Thanks again x
Hi Claudia,
I’m glad you’ve been enjoying my articles. When we went into the Chapel there were a few bunches of roses, so one of them must have been yours, and then the official basket of roses arrived as we were coming out of the chapel. There were also some flowers on the glass memorial and I placed a rose on the Tower Hill scaffold in memory of the five men, so Anne and the men were well remembered.
We miss you all so much already too! Seeing that pic of all of us put a big smile on my face! Charles telling the jokes that Paudie did with and Irish accent just isn’t the same! He is also looking forward to going again on another tour- doubt he will have his “Redneck Tours” started by then! =)
I keep looking at that photo and smiling too, it was such a great experience. We’ve been doing all the accents too! So looking forward to the Redneck Experience!!
Sounds like a wonderful tour; I hope to take it sometime. Welcome back, Claire … we missed you.
Hello Claire & Executed Queens travelers!
I just wanted to say “thank you” for entertaining me over the last week 🙂 Being a insanely busy American (whose funds are all going to planning my fall Renaissance wedding this year), I was unable to attend but, I had a great deal of joy living vicariously through all of you on your daily excursions. I am glad that this trip was such a success and Claire, you did an amazingly great job of keeping all of us (non-attendees) informed of the daily goings-on. It is such a blessing to witness someone put their heart and soul into their work! 🙂 Thank you so much for sharing 🙂
I am planning to go on next years may tour, will you be there?
It is my grandest wish to have the funds to go on the Tudor London tour in 2012 with my husband for our “honeymoon”. We are to be wed this fall 🙂 The only part of the tour that I may forgo will be the Tower of London… We may choose instead to visit Stonehenge that day 😉
Aha congratulations to you claire, and hopefully I will see you in may then 😀
hahaha! It is “Tiffaney” (me :)) who will “hopefully” be a part of the Tudors London tour next year (in the spring perhaps). The Lady Claire is already married to Sir Tim, I believe. I had to wait a bit longer to find my Champion & will finally be betrothed this fall 🙂 If I am so lucky to be a part of the London tour in 2012, I do hope that we will be able to meet Lady Catherine 🙂