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Jane Austen’s Bath
200 Years After Jane Austen’s Death, Soak Up the Period Atmosphere in the Georgian City She Made Famous
Pultney Bridge, Bath
“’For six weeks, I allow Bath is pleasant enough; but beyond that, it is the most tiresome place in the world.’ You would be told so by people of all descriptions, who come regularly every winter, lengthen their six weeks into ten or twelve, and go away at last because they can afford to stay no longer.”
So Mr. Tilney wryly remarks to newly arrived country mouse Catherine Morland, Jane Austen’s young heroine in Northanger Abbey. Austen visited Bath in the late 1700s and lived here from 1801 and 1806, and she set much of Northanger Abbey and Persuasion in this Georgian city 100 miles west of London.
Although this year marks 200 years since the author’s death, her descriptions of Bath at the dawn of the 19th century retain the acerbic sting of Austen’s wicked wit.
Bath Abbey
But with the passing centuries, Bath seems to have forgiven its adopted daughter for her droll jibes. In addition to establishing the Jane Austen Centre, Bath holds two annual events in her honour: the Jane Austen Festival Regency Costumed Summer Ball, and the Jane Austen Festival in September, which holds a place in the Guinness Book of World Records for gathering the most people in Regency dress (since the early 1800s, one would assume). This year, you can also participate in a bicentennial Grand Regency Ball, to be held September 16, 2017 in the Assembly Rooms, where Austen herself would have kicked up her heels back in the day. (more…)
Scotland’s Stirling Attractions
Stirling Castle. Courtesy VisitScotland / Kenny Lam, all rights reserved.
Guest post by Colin McAlpin
The man who holds Stirling holds Scotland. With this in mind, the Scots – under their legendary King Robert Bruce, he of the spider that inspired him never to give up – took on the English under King Edward II at the historic Battle of Bannockburn. Over two bloody days 700 years ago, Bruce routed them in what became known as the First War of Independence to establish Scotland as a nation.
A statue of Robert the Bruce stands atop Stirling Castles battlements, high above Stirling’s Old Town. Courtesy VisitScotland / Paul Tomkins,
all rights reserved.
Holding the charming city of Stirling – the site of the battle, 40 miles northwest of Edinburgh – became important to the Scots. Although created a city only in 2002 as part of Queen Elizabeth’s Golden Jubilee, Stirling has for centuries played an important role in Scotland’s often turbulent history, and many of its historic sites and monuments – such as the imposing Stirling Castle and the national monument to William ‘Braveheart’ Wallace – bear witness. (more…)
The Lady Chablis: Four Sassy Wines that Just Might Surprise You
“The first time I laid eyes on her, Chablis was standing on the curb, watching me intently as I parked my car…She was beautiful, seductively beautiful in a streetwise way. Her big eyes sparkled. Her skin glowed..She had both hands on her hips and a sassy half-smile on her face as if she had been waiting for me.”
That’s how John Berendt recalled his memorable initial encounter with The Lady Chablis in his bestselling “non-fiction novel,” Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil. “She was a minx, a temptress,” Berendt wrote of his fascinating new friend—and he quickly discovered that there was more to her than meets the eye.
The same could be said of Chablis, the wine.
Chablis is made of Chardonnay grapes grown in the cooler climes of northernmost Burgundy, rooted in limestone soil laden with fossilized oyster shells which lend it a vaguely maritime character.
Usually aged un-oaked, Chablis maintains a touch of Chardonnay’s typical fruitiness. But this is notably tempered by a slight saltiness and a soupçon of “sassy” acidity—much like the late, great Lady Chablis herself, the famous drag queen from Savannah, Georgia.
Chablis is a genie in a bottle, and now’s the time to liberate these four corking vintages. So what are you waiting for? Read on for the scoop.
