Struck off the Bucket List

On our recent European jaunt I was able to tick off a site on my Bucket List.

When we disembarked at dawn from our plane at Heathrow on October 18th we headed straight for Avis and collected a rental car. We set out on a leisurely drive via the coast to Dartmouth where we would be staying for a couple of nights. We were delighted to find our comfortable accommodation with a bay window looking over the River Dart,  After exploring the town we purchased some provisions for a picnic dinner in our room before we hit the sack. We had been travelling for over 30 hours.

View from our Bay Window

Jet lag had us awake bright and early for our big day out to Greenway, the country home of Agatha Christie. A ferry ride across the river and some winding country roads delivered us to the carpark ready for opening hour. 

Ferry across the River Dart

Armed with cameras and smartphones we wandered down the long driveway to Agatha's house. Let's see what was inside.

We started our visit in a Living Room

Agatha aged four

The doll in Agatha's portrait

Impressive chest in Agatha's room

A pretty collectible

Agatha's Bedroom

Clothes belonging to Agatha and her daughter Rosalind

Agatha's throne

The library at Greenway

Agatha aged 20

Impressive door stop

Nursie who taught Agatha to read and write

The house is full of family collections

On the kitchen shelves

Agatha's favourite recipes within

One happy old bibliophile with her souvenir

Magnetic Memories

Back in April 2003 I shared these thoughts on buying souvenirs.

"Although we spend quite a few $$$ on our travel I find it very easy to reject all of the souvenirs and mementos that we see our fellow travellers buy. I am fascinated by the people in our tour groups who get irritated when the tours don't have time allocated for shopping. I travel to see the sites and meet the people.

My souvenirs are my memories, my diaries and my photographs. I occasionally make an exception and buy a fridge magnet that I put on the metal filing cabinet beside my desk. I enjoy looking at these little shapes that remind me of a few of the places we have travelled.



Top drawer of my filing cabinet displays some magnets collected in the past year (2023)

I have sometimes been tempted by a book which is usually an autobiography of someone associated with a site we have visited. I gave into temptation at Disney in Tokyo and bought myself a practical shopping bag. Not many of the souvenirs I come across are practical and/or good value for $$$."

I have been home from our recent holiday for a week and this morning finally located and unwrapped the magnets I purchased in Europe. These ranged in price from one to five Euros but the memories they evoke when I look at them are priceless. 

Magnets collected on our October/November 2024 journey

Always aware that we have to drag our luggage around I exercise restraint when purchasing (heavy) books. I can proudly report that I only purchased two books during our 45 day journey. At Greenway, Agatha Christie's country retreat, I bought Agatha Christie: A Very Elusive Woman. In Amsterdam at The Van Gogh Museum I couldn't resist Face to Face with Vincent Van Gogh.