I took Gerhardt away this weekend. A four hour afternoon drive put us in beautiful Portland, OR, to celebrate Gerhardt's birthday. We stayed at the fabulous Lion & the Rose bed and breakfast - a beautifully decorated historical mansion near the Rose Quarter. I'd been saving up for this and it was worth every penny!
There's much to do in Portland. Any book lover must go to Powell's Books, one of the biggest book stores in the country. And then there's the Saturday market, where local artisans sell everything from jewelry to homemade soap and wood crafts. (I got a box of little soaps that look like bonbons. So cute!) In the evening we went to the Living Room Theaters, where the chairs are comfy and you can order a pizza to eat while you watch the movie. What a great idea! I don't know why this hasn't caught on in Seattle.
All iood food, good fun, good hubby-wife time. It wasn't a long getaway but it was a perfect getaway.
Where do you go when you want a quick getaway?

This is one of the bedrooms in the place. Ours was a little more masculine since this was for Gerhardt. Darker colors and not so frilly - but still fabulous.

This cool little sitting room was in the turret part of the bedroom. Oh, and did I mention the sheets were the softest things I'd ever slept on. They had info on the company that provides them ... maybe someday when I'm rich. :) Meanwhile, I got to be rich for a weekend and that was plenty!

I am such an Anglophile! I love England. I fell in love with that wonderful country when I was just a sweet young thing thanks to the novels of wonderful writers such as Jane Austen and Georgette Heyer. So getting to spend two weeks in London was a real treat. And it was made even sweeter by the presence of my two favorite men: my husband and my son, who decided to join us.
    They're not in the picture above because I was at The Orangery at Kensington Palace, doing a girl day with my writing buddy Shirley Marks and her sweet daughter. Fancy china and little tea sandwiches aren't exactly guy fare. And they could have cared less about the costume displays. But we girls sure had fun!
    I did drag the boys to Harrods. I mean, you can't be in London and not check out that amazing store. We did go there for a spot of tea and a piece of cake. "Piece" - a gross exaggeration! Our "pieces" of cake were a disgrace to pieces. For $7.50 pounds (not dollars - which means we spent even more!) I had a yummy little goody that was gorgeous, but I've seen bon-bons bigger than this. It couldn't even qualify as a bite. Sheesh. But, of course, we were there for the experience, which is what I kept reminding the guys. (I think poor Gerhardt is still in sticker shock.) But, sucker that I am, I would go back again.
    We enjoyed seeing Agatha Christie's "Mousetrap" which is the longest running play in history. And no, I can't tell you whodunit because the audience is sworn to secrecy. Well worth going to see though, and the old St. Martins theater is gorgeous.
    Most fun was visiting with the people. We rented rooms in an home in Croyden that had been built in the 1800s and Joseph our host was great fun to visit with. We even had a music night with the boys taking turns playing his guitar. Then there was Sally and the fabulous team at Harlequin UK. I had a lovely time visiting their offices. Everyone was so friendly and enthusiastic. And, my, oh, my, did I fall in love with Richmond. I hear Sting lives there. I didn't run into him though. :)
    I came back with some cute little souvenirs, which I'm slowly giving away on my Facebook page. (So like me there and get in on the fun.)
    And now it's time to get back to work and finish my next book. I love to travel. I brought back plenty of nice memories of sights and people and wonderful times with my men. But it is nice to be home again.
    How about you? Do you love to travel? Where's the one place you'd go if money were no object? I'm thinkin' a ride on the Orient Express!