A pilgrimage to remember

Have you ever been to England? I studied abroad there more 12 years ago now, and it was such an amazing experience. One of my literature classes there focused on the concept of a "pilgrimage"

Pilgrimage (n.): "any long journey, especially one undertaken as a quest or for a votive purpose, as to pay homage" 

Well, even at nineteen, I knew that I absolutely had to pay homage to Jane Austen, along with some of my other literary heroes. During the study abroad program, I also took the opportunity to visit sites from some of my favorite Jane Austen movies. I was able to visit Bath, which was Jane's home for some time, and run dramatically along the royal crescent, just as Anne did in the 2007 BBC Persuasion. 

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I also visited Chatsworth, which was Pemberly in the 2005 Pride and Prejudice (and which was also mentioned among the great houses visited by Lizzy and the Gardiners in the 1995 BBC Pride and Prejudice).

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There are too many experiences to list here (I really packed those three months with all the literary meaning I could muster!!), but I'll finish on this one: A walk through the English countryside . . . in the rain. I wanted to be impulsive and romantic like Marianne Dashwood, but alas--no Colonel Brandon came to rescue me on horseback. 

And I caught a cold. :( 
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I was a very silly young lady!

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If you've visited good old England and have stories to tell, I'd love to hear about them in the comments below! Cheers, love! <3 

P.S. I do know that Colonel Brandon's rescue of Marianne was only in the movies, not the book, but it really should have been! It fits his character perfectly and lends the perfect drama, doesn't it? BTW, I loooove Sense and Sensibility. The 2008 BBC adaptation is the BEST!