The Daily Diary of a Wandering Restaurateur
Heathrow
Our flight out is early on Monday morning, so we wanted to end the trip close to Heathrow so we could avoid an airport hotel and one more unpack/repack cycle. ATC came through yet again and we were the guests of Derek Bartlett, who, in addition to being a marvelous host, is also an excellent cook! We prepared dinner at home the first night. Home in this case being an ancient thatch-roofed house. Thatch is interesting stuff. Derek said a proper thatching job will last well over 100 years ... and there is another advantage. He said that during the war, a German bomb landed on the roof and was cushioned enough by the thatch (it is nearly 2 feet thick!) that it didn't go off! Something to keep in mind if you live in a really tough neighborhood ...
Derek's house is only a few miles from the town of Eton, home to Windsor Castle, where Queen Elizabeth still lives much of the time. The castle is open for tours unless the queen is in residence, and her flag was flying when we were there. But we did get to wander around the grounds a bit (outside the walls, of course) and take in some of the village.
For the most part Eton, like Warwick, is very tourist-oriented. Still, the ubiquitous McDonald's is appropriately understated, there are plenty of period houses and pubs ... and a school whose name really intrigued me. Too bad I couldn't buy one of their t-shirts!
Eventually we came upon a multi-use market development that seemed more populated by locals than camera-toters. Margene got a good deal on some tablecloths from Provence, so all is well.
© 2003 Restaurant Doctor
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