Gary Ashley was the winner of our Taste & Tribute San Francisco 2007 live auction item for a trip abroad, encompassing a bit of historic London as well as the beautiful English countryside. Gary and his friend Debby Black stayed at a luxury hotel in the heart of Westminster and then spent 5 nights in a charming bed & breakfast, Bolhays, in Salisbury. The owners of Bolhays have generously donated again to this year’s Taste & Tribute New York and we are pleased to be able to post these excerpts from Gary and Debby while they were enjoying their travels, to whet the appetite for future bidders!
“Our hotel in London was a 5-minute walk to Buckingham Palace, so the first afternoon we took a stroll by there, through St. James Park, and around Westminster. 
Thursday morning, we took the train to Kew and spent the morning at the Royal Botanic Gardens. Quite an amazing place, especially after the crowds of London. There is the famous Palm House that you always see in photos - a huge Victorian greenhouse absolutely stuffed with exotic palms and other tropical plants, and there is a somewhat smaller but more beautiful waterlily house [where the photo is from].

After Kew, it was back to London and inside Westminster Abbey. Lots of famous people buried there, and it was interesting to walk around and read the names. Most of the old English kings, up through Winston Churchill and Sir Laurence Olivier. Beautiful stained glass windows, but sadly no photography allowed inside.
Friday morning was devoted to a whirlwind tour of the British Museum. All the things collected during the British Empire: marble sculptures from ancient Greece and Rome, all sorts of Egyptian artifacts, Maya and Aztec stuff, asian art, you name it, it’s there.
Then it was off to Waterloo Station to catch the train to Salisbury. A 90-minute ride through the green English countryside brings you to Salisbury, a gem of a town. You can easily walk across it in a half hour, yet it has a massive cathedral that is now 750 years old. We’re staying in a fabulous Victorian bed and breakfast run by two widowed sisters, which is like staying in a private home run by your grandmother. Wonderful. You awake to the smell of fresh bread baking, and have a wonderful English breakfast to start the day.
Saturday in Salisbury, we went to see Stonehenge, a few miles outside of town. These days, tourists are allowed to only circle around the outside
from a distance, but I learned that if you book far enough in advance (months) that it is sometimes possible to get special access inside. This means showing up early in the morning before Stonehenge is officially open, and so before the regular tour buses start going back and forth. Stonehenge was nearly deserted at that hour, which was magical. It had been threatening rain, but the sun came out just as we arrived and it turned into a glorious spring day. We got to walk around inside the stones without there being a big crush of tourists. Driving back, we went through the Avon Valley, which is quaint, beautiful English countryside along the River Avon. After lunch at a local pub, the rest of the day was spent touring Salisbury Cathedral, completed in 1258.
Unlike Westminster Abbey, Salisbury cathedral lets you take as many photographs as you wish, except for inside the Chapter House where the Magna Carta is kept. Truly awe-inspiring, as I am sure was the intent.
Sunday was a trip to Bath, a hour’s train ride towards Bristol. This is an old town famous for the Roman baths, sited on natural hot springs. The town was built pretty much all at the same time, and so the architecture is fairly homogeneous and uniformly lovely. After a tour of the excavated Roman baths, we “took the waters” by sampling the mineral water from the spring - quite warm, but not too bad. Then through Bath Abbey, which is beautiful although not as impressive as Salisbury cathedral.
Today, it has been pouring cats and dogs all morning. It wouldn’t be England without rain to keep the bright green, I suppose. I just lay in
bed this morning listening to the rain. What happens later today all
depends…we were going to try to go to Stourhead, but that needs good weather. Otherwise, it may be a day to rest and write. . .”
From Debby Black, regarding their stay at Bolhays. . .
“Bolhays Bed & Breakfast is a delightful place to stay in Salisbury, England. This charming Victorian townhouse is run by two equally charming sisters who were both helpful and friendly but never intrusive. Along with our very comfortable rooms, my friend and I had the bright and pleasant front parlor for our use for our five day stay. The breakfasts were delicious with freshly baked bread every morning to go with a large choice of fruits, eggs, bacon, fish, etc.
The town center, with scores of great places to shop and eat, is only a few blocks away, as is the famous Salisbury Cathedral. The rail station is also within walking distance. Stonehenge is some miles out of town by bus. But if you arrange in advance and go by car or taxi you can buy tickets for an hour’s access within the stone circle before the rest of the tourists arrive. We did so, and it was a wonderful morning.
Five days at this bed & breakfast was almost too short.”
Thanks to Gary and Debby for sending along these bits of correspondence, a huge thanks to our generous donors, and for a complete list of this year’s exciting auction items, please visit our website.