In the fields at Runnymede, the sight of ambulances, police cars, and men in white coats kept us tense for a while until we found out we had just passed a film shoot for “Midsomer Night’s Murder,” the British detective thriller. Further on at the quintessentially medieval manor Dorney Court, the setting for Jane Austen’s “Sense and Sensibility,” “The Other Boleyn Girl,” and the soon to be released Invisible Woman. An “A “was carved into the side of the chapel, indicating that the Saxons had settle here in the 8th century. At Hampton Court, where we docked and slept on the first night, our captain took us through the rooms that Henry VIII would have known. We were on a week-long cruise on the hotel barge “Magna Carta,” and these were some of the visits we made as we meandered from Hampton Court to Henley. Morning, noon, and night there was a blend of intrigue, quiet contemplation of nature, and glimpses of small village life. Not to mention the elegant meals and views from the barge, actually a small hotel. From the beginning we were drawn into a tranquil world with songbirds chirping overhead, swans and ducks sliding along beside us. The boat seemed to slide across the water, and it rose and fell effortlessly when we went through the locks. See more about the Magna Carta trip in my article for The Miami Herald.
