After a wonderful evening yesterday, with a trip to a real NY microbrewery following the most awesome trip up the Empire State Building at night…more to come on that. This morning we woke up to another perfect day of blue sky and sunshine.
No preliminaries could have prepared me for the grandeur of Grand Central Station – what a fantastic building. I had to ask a policeman if I could take some photos and he was charm itself – of course I could….he even went on to tell me that when they renovated the building two years ago they left a single brick untouched. He pointed it out to me – extraordinary! What a complete transformation. I learned something again.
We used the station to go to Poughkeepsie and were picked up by Arthur there before the final leg of our journey to Rhinebeck. The journey up the Hudson was spectacular to say the least, sheer cliffs and a deep, wide river below that barely rippled on the top. I have a sneaky feeling this was the setting for Oscar and Lucinda though it’s such a long time since I read the book and it was so far away from my stream of consciousness that I can’t be absolutely sure.
Barbara and Arthur clearly relished having visitors from the family in the UK. This shone out from everything they did and said. They laid on the most sumptuous of spreads, washed down with copious quantities of wine and a delightful day of never ending conversation. What an amazing time we had. After yesterday’s glorious hospitality, I didn’t think we’d be so fortunate again but I was wrong. Barbara and Arthur turned out to be completely wonderful.
We walked through the door to their home and I was immediately at home….why? Well because the whole house is stuffed with bookcases, each of which is laden with books – anyone who reads that extensively and takes such a pride in what they read is going to be someone I like. Even more exciting is that Barbara is a wonderful cook who seemed completely unfazed by meeting two vegetarians and needing to provide them with food. She was nervous about it but coped admirably.
For a second day running I was inexplicably drawn to a woman old enough to be my mother. After a lengthly conversation we found ourselves hugging one another with no apparent reason other than a shared need to express warmth.
I don’t know why this trip has thrown so many people in my direction whom I have completely gelled with or why I have loved spending time in people’s homes rather than on the sightseeing trips but for some reason both of these facts are true.
Today I’ve seen wild turkeys running across their drive. I’ve been on a train journey that is unrivalled in my experience for breathtaking views and I’ve been in the home of another fantastic family. Altogether it’s been another wonderful experience in the USA. How this trip has surprised and amazed me. I feel lucky and honoured to have met and formed friendships with all of these talented and wonderful souls.
Barbara didn't like this photo - she said she looked too 'whimsical' - I think it's a perfect reflection of a lovely couple.
