Tuesday, October 30, 2018

Our 25th Wedding Anniversary

Windermere, Cumbria, UK. Tuesday 30-October-2018.

We always do something on our wedding anniversary for just the two of us. This year we wanted something special so we chose a luxury county house hotel - the Holbeck Ghyll just outside Windermere in the Lake District.

The view from our bedroom window:


It was set in wooded grounds rich in autumnal colours.


Mary bought an Alexander McQueen dress for our 20th celebration - a trip on the Orient Express - London to Venice. With great self control she has been dieting and exercising to ensure that she could get back into it for our 25th.


Back in 2006 we attended a BBR champagne school as a result of which we bought half a dozen bottles of Pol Roger Winston Churchill 1996 which we are gradually working our way through on special occasions. None more so this this. There was no mini bar in the hotel, fortunately the window sill outside was cold enough to keep it chilled for our pre-dinner aperitif.


When we got married we were two households alike in gadgetry. We had no need of electrical appliances or toast racks; our wedding list included luxuries such as bottles of Chateau Lynch Bages 1989 - the year we met. Our friends could buy as few or as many as they chose; we got up to ten so we bought the last two to complete the case. Like the champagne, we are working our way gradually through them.

The hotel was going to charge a large corkage fee but given the current list price of the wine it was worth paying (fortunately in the end they didn't charge it). We took the bottle down a few hours in advance for the sommelier to decant and allow it to breath.


The meal was excellent and the wine was superb. Celebration unlocked!

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