Downton Abbey Goodbyes

I've been watching Masterpiece since the series about the six wives of Henry the Eighth aired way back in the seventies. It was very hard to say goodbye last night. After six years of Sunday evening entertainment, Downton Abbey ended without much fanfare - the last show flew by so quickly! Everyone landed in a good place, like any typical fairy tale. Along the way, we managed to visit a few of the places with Downton Abbey connections. In 2012, we drove up to Delaware to see Winterthur and the costume exhibit. The place was packed and the lines were long. The real show stoppers were the clothing venues on display. Then in 2013 we traveled to visit our Buckinghamshire friends, and met up with our US friends who were also visiting England. We drove to see Highclere Castle. Again, the lines were long, and it was very busy in the unusually very hot July. No picture allowed inside! Then in December last year, we got tickets for the cast panel discussion at George Washington University. Talk about extremely packed! There, we watched the first episode of season six and met the real life actors who played the characters. So, it's been more than a television miniseries - all the players became a part of our family. It's hard to say goodbye! We will miss you all! When does Poldark start again?

Downton Abbey Season Six Preview and Cast Q and A at GW Lisner Auditorium

First it was a visit to Highclere Castle in England, then it was a trip to Winterthur in Delaware to see the costumes, and last night it was an opportunity to see the Downton Abbey season six premier episode with a follow up Q and A session with the actors. It was a treat indeed! My friend gave us tickets for my birthday. She was going out of town and didn't want them to go to waste - So they didn't! We hopped on the metro and headed to GW University to the Lisner Auditorium. We arrived much earlier than the program started and it was already packed. The string quartet could hardly be heard - and they were playing masterpiece theme songs - including Midsomer Murder. I have to say I honestly prefer watching the show on my couch in the comfort of my home, but it was obvious everyone in this audience was in love with all things Downton. I was hoping to see a couple of the lead female cast, but it was more male oriented, along with the costume designer. My husband actually yawned out loud half way through in spite of the fact that he actually likes this show. On the way out we grabbed a poster, and meandered back through the crowds. It was an interesting evening. Sometimes it is better to never really meet or hear actors talk as it changes the whole impression one has of them. I found one character extremely annoying and full of himself, but most were very professional and fun to see and hear. Thanks M for the tickets! It's made for a great finale our Downton Abbey experience. I wonder what will take its place?

Downton Abbey Costumes at Winterthur

We have watched Downton Abbey with great interest since it started. Last summer when we went to England with friends, we visited Highclere Castle, saw the real place the Masterpiece series is filmed, and took a lot of photos of the English countryside. Then I heard that the costumes of Downton Abbey would be on display at Winterthur in Delaware. Winterthur is DuPont's mansion, gardens, and galleries. We took the two hour drive northeast and arrived around 12:30. I had made reservations on line the day before for the 2 PM viewing. It appears you cannot get tickets on site for this exhibit. It was quite busy being a Saturday and also a lovely day. We started with a tram ride around the beautiful gardens. The azaleas were blooming and everything was really lush and green. Since we didn't have enough time to take in the house tour, we strolled through the galleries, and then went right to the exhibit. The garments were well represented, and there was an attempt to compare the lifestyle and the clothes to the DuPonts during the same time period the series represents. Although it doesn't look like it, the place was teeming with visitors. I didn't get to see much, but figured I could look back at the pictures and the website. I have a tendency to want to get through things like this quickly because the most fun about for us is about getting there and then remembering later that we went. 

Downton Abbey or Highclere Castle

We watch a lot of Masterpiece - both classic and mystery. Yesterday I wrote about Sherlock Holmes telephone booth near St. Bartholomew's Hospital in downtown London. I ran in to someone at work when the subject if Downton Abbey was raised. I mentioned we had visited Highclere Castle last summer. We were visiting friends in England, met more friends from here while there, and traversed a good section of the country. One of our stops included this site used for filming Downton Abbey. We weren't allowed to take any photos inside the house, so we didn't. But we did see all the rooms typically found in the show. It was generally interesting, but not very inspiring. But I can say that every time we see the opening credits for the show that we were there, walked through the front door, and got a feel for the place. It always looks much better in pictures!