Day 1 (July 15): Airport Lounges and Corte Cottage

Airport lounges are the name of the game when traveling internationally. I had a nice meal in Delta’s MSP lounge before flying to Paris, where I had a five-hour layover. My Delta card let me into the Air France lounge, where I tried to doze on a small couch and chose to eat lemon-flavored soy yogurt rather than unappetizing-looking pastries. 

Actually, the lounge had a lovely quiet, darkened room for sleeping, with comfortable lounge chairs, but I only discovered that on my way out. 

From Paris to Manchester, I slept most of the way—good, because I didn’t want to fall asleep at the wheel of my rental car on my 3-hour drive down into Wales. I miss Ruth, my travel companion and navigator! Thankfully, the car video connected with my phone’s GPS, so it was almost as good as Ruth.

I pulled into Corte Cottage B&B in the hamlet of Norton, Powys, Wales at about 6:35 p,m, and met my charming hosts, Jack and Christine. Their tremendous veggie patch proved that they are kindred spirits, as did their bevy of chickens and two cats. Their peaceful and expansive back yard was just the thing after almost 24 hours of traveling, and when Jack handed me a cold hard cider (made from his own apples), I felt I was entering paradise.

Helped in large part by the hard cider and the relaxation therapy of petting a purring cat, I showered and climbed into bed by 8 p.m. to fall into a deep, restoring sleep.