Friday morning we sleep in a bit longer so enjoy a late breakfast of pastries, bread, and jams. Alison has located an electric percolator that belonged to her mother so Lucy makes a full pot of coffee for us. I love how we linger and enjoy – the food, the company, the conversation.

         Our excursion for today is to go to Hillsborough Estate outside of Belfast, the residence of the royal family when they are in Northern Ireland. Alison, like so many Brits, loves the royal family. She loved Queen Elizabeth and her absolute dedication to the crown, and thinks King Charles is doing well following in her footsteps. She also really likes Prince William and feels he learned a lot from his grandmother and will be a wonderful monarch. They see the royal family as being of service to the country and protecting her interests and her people. They admire all the charitable work the royal family does and the fact that the royal family stays above politics. It gives me new perspective on a tradition that is so foreign to us, but also makes me think about our own would-be king who has no sense of true service to anyone but himself and represents the lowest form of politics.

         The drive to Hillsborough is about a half hour from the house through rolling hills and countryside. The house sits atop a hill, but we learn that its name does not come from that fact but rather from the name of the family that once owned the estate: the Hills family. The house is long and low, majestic but not terribly ornate. There is a small village just outside the gates that reminds me of the village outside Downton Abbey. Because of my neck, we are able to get a small shuttle bus to take us up the hill to the house.

         Our tour guide takes us through a number of downstairs rooms, all looking much like galleries in an art museum as the walls are lined with paintings of kings, queens, Hills family members, including Lady Hills who wrote the words and music to “In the Gloaming” (fun fact). There is also a portrait of Benjamin Franklin, who was a visitor to Lord Hills, and the first copy of the Declaration of Independence to cross the Atlantic. Throughout the tour, the guide points out many connections to the United States throughout the history of the place. The large formal dining room is set out for a state dinner and was used for such an event the night before. There is also a living room that is grand but looks quite lived in and homey. There are multiple photographs throughout the room of the current and recent royal family, including Charles and Camilla, William and Catherine, and even Harry and Megan.

         After the house tour, we walk down the hill and through the formal gardens, which have numerous apple trees which are loaded with apples. They are grown as espaliers, branches streaming out in both directions against the brick walls. There is also a pond, fountains, and floral gardens. Oddly, these gardens cannot rival the ones we saw at the Walled Garden in Bangor.

         Back home we have a light lunch of meats and cheeses since we are going out for a 6 pm dinner. After an afternoon of napping and relaxing (we could get used to this), we drive a few minutes into Holywood for dinner at The Bay Tree. The restaurant is usually open for breakfast and lunch, but occasionally hosts a special Friday night dinner. The place is tucked down a whitewashed alleyway and is light and airy. The menu is excellent, with appetizers, entrees and desserts. I order an appetizer of coconut shrimp with leeks slaw and then surf-and-turf with a grilled sirloin steak, grilled prawns, roasted purple potatoes, and green beans. Santo shared his large chicken liver pate appetizer, which was excellent. For dessert, I got the apple and plum crisp with vanilla ice cream while Alison and Lucy had the chocolate mousse with Bailey’s Irish Cream. Quite a gourmet meal for Holywood. We were very impressed. We had hoped to pick up the bill, but Maurice beat us to it. Quite a treat!