‘Downton Abbey’ even more thrilling in person

These days new shows and episodes pack the TV guide, but my all-time, absolute favorite, “Downton Abbey,” won’t be back until January. It seems a long time until January.

My friends who watch the show think I’m pretty lucky these days because I, old Bonnie from Wichita, America, went to Highclere Castle outside London on Sept. 10. And that’s where “Downton Abbey” is filmed. I nearly had a meltdown. It is truly beautiful and so fun to see a place I’ve seen many times on the television screen.

My husband started watching the show after several episodes had aired so he didn’t know that all the scenes I would talk about took place in the hallway we were walking down or what happened early on in the bedroom we were standing in. The castle is now owned by the 8th Earl and Countess of Carnarvon. It has been in the family since the late 1700s.

The interior of the house, which we were allowed to see, is just as it appears on the show. The huge oak staircase is grand. It was fun to see where Mary stood and asked her father how she looked just before leaving for the church to marry Matthew. From the second floor, you can look down and see the library, where many scenes are shot.

Visitors aren’t allowed to take pictures inside the castle, but outside I took photos of things I’ve seen 100 times on “Downton Abbey” episodes. I rang the doorbell! All right. I just pretended to ring the doorbell. Too bad no one was home.

We also went to the village of Bampton and saw the house that is supposedly where Mrs. Crawley lives. It’s next to the church. Yes! The church where Mary got married and Edith got left at the altar looks exactly like that minus all the flowers that were in the show.

This was one of those experiences that once you’re home, you can’t believe you were there. When I started showing my pics to friends, it was interesting to see the difference in reactions of those who watch the show and those who don’t. The watchers were pretty excited. If someone asked “What is ‘Downton Abbey’?” I knew I better skip to the Paris pics.

I enjoyed seeing the castle and how they changed it to make it work for the show, but then I started worrying. What if seeing it would make watching the new episodes less enjoyable? What if it made reruns less fun?

Unable to wait until January to find out, I borrowed my friend Nancy’s DVDs and watched. The first episode had me saying to myself, “Oh my gosh, I was there,” and “Look! It’s the doorbell. I stood right there!” The giant tree in so many scenes was one of the photos I took. “I have a photo of that wonderful tree!”

If you don’t watch “Downton Abbey,” you’ve probably already quit reading or are saying, “Geez, girl, get a life.” But if you are an avid fan, you know how thrilling it was.

I bought two books about the show and the filming, etc., at the Bampton Library, which is the hospital in the show. The man who sold them to me said he knows that in the upcoming season someone is going to die. Of course, I wanted to know how he knew that, and he said one of the actors on the show told him. He also said that almost every one of the actors is very nice and friendly to the townspeople.

No doubt the women in Bampton were happy to hear that George Clooney is going to be a guest star on the show in the new season.

My conclusion is that going to a location makes watching even more fun, and it made me feel even more like I know those people. Seeing the “where” adds to the experience of watching. But seeing the “how” things are done and what goes on behind the scenes takes away a bit of the magic.

It was a great experience, and now I can check one more thing off my bucket list.

Cheerio! See you at “Downton” in January.

This story was originally published September 26, 2014 at 2:22 PM with the headline "‘Downton Abbey’ even more thrilling in person."