As much as I tempted him to reveal the location, he wouldn’t. It was going to be a surprise. I was intrigued. I can count the number of times I’ve been surprised on my pinkie finger.

As if there was a tree with lights and presents underneath it outside our bedroom door, I awoke early. Early on a Sunday morning is rare, if not illegal, in MAL’s world. It was Valentine’s Day, and I couldn’t believe I had someone who was planning something special and secret for me.

I knew this much – it was an hour away, my attire needn’t be fancy, and it closed at 2:30PM. No idea, but the tummy was doing flip flops.

Radio was blaring as we got dressed, and packed a lunch. “Did you hear that?” he asked me. “No, why?” I replied. A man had phoned in on Radio 1 declaring he would be taking his girlfriend to the same place Jock was taking me. All I heard was the radio announcer praising him for his good idea.

The car wound through the countryside, past Bath, past Frome. The houses got bigger, and the architecture more elaborate. The sun was being ambitious – shining all the way through its work day, not giving up once – a shame mister wind and cold didn’t want to take a break.

“Have you heard of Longleat?” he asked me as we passed the first sign.

“Never. Should I have?” I answered. The card he gave me read “I hope you enjoy your little piece of Africa today.” I had no clue what that was supposed to mean. I was about to find out.

The Marquess of Bath decided to build a large safari in 1966 on the 30 acres of land that he owns. It was the first safari park outside of Africa. It’s an echo of old royal animal collections (as an association of wealth) and the first of a new type of zoo. Lions and tigers roam free in large enclosures that cars are allowed to drive through (as you’ll see in my pictures below when they can easily cross in front of your car), monkeys climb on your roof, camels stop traffic and wolves hunt you down.

Since Jock traveled through Africa right after we met in March 2008, this was his way of showing me what I missed while he was away. I am smiling from ear to ear as I write this.

I am in awe of this land. The animals seem happy, well taken care of, and it’s an incredible way to see them up close and personal.

There’s another area of the park. There is a large house that the Marquess still resides in with his family – he lives in the penthouse, and the public can tour the first floor. It’s an incredible example of the Elizabethan era, and has been owned by the same family for over 400 years.

We ended the day eating delicious food in a country pub – the Blathwayte, just outside of Bath. There weren’t many other Valentine’s diners, and we had our own fireplace to ourselves. We relaxed over a glass of wine and a pint of cider, and mulled over how horrible the idea of Valentine’s Day actually is – but secretly loving the way we did it.

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