It has been a little while now that I have wanted to thank you all for your support and encouragement. I receive many lovely emails from readers thanking me for the time I dedicate to the website and for the information that I post.
I cannot express how much these emails mean to me, after all the work that goes into the site it is so nice to know that it is appreciated. Thank you!
I thought this was also a good time to share with you a little bit about myself so that you know more about the person behind the posts.
Natalie Grueninger from On the Tudor Trail
As many of you already know, my name is Natalie Grueninger and I live with my two young children and husband in Sydney, Australia.
I completed all of my schooling here in Sydney and graduated with a Bachelor of Arts with majors in English and Spanish and Latin American Studies from the University of NSW, later attending Sydney University to complete a Bachelor of Teaching.
I currently work as a Teacher and run On the Tudor Trail in my ‘spare’ time. I also run On the Tudor Trail’s Facebook page and the Save Anne Boleyn’s Portrait Page on Facebook.
A view of The Harbour Bridge in Sydney
As you can imagine, with two young children to care for and a demanding full-time job (well, four days per week…), it is not always easy to find time to research and write posts, respond to emails, update the website etc. but I do my best to make time!
My love for Tudor history was sparked on a trip to London in 1999 and you can read more about that here. It wasn’t until early 2009 that the idea for On the Tudor Trail was born.
My sister and I were planning a trip to the UK, one that we nicknamed our ‘Tudor Pilgrimage’. We wanted to visit locations that Anne Boleyn would have known and visited herself and so began trawling the Internet looking for information on places opened to the public with an Anne connection. We expected to find a list, but we did not. All we found was a handful of locations such as Hever Castle, Hampton Court and the Tower of London.
These are among my favourite Tudor locations but I knew that there had to be more places and so at that moment decided to start On the Tudor Trail as a space dedicated to retracing the steps of Anne Boleyn and sharing these wonderful locations with other people who might be interested in visiting them.
I could not have imagined that I would one day have over 30 places documented!
Of course, over time, the site has become much more than just a list. It is a place for sharing information about the Tudor monarchs and daily life in Tudor England.
It is also a space for sharing author interviews, book reviews, events and much, much more!
An important point to make is that I am not an expert in Tudor history. What I am though is passionate about this period and committed to thoroughly researching the information that I present. Getting the facts right is very important to me and I endeavour to do this at all times.
I also sincerely hope that we can learn from each other. The comments people leave on posts and the various discussion threads on FB are very much appreciated so please keep these coming. Of course, I do ask that people be respectful of the opinions of others and always discuss matters in a manner that is not going to cause hurt or discord.
I am committed to continuing to expand our community of Tudor enthusiasts and strongly believe that Anne Boleyn and the Tudors belong to us all. If you are interested in Anne, regardless of where you live or what you do for a living, then you have the right to learn and contribute.
I don’t believe for a moment that history is only for the academics and historians of this world.
As the website’s name suggests, it is a journey that I am on and I don’t think this journey will ever end for me, as I yearn to continually improve my knowledge and understanding of the 16th century.
It is also an evolving space. I have many ideas for expanding and improving the site and hope to have lots of exciting things to share with you this year.
But what I hope above all is that you will join me on this journey – join me On the Tudor Trail.
Well done, you do a great job! Keep it up 🙂
Thank you Clara! You are very kind 🙂
Thank you for all you have done, Natalie. You have brought us some wonderful articles and reviews over the past several months. Looking forward to your new ideas!
Thank you Robert! I so appreciate your valuable contributions 🙂
Natalie you are a wonderful woman and a beautiful person and I feel so honoured to be able to call you my friend. Within every post you make one can see your dedication and passion. Your website is a fantastic resource and a wonderful wealth of information. Thank you for being you, for sharing your passion with us all and for continuously giving of this incredible site. 🙂
Thank you so much Sarah! I can’t tell you how much I appreciate your lovely comment. I am also delighted to call you my friend! x
Natalie: I echo what everyone else above has said. You are a wonderful, generous person and I love your pages! And personally, I so appreciate the support you have given to my book and FB page, by linking to and posting original articles and interviews. We would never have gotten the great start we have without you! I truly cherish our post-to-post friendship, and hope that we can meet someday! Susan
Thank you so much Susan! Your words mean so much to me. I am honoured and delighted to be able to share my admiration for Anne and love of Tudor history with wonderful, intelligent people like yourself! I too hope that we can talk in person someday – a glass of champagne on the grounds of Hever Castle perhaps…Let’s send those thoughts out into the universe and I am sure one day our wish will be granted! xx
Thank you for your wonderful website and contributions to Facebook. On my first trip to England from Los Angeles in 1989 I also wanted to visit places associated with the Tudors and my family and I have always referred to that first trip as a “Trek through Tudor England”. The places we visited on that first were very limited – Hampton Court, Hever Castle, Windsor, etc. We have been back to England 19 times since and it never grows old for me. It’s so nice to connect with others who share similar interests. Thanks for all the enjoyment you give to your readers.
I just wanted to say thank you and tell you that your page on facebook is my favorite. I look forward to what is going to be on here next everyday. I love the Tudor period and its hard to find ppl in my everyday life that share my enthusiasm. I have drove my husband crazy with it lol. But your page gives me a place to talk about it and share ideas and thoughts. So again, Thank you>:D
Dear Natalie,
I just wanted to add my thoughts to the comments above. Firstly, I would like to echo Susan’s comments; from the first day that I posted my own Facebook page, you gave me an incredibly warm and generous welcome, linking it to both your sites. I felt so welcome and it made such a difference. We have not yet met – although I know we will in the future – yet already I know you are one of the most lovely and generous people who hold the space for the Anne Boleyn community. I agree with you, that Anne Boleyn belongs to no one individual person and everybody should feel welcome and to express their opinion and loyal support. I know how hard it is, finding the time to post all these wonderful articles and reviews when you do it outside of your main job. However, please do keep up the wonderful work and I look forward to all of future Tudor adventures. Lots of love, Sarah (Le temps Viendra: A Novel of Anne Boleyn)
I had the pleasure of meeting you this year when you vey kindly reviewed my latest book and I’ve followed you ever since. Your articles are informative and very interesting. Thank you for giving us a peek at the lovely face behind the great website.
So nice to “see” you, Natalie! Thanks for your hard work and especially for your passion for the topic, which comes through in each and every post and makes the site such a delight to visit.
Sandra
Thank you Sandra! It so great to have so many Tudor enthusiasts to share my passion with.
Hello Natalie,
So nice to put a face and name together with On the Tudor Trail. I love this site, along with the Anne Boleyn files. I’ve been a Tudorphile since I was 15–I’m not going to tell you how many years ago that was! I think you might even look a little like Anne–at least you have her coloring. You are doing a wonderful job with the site. And thank you. You sound very busy with 2 little ones. I have 3 grandchildren and I look forward to their visits–the highlight of my life 🙂
Keep up the good work!
All BEst,
Anne Barnhill
Hi Natalie,
Love your site. It is one I check daily. Keep up the good work!
Tamise
Thank you Tamise! It’s very kind of you to say so 🙂
Natalie I found your website by accident. What an accident! And another Aussie, too.
I can’t imagine how you find the time for so much work, but thank you, from another Tudor tragic.
Frances