I had the opportunity to take a trip southwest of Bath to Torquay, nicknamed the British Riviera. This water front town was the birthday place of Agatha Christie and she spent most of her life there. After a visit to the Torquay Museum, which holds an exhibition room full of fact about Christie and her works, we took a short ride over to Greenway estates. The famous detective fiction novelist bought this holiday home in during World War I. The National Trust owns the property now and has preserved the home to shows the history of Agatha Christie and her adventurous life. Here are X facts about Agatha Christie that might surprise you.

1. Christie became a Torquay Hospital volunteer.

Here she meet her inspiration for her famous Belgian detective, Hercule Poirot. And learned more about poisions, which came in handy.

2. She was a talented pianist.

She studies piano in school and became skilled, but her shyness never allowed her play in front of people. She even reluctantly played for her second husband.

3. She became a mystery.

In the later 1920s, Christie found of her husband, Archie Christie, was cheating on her. She disappeared for eleven days before they found her in a nearby hotel perfectly okay.

4. She traveled.

Her second husband, Max Mallowan, was an archaeologist and his jobs sent his all over the world. Many times she would join Max, which gave her inspiration of many of her novels.

5. And she traveled with her stuff.

Agatha Christie liked to her comfortable when she was traveling to these exotic places. One of the items she brought with her on trips was a mahogany toilet seat.

6. Her books have been translated into more than 100 languages.

More than 2 billion copies of her books have been sold worldwide.

7. She's a Dame.

In 1971, Christie was honored with the title of Dame Commander of the British Empire. She and Max are one of the few couples to have earned this honor on their own.

8. Used her Greenway Estate as inspiration.

The location of her summer home appears in three of her novels: Five Little Pigs, Dead Man's Folly, and Ordeal by Innocence

9. And her own boathouse

A short walk from her home, sitting on the bank of the River Dart, is Christie's boathouse. She described it as the perfect place to stage a murder. Clearly she found inspiration in the eerily quiet location.

10. Her gardens are extensive.

Trust me, you could get lost in there.

If you ever find yourself in the Southwest of England, stop by Torquay and Greenway to see some of these beautiful views for yourself. Agatha Christie's summer home was definitely a highlight of my trip.