We left Bath after another "full English" at the B & B. It sure doesn't take long to lose interest in the standard English breakfast: 
muesli and dry cereal to start, banana, coffee and orange juice while the hot breakfast is cooked consisting of a fried egg, sausage link, ham, fried tomato, fried bread, sautéd mushrooms, baked beans, and toast. That works really well the first time, but after a few days of the same menu, I'd be better off taking the juice and fruit and skipping the rest. But of course I'm too cheap to pass up an opportunity to fill the tank and so I ploughed through the calories - usually sufficient to last a whole day with just an afternoon snack and light grocery meal for dinner.
muesli and dry cereal to start, banana, coffee and orange juice while the hot breakfast is cooked consisting of a fried egg, sausage link, ham, fried tomato, fried bread, sautéd mushrooms, baked beans, and toast. That works really well the first time, but after a few days of the same menu, I'd be better off taking the juice and fruit and skipping the rest. But of course I'm too cheap to pass up an opportunity to fill the tank and so I ploughed through the calories - usually sufficient to last a whole day with just an afternoon snack and light grocery meal for dinner.We headed north toward our next destination of the small village of Woodstock. 
Our route took us by Oxford so we wisely opted to leave the car at a park-and-ride on the outskirts of the city, and took a bus into the pedestrian-only city centre. It was a crisp, sunny autumn day and I was keen to sit on a quiet bench away from the throng so I could enjoy a coffee and read the Sunday newspaper. 
Megan headed toward the campus to explore the halls of higher education. The streets were crawling with tourists so it must have been the weekend before the term begins. After catching the return bus to the car park, we passed a train station with about five hundred bicycles parked outside. We also passed a group of about 50 people on motor scooters headed the other way toward the city centre. These old cities are not car-friendly so alternate means of transportation are the rule rather than the exception.
Our route took us by Oxford so we wisely opted to leave the car at a park-and-ride on the outskirts of the city, and took a bus into the pedestrian-only city centre. It was a crisp, sunny autumn day and I was keen to sit on a quiet bench away from the throng so I could enjoy a coffee and read the Sunday newspaper. 
Megan headed toward the campus to explore the halls of higher education. The streets were crawling with tourists so it must have been the weekend before the term begins. After catching the return bus to the car park, we passed a train station with about five hundred bicycles parked outside. We also passed a group of about 50 people on motor scooters headed the other way toward the city centre. These old cities are not car-friendly so alternate means of transportation are the rule rather than the exception.We resumed our journey to Woodstock and then found our next stop at Gorselands Hall B & B just a few rural kilometres outside of the village. 
It was still early afternoon, so we drove to Blenheim Palace, famous as the birthplace of Winston Churchill. The palace was a gift from the Queen to Churchill's ancestor for winning a decisive battle that saved the day a long time ago. It seems extravagant for just one battle so it must have been pretty important. The place is huge.
It was still early afternoon, so we drove to Blenheim Palace, famous as the birthplace of Winston Churchill. The palace was a gift from the Queen to Churchill's ancestor for winning a decisive battle that saved the day a long time ago. It seems extravagant for just one battle so it must have been pretty important. The place is huge.When we arrived, there was an organised event in progress on the palace grounds. The event was a bicycle fair with hundreds of families participating in a relay race (complete with coloured team regalia). Some were even playing bicycle polo. I say, how very British. Jolly good show. 
We navigated our way through the cordoned course to the palace courtyard and wandered around the vast gardens looking for sketchworthy statues or bridges. I finally settled on a gate abutment which gave me a perch and a decent perspective of a palace clock tower. Megan headed off to the Secret Gardens and then went to the Churchill exhibit while I sketched.
We navigated our way through the cordoned course to the palace courtyard and wandered around the vast gardens looking for sketchworthy statues or bridges. I finally settled on a gate abutment which gave me a perch and a decent perspective of a palace clock tower. Megan headed off to the Secret Gardens and then went to the Churchill exhibit while I sketched.After a short rest, tea and biscuits back at the B & B, we drove back to Woodstock for a fine meal at an Italian restaurant which was all very tasty but more food than we needed. It was one of the few times during the trip that we actually ate at a restaurant. Fine dining is not high on our priority list for cultural experiences in foreign lands. We choose to travel light instead.
No comments:
Post a Comment