Today was another wonderful day exploring new areas of England. This was the first day I actually had a full 8 hours of rest so that was definitely helpful. After grabbing our coffee we headed to the coach bus and we were off to Blenheim palace and oxford.
The drive to Blenheim palace was beautiful in itself with lots of countryside and bright greenery. As soon as we arrived at the palace I was in awe. It was ginormous and had 2000 acres of grounds and greenery. It is actually known as Britain’s greatest palace, even over Buckingham Palace, and I have never seen anything like it. We met up with our tour guide, Tim, who was the same one from Stratford Upon Avon. I learned this palace was the home of the Duke of Marlborough. The 12th Duke of Marlborough and his family live in this palace now. Actually they were in the palace when we were, which was indicated by the flag being flown.
We walked through the Great Court and up to the palace, and I still could not believe I was there. We began our walk inside the palace. We were allowed inside the palace and it was magnificent. During the time we were there they had an exhibit of royalty fashion and other major designers throughout the palace which was neat to see. One of the major designers was Vivienne Westwood.
Another fact about the palace I learned was that Winston Churchill was born here. We were able to see the room he was born in and his bedroom which had displays of some of his clothes. Although Winston Churchill did not own Blenheim Palace, it was the home of his family. Our tour guide actually played Winston Churchill in a few movies and he did a monologue for us on the bus ride after the palace, it was amazing.
After walking through the palace, we ended in the back where we saw the beautiful Great Lake and tons of gardens and statues. Me and a few of the girls kept walking to the formal gardens, rose gardens, and walled gardens. When I say walk I actually mean more of a run because we had limited time there. I could have spent a whole day there exploring all the grounds of the palace. Unfortunately we could not stay and I had to leave, but I was excited to explore Oxford next.
As we drove into Oxford I knew I would love this city. The buildings had such beautiful old architecture and they hold a lot of history. This city is what I think of when I think of england. After getting dropped off we headed to lunch on our own and did a little gift shopping. Maura and I went to a cafe where I got a chicken tikka masala, tomato, and mozzarella panini and a smoothie which was of course delicious.
We first toured Christ Church, which is a college of Oxford University. It was probably one of the most beautiful buildings I have ever seen. It was huge with classrooms, halls, courtyards, a church inside, meadows, and more. We did a media tour where we plugged our headphones into this electronic device that gave us a tour of some of the college. Unfortunately we could not see everything due to students studying and doing exams. But I am a little confused because it is a Sunday so I wonder who is doing exams? We went into the dining hall which was beautiful. Harry Potter actually based their hall after this one and shot a scene outside this hall on the stairs. A fun fact I learned is that all the Oxford colleges each have a dinner once a week where all the students eat together, and are not supposed to talk about their studying during this time. We walked through the courtyards which were so beautiful and it must be so amazing to study here. I wonder if the students are bothered by all the tours going through? We also went into the church within the college which had amazing architecture and stained glass. I lit a candle and said a prayer here which felt really special.
After the college tour our tour guide took us around to some famous buildings. One of the most recognizable was The Radcliffe Camera, which is usually what you see when googling Oxford. We also saw the library and a few other colleges from the outside. I loved this town and I want to transfer to Oxford University now.
We stopped for a quick gelato before heading back to the coach bus. Our lovely tour guide presented us with a few poems about Oxford on the bus ride back to Birmingham. We also learned he was in a few movies and shows like Dr. Who, he met Pricilla Presley, and was in West Side Story in London Theatre. Along with all his work in Shakespeare plays in Stratford. He was pretty amazing.
I wished we could have stayed at these wonderful places forever, but it was time to head back to Birmingham. We ended the night practicing our big presentations for tomorrow and grabbing dinner in Birmingham. Today was my favorite day so far and I’m nervous but excited for tomorrow back at BCU!
Palace Garden and Mural Inside Palace
Oxford Christ Church and the The Radcliffe Camera