We began our day by taking a coach bus to Blenheim Palace. Following our walkthrough of Blenheim Palace we headed to Oxford University.
It was so beautiful to walk through the palace. The opening gate was massive and so detailed. As I walked, I couldn’t help but think how hard and expensive it must’ve been to build this entire place. It is rich with history and has an amazing course to go through. We walked into the garden and took a few pictures. They had many statues placed around them. We walked through the palace, seeing great art that kept reminding me of my art major friend. I took tons of photos I can’t wait to show my mom. One of my favorite parts was the display of shoes that Amy Winehouse wore at Coachella 2007. We all then split up and ventured off into the grounds. Abby and I walked around the garden and then found a gelato place. I got Vanilla with a flake. I have finally achieved my goal of having a flake in my ice cream. Ever since I saw that video of James McAvoy ordering an ice cream with a flake during an X-Men tour it’s been a bucket list item for three years. It was indeed delicious and I think we need to bring it to the United States. A quick trip to the gift shop followed. I got a few gifts for my family but shhhhh I can’t spoil what I got them. We then all got back on the bus and headed to Oxford.
Once in Oxford, we walked through the beautiful city. It was very hot out during our walk but that’s alright once you see all the amazing architecture surrounding it. When I hear about towns and cities in England, I picture what Oxford looked like. Our time in Oxford was great fun and one of my favorite parts of the trip. We walked into the city center and found lunch. I bought a great sushi salmon wrap and bubble tea. Then Jocelyn and I walked around the little shops before we met up with the rest of the group. We visited a tea shop where I got some gifts. Again shhh they are reading this blog. After that, I got a shirt that says Oxford on it. The rest of the time in Oxford was spent walking through Christchurch and some of the campuses. Sightseeing was amazing today thanks to the many cultural references. I saw in person the Great Hall stairs that were used for filming Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone or Sorcerer’s Stone if you’re from The United States. 7th grade Angela was so happy to be there and to see what inspired the Great Hall. Another fun reference was these parts of the grounds were used to film scenes for X-Men First Class. As a movie fan, it was so much fun to be as close to the movie as I could be.
The drive back to Oxford felt so good because of the air conditioning and the seats. I am currently writing this on the bus fighting back sleep. Some sleep that I will be giving in very shortly. Whenever I am awake on these longer drives I look out the windows. The countryside is very similar to back home in Greensburg. It reminds me of the rolling hills between Greensburg and Latrobe. The biggest difference is the vast fields of sheep we drive past. Later tonight we will go out to eat. I don’t know where but I am looking forward to the rest of the trip.
Shout out to my mom back in Pennsylvania, Happy Mother’s Day!!