Today was a very exciting day. We got to sleep in a little bit today and then we had a two hour ride on the bus. I definitely took advantage of the two hours and slept for some of the trip. We did a lot of walking today but luckily had two hours to drive back as well where I rested once more. When we got back I just had some dinner, finished my project and headed to bed for another early wake up tomorrow!

History Of Blenheim Palace

First stop we went to was Blenheim Palace. It was a very beautiful place and I thought the history was very interesting so I am going to start with talking about that. First off, John Churchill was a general who helped win the Battle of Blenheim, which was important because it kept France from winning Spain. Queen Anne gave him land to build his palace. However, there was an argument with John and his wife Sarah over a playwright designing their palace. This led to Queen Anne taking away the land and decreasing their power. Finally, they were able to continue working on the palace after the death of the queen, but John never got to see the finish of the palace. 

All About The Palace And My Time There

Going into the palace, it was very beautiful. There was a lot of fashion in every room and each room had a different theme. We went through several rooms and were able to read about each one. My favorite room was the library. It was interesting because although it is a library now, it was not always a library. For example, during World War II, it was a dormitory. Then, after looking on the inside, we went to the gardens. They were so grand and we took several pictures. I loved how close the palace and gardens were to a Great Lake! We were going to do the maze but unfortunately ran out of time. And so, we got some gelato and looked at the beautiful views instead

Off To Oxford 

After the visit to Blenheim Palace, we got back onto the bus and headed to Oxford. Our tour guide, Tim, was very kind and performed some poetry and quotes for us on the way. We eventually got to Oxford, heard some facts, and then headed off on our own. 

Tourist Around Oxford

I went to a cute tea place where you could taste samples. I got a fruity tea as well as English Breakfast, which I am very excited to take back home with me. I think my family will really enjoy them. Then, we went to a yummy bento place for lunch and for dessert I later got a custard pie and an almond scone. I ate the desserts on the way back home. After lunch, we stopped at a bunch of Oxford stores and checked them out as well as a few Harry Potter stores. 

Learning More About Oxford

Finally, we walked around Oxford and went to several of the colleges. They were all very beautiful and some of them were built in the 1200’s! We also did a tour around Christ Church and it was very interesting. We learned about Harry Potter as well as Alice in Wonderland facts. Overall it was a great day and I really enjoyed our outings. I can not wait to go back to BCU tomorrow and learn more! Until Then!