Today marked a little over halfway point in our trip. We definitely have been super busy these past few days, but we were all extremely excited to get to see Blenheim Palace and Oxford. Getting to explore these places a little bit with the help of Tim, our amazing tour guide, as well as on our own was super nice. After a little bit of a bus delay, we were on our way to Blenheim Palace where we were able to take a two hour nap. This rejuvenated all of us for our journey through Blenheim Palace. The building was truly extravagant with extremely well thought out architecture, statues, and decorations. The architect behind the building was named John Vanbrugh who had a relationship with the duchess that was very up and down when it came to the design. The land was given to the first Duke of Marlborough, John Churchill, after his many victories against the French and the Bavarians during war. The palace was originally named after the Battle of Blenheim. It was built on land given by Queen Anne along with her financial support. A fun fact Tim told us was that Queen Anne and the Duchess were very close at the time. It is known for the birth and ancestral home of Winston Churchill who was a very pivotal figure in British military. The palace was in ruin by the end of the 19th century, and it was saved by the 9th Duke of Marlborough when he married an American railroad heiress Consuelo Vanderbilt. They also were the ones who designed the beautiful grounds in the back of the palace. It is stacked with statues, fountains, a boat house, and more. The views are breathtaking, and for their contributions to the Palace, they are commemorated through multiple portraits within the state rooms. The state rooms all have their own purpose and history with amazing artwork and architecture. Overall, the palace was a fantastic experience, and we then made our way to Oxford.

We got some lunch in Oxford, then got to tour Oxford University. Oxford was rich with history and had multiple statues that commemorate the values the university was built on. When New College was first built, the only thing you could study was Theology as that was what was most prominent at the period that the college was founded in 1379 by Bishop William of Wykeham. He is shown in a statue above the entrance of the university with the Virgin Mary in the center. The Chapel at Oxford was also an amazing thing to see as it had these statues carved on the far wall that were many different figures carved all next to each other on pedestals. There is also some of the most beautiful stained glass I have ever seen in that chapel. Another place rich in history is the Church in Oxford that has an extremely high tower and was the site of filming for some of the Harry Potter movie scenes. In Oxford, as well as the Palace, there was beautiful architecture and statues that looked like they took forever to carve, it was amazing.

Overall, it was another fun but long day in the U.K. and I cannot wait to explore more of the beauty that it has to offer!