Today marks the halfway point of our trip abroad here in Birmingham, UK, and we spent the day exploring Blenheim Palace and the city of Oxford. For this day trip, we reunited with Tim, our tour guide, who once again shared his extensive knowledge to teach us about the rich histories of both Oxford and Blenheim. Before we could reach these locations, we boarded our rented travel bus around 9 a.m. for a drive of about an hour and some change to Blenheim Palace.
Once we arrived at Blenheim, we met up with Tim and began our tour. The visit included walking through the Palace’s open state rooms, seeing the room where Winston Churchill was born, and exploring the fountains and gardens. The grounds were absolutely magnificent, and the building’s architecture was stunning. My favorite part of the Palace was the artwork, especially the mural of angels painted on the ceiling in the main room as you enter. (You’ll find a picture of it below.)
As we moved through the state rooms, Tim, although technically not allowed to act as an official guide inside the Palace, was still able to respond to our many “questions” and help us uncover the Palace’s history. One of the most interesting facts we learned was that John Churchill, the 1st Duke of Marlborough, was actually an ancestor of Winston Churchill. Winston himself was born in the Palace as a premature baby, and from that early start, he would grow into one of Britain’s most influential politicians and soldiers.
After finishing our visit to Blenheim, we continued on to Oxford. There, we explored important parts of the city and visited several colleges. One of the highlights was New College, one of the oldest constituent colleges of the University of Oxford. It holds historical significance as the first Oxford college to teach undergraduates. A fun fact we learned is that New College was one of the filming locations for Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire.
Today happened to be graduation day, so we saw students celebrating their accomplishments. As we passed by, many were taking photos in full academic regalia. It was lovely to see how proud they were after all their hard work.
While on campus, we also visited the Mound, which is part of the college’s gardens. As we walked through, we came across a band rehearsal. The music added a wonderful energy to the peaceful surroundings and created an unexpectedly magical moment.
To wrap up our visit to Oxford, we had some free time to shop and explore the local stores. I was able to pick up a few gifts for my family—and, of course, a few things for myself to remember this trip. One of the best surprises of the day was a cozy coffee shop we stopped into just before leaving. I tried a fermented lemonade that was surprisingly delicious and enjoyed a few chocolate macarons, which were the perfect sweet ending to a beautiful day in Oxford.
