Today we were able to explore a whole new side of the UK. We spent the day exploring the culture and history of Oxford and Blenheim Palace with our guide Tim. Our first stop of the day was to Blenheim Palace, which was one of the most beautiful places ever. The palace was built in the early 1700s and was given to John Churchill, who was the 1st Duke of Marlborough. Tim also explained to us that the palace was the birthplace of Winston Churchill (although he was supposed to be born somewhere else). It felt so cool to be standing in the room where so much history happened. Even just the sheer size of the palace was unbelievable, and every room had so much detail and thought put into it.
One of my favorite parts was the gardens at Blenheim Palace. They were huge with so much green space and walking paths that seemed to go on forever. It felt so calm to walk through them and look at how naturally placed everything looked. Allison and I even got some gelato and sat down by the gardens to just appreciate all the greenery and architecture that was around us. I made sure to stop and take pictures, and also realize where I was and what I was doing.
We also visited Oxford, which almost looked like something out of a movie. And it was because some parts of the university were used as filming locations for the Harry Potter movies. Specifically, places like New College were used to film scenes that turned into the Hogwarts library and infirmary. Walking around the buildings felt surreal because everything looked so similar to what I had seen on television.
One of the places we visited was New College, which was founded in 1379. I thought it was funny how it was called “New” College, and it is actually one of the oldest colleges in Oxford. Tim explained that it was considered new at the time because it was organized differently from the colleges that came before it. It was so crazy to hear the real stories of him and other people because all of the places were established so long ago. It made me really think about how much education and people have evolved over time.
I specifically liked to hear Tim explain the stories behind each of the buildings because it made the tour feel more personal instead of just looking at the buildings. I really appreciated how passionate he was about explaining everything to us. He made history feel engaging and pushed for us to see everything we possibly could. For me, sometimes history can feel disconnected from my life now, but today showed me just how important it is to take the time to listen and learn about it.
Even though today was different from the more healthcare-based activities we usually do, visiting places like Oxford and Blenheim Palace helped me think about how much history has shaped our society and how much it will continue to influence it. Time to prepare for our presentations tomorrow!