So things have gotten pretty hectic around here. I'm teach way more than what was originally wanted so my time at the yard is so much more! And it's gotten RIDICULOUSLY hot here! So when I come home all I want to do is sit and vegetate and be lazy! Especially when I go ride in the morning, then go back to teach in the afternoon (like today!). So I apologize for the lack of updates. It's not going to get any better quite yet. I'm off on Friday (the 13th! Spooky!) to the states for 2 weeks to do wedding prep for my sis since she's getting married in November. So any hew, I'm trying to post more England trip photos since that was what, 2 months ago?? Ugh! How time flies!!
I don't remember if I told you last post, but we got some photo editing software, yippee!! I've been playing a little! Please let me know how you like the watermark! I do value comments and opinions, as long as they are what I want to hear ;)
So Oxford. We didn't take too many photos here. We just wandered around and had lunch at this high tea place before heading onto Blenheim Palace (which will be it's own post!). Neil and Emily (N&E) had warned us about seeing the folks in the fancy robes and such taking exams, which we did see and sadly didn't get any pics of. Bummer. It was pretty funny to see though-you think "Oxford. Prestigious university, people wearing berets and sweater vests, learning all sorts of high brow stuff, and wearing funny robes to take exams." It really does happen folks. We had a great time wandering around and seeing the lovely architecture.
This bridge is modeled after one in Italy.
Beautiful cemetery in the middle of the city. Mom would be so proud of me-she loves old tombstones.
I just imagine there are lovers underneath these stones, not sure why.
No trip to the UK is complete without a red telephone booth photo!
Although our time in Oxford was limited we did enjoy seeing the city. We didn't get to go into any of the university buildings because of exams and such-bummer. But it was lovely to walk around.
Now Bath was another place that was exactly how I imagined it. Honestly. Having read almost all of Jane Austen's work, and lots of other historical fiction in which Bath is a hot spot (hahaha, get it??) I had an idea of what to expect. Bath has been a major place for visitors since the Romans were in England because of the, you guessed it, natural hot springs that flow into the city. Which is why a Roman bath was built. And why bajillions of people have visited through history-it was always thought that there were great restorative properties in the water. It's been bathed in, drank, had steam rooms made, and shipped out (you can buy some at the book shop). There is even a tea room/pub thingy next door that sells shots of it (you can try for free in the Bath itself-it's really not very tasty.) So we started out with a walk around then into the cathedral then to the baths. After that Matt and Neil had to leave to go to a football game in Cardiff so Emily and I wandered around some more the headed home for a girly night of junk food and movies!
View of a lovely park in Bath-that you had to pay to access...seriously.
USA represented in Bath cathedral! We can't escape our homeland!
The amazing ceiling in the cathedral!
There is a GREAT audio guide included in the price of the bath-I recommend getting them and listening to all the fascinating information!
Some Roman emperors lining the upper walk way by the main bath. They were so beautiful having weathered all the years!
The main bath (below) with the cathedral in the back ground. I loved how close it all was but it didn't feel condensed.
We're such cuties!
What a fun looking bunch! We had so much fun all together!
A lot of structures and statues have been destroyed over the centuries so the art historians project (and sometimes recreate with the help of original drawings) what things looked like when it was actually up. It was really cool how they tried to show what post and lintels went where with which statues and columns-I love history being recreated!
Wild hairstyles from times past! Can you imagine how this was done??
Neil thought she was "quite fit"-that British for really hot!
Together in front of the bath-this was the main one where people bathed. You can't do that any longer. But there is a place you can around the corner. We didn't do it because it's expensive and there is a long line. Can you just imagine all the old Roman butts that have bathed here? Can you see the mist coming off the surface? It was really warm-it would be refreshing to go into with the chill that we had!
This was the point where we parted ways with the boys. This is the famous "Circus"-a big oval living area. There is a spot in the middle where you can whisper and people on the other side can hear you. Emily was too shy to make noise, not this crazy American! We had good giggles!
And our final stop is Crescent Drive. Famous people live here. We didn't see any. But we did see a dog running with a huge stick-it was hilarious. We also stalked a tour group for a little while.
We really had a great time exploring these historic cities! It's something we don't really have in the states (well not as old at least!). Next post will be about Blenheim Palace (pronounced Blen-hem, not Blen-highm-it's supposed to be German but it's not) and the pheasants we encountered.
