Warwick Castle

Yesterday we visited Warwick Castle (pronounced war-ick) in the city of Warwick on the river Avon. Warwick is about an hours drive northwest from Oxford and a neighboring town to Stratford-upon-Avon, the home of William Shakespeare. The gates opened at 10 am and we arrived at 11 am, thinking that 7 hours is plenty of time to experience the castle.

The view of the castle after passing through the Disney-esque ticket queues.

A fortification has been on the castle site since AD914 and the modern castle was started when William the Conqueror (William I) ordered a mound to be built in 1068.

We found a method to keep Matthew from wandering away. Don't worry, we came back for him.

We entered the castle grounds through the old stable, which is now the ticket and souvenir sales area. It reminded me of a Disney park with it's queues and signs for the different attractions. We purchased the basic tickets because the scary dungeon, princess tower, and dragon tower attractions were not of interest. While I was purchasing the tickets, Matthew and Lori explored the souvenir shop and Matthew found a large wooden broadsword that he wanted.

This bowman was outside the front gate telling stories of bowman (archers), the English civil war, and shooting the longbow at the French targets on the bank (in background). He threatened to shoot Matthew if we, the crowd, didn't cheer for him. I think he was kidding; we cheered.

The trebuchet. I took a video of the uniformed cast firing the contraption but the quality was not very good. Click on this  text to see a demonstration.

The castle was impressive; well restored with people in period costumes walking around. We saw a trebuchet fired, an eagle flying for it's trainer, the ornate interior rooms, and the wax museum story of the Kingmaker and Earl of Warwick during the English civil war, Richard Neville. Climbing the tower and walking the outer wall was a treat, although scary high. It is hard to imagine how anyone could capture the castle, although it did happen once.

The view from the top of William the Conquerer's mound that makes up one side of the castle. The front gate is in the center behind the courtyard.

Sir Matthew in the courtyard. Yes, he got his sword. Guy's Tower is in the background. We climbed to the top of ALL of the towers.

Sir Matthew in the wax museum, preparing for the Battle of Barnet with a friend.

I had to get in the act, too. I am helping Richard Neville inspire his troops before the battle. However, I would not go with them because I know how the battle ends.

We stayed almost until closing time and went home tired and inspired to learn more about the English Civil War; after tea, of course.

Tea in the quaint town of Warwick, just outside the castle grounds. 22 varieties of loose leaf tea, bone china, and home-made cakes were featured at this tea house. We are starting to look forward to tea time. Click here to see the menu.

Blenheim Palace

Last weekend we visited Blenheim Palace, the family home and birthplace of Winston Churchill which is only 7 miles from our flat. The grounds are immense and beautifully kept. We took the guided tour of the house and walked the grounds but closing time came before we saw the casual garden (with a maze) or ride the miniature train.

Lori, Matthew, and me in front of our home here.

Okay, I am kidding. This is Blenheim Palace. The 11th Duke and Duchess of Marlborough currently lives in the left wing, and oldest part, of the palace. The right wing contains the second largest room in a private house with a library at one end and a pipe organ at the other.

Behind the right wing of the previous photo is this two-tiered formal garden. Here Lori is standing next to a small planter on the lower level. Paths can be accessed from here to walk the grounds and view the lake.

Tea time at the palace.

Now I know why dinner time is so late in England. Everyone is full from tea until 8 pm!

Our handsome heroes. Note the ever present umbrellas (brollys).

My queen and prince in front of the palace.

The property was leased by Queen Anne to John Churchill for defeating the French at the Battle of Blenheim (Bavaria) in 1704 thereby breaking the French domination of Europe. The queen also gave him money to build a grand home. (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Blenheim)

The lease continues to be the presentation of a French royal flag each September to the queen commemorating the surrender of the French. The current Duke had delivered his flag for 2011 the week before our visit.

John Churchill was the 1st Duke of Marlborough. Winston Churchill was the 7th Duke of Marlborough. The 11th Duke of Marlborough currently live at Blenheim Palace with his wife. We hoped to have tea with them but they already had plans.

The Column of Victory.

This 40 metre tall monument appeared to be a short walk from the palace.

It was quite a hike through a sheep pasture (caution: stinky shoes!).

The inscription on the side explained the Battle of Blenheim in detail.

Foreground: Matthew

Background: Column of Victory

In between: 254 sheep

A sheep, taken by Matthew as he approached.

The sheep, taken by Matthew after he got too close.

This is the location where Winston Churchill proposed to Clementine; reenacted.

Our admission entitled us to a free one year membership so we can return to visit, relax in the gardens, stroll the paths, or enjoy a tea. We are planning more visits and look forward to acting as tour guides when all of you come to visit.

Thanks for reading. Cheers!

Moving Day (again)

Today we moved from our temporary apartment in Botley (West Oxford) to our permanent apartment in Summertown (North Oxford). Lori cleaned the apartment yesterday so we easily packed our suitcases and were on our way at 10 am. We met the operations manager for Oxford Property Solutions and she showed us around the new flat. She was very professional and thorough.

Outside our "patio" in Botley. The glass door was our living room, the small window was Matthew's room, and the larger window was the master bedroom. There are two apartments on each floor; six total in the building.

Lori and Matthew at the front door of our apartment building.

We walked into Summertown to open a bank account and register for our NHS (National Health Service) numbers. Barclay's Bank apparently is not in need of new customers. We had to make an appointment to meet with a salesman, I mean personal banker, on next Wednesday! This bank would have no clients if they operated this way in the United.States. I have been  told that we Americans have an over-developed sense of urgency.

We ate lunch at a little outside cafe before heading to the local GP's office. Summertown reminds me of Winter Park, Florida. (http://www.summertown.info/)  The doctor's office was in an old house. Inside, I felt as if we went back to the 50's as we sat in the sparse waiting area filling out paperwork. I have an appointment on Wednesday, after the bank, to have my prescriptions supplied locally since I cannot get them from the VA while we are here.

Tomorrow, our shipment of personal goods arrives. Since we have to wash clothes daily (our washer is extra-extra small here), we probably have many too many clothes.

I will write more later. Thanks for reading and sharing in our adventure. Cheers.

Saturday in Oxford

Lori, Matthew, and I caught the bus in front of our apartment and rode to City Centre to be tourists for the day. We disembarked in front of the Said School of Business and crossed the street to the rail station to purchase tickets for the double-decker tour bus. (http://www.citysightseeingoxford.com/).

View from the bus (in front of Blackwell's Book Store)

The bus tour takes about an hour to round the city as we listened to a recorded script which explains the different sights and colleges. We used the first loop to decide where to start our walking exploration. Matthew wanted to start by climbing the Carfax Tower.

We heard the gentleman asking for post codes and not collecting money from the people in front of us. He told us that residents had free access because of Oxford Open days (http://www.oxfordopendoors.org.uk/) and other attractions were also open to the public for the weekend. I gave him our postcode here, OX2 7RF, and we climbed the tower for free. It felt really strange to say that we are local residents.You can see the view here - http://www.chem.ox.ac.uk/oxfordtour/carfaxtower/default.html

Lori and Matthew on top of Carfax Tower overlooking High Street (The High)

We must have walked 900 miles (okay, it just felt like it) and one of the best stops, for me, was the campus of Magdalen College (pronounced Mod-len). It sits alongside the River Cherwell and has a fallow deer park. (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Magdalen_College,_Oxford)

The large wooden doors to the quad.

The garden alongside the River Cherwell

The fallow deer on campus. There is a walking trail around the deer and a park on the far side.

Punters on the River Cherwell (we want to try this ourselves soon).

A small interior door to one of the offices and living quarters around the quad.

Lori enjoyed the University Church of Saint Mary the Virgin (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/University_Church_of_St_Mary_the_Virgin). We ate lunch in a cafe in a lower vault (http://www.thevaultsandgarden.com/) and climbed the tower. Lori and I had leek, carrot, and potato soap and Matthew ate beet rarebit. It was all "brilliant." (Matthew's description).  After lunch, we climbed the church tower. It is the tallest building in the city and the view is fantastic. The stairway is narrow and steep. The walkway at the top is wide enough for one person but requires people to pass because it is not circular and the single stairway is used to both climb up and down.

On top of the church with All Soul's College in the background.

Look at the ornate decorations. Gargoyles and Grotesques are common on the buildings (that's Matthew in the foreground, not a gargoyle).

The church as viewed from Radcliffe Square. The walkway we were on is directly above the clock. 

Matthew wanted to purchase souvenirs but was patient all day. At the end of our journey, he spent his pounds sterling on two U.K. flags, a small alarm clock with a flag on the face, and a Chelsea Football Club wallet. He needs a new wallet because pound bills are wider than U.S. dollar bills.

Here are some other various sights from around the city...

Inside the covered market.

Radcliffe Camera and Square from the top of the church. All Soul's College is to the right and Lincoln College is on the left.

An old bus in service for the special weekend. Note the vintages of the various red buses.

It's Sunday so we are off to church. Thanks for participating in our adventure so far. Cheers!

Arrival in England

Greetings from the UK. We had an uneventful and short flight from Appleton to Detroit. Our flight from Detroit to London started out with some excitement. After boarding, the pilot announced that we would be delayed because the Department of Homeland Security removed two passengers from our plane and they needed to ensure that all of their possessions were also removed. Even though we departed late, we arrived at Heathrow 30 minutes early thanks to the jet stream.

We piled our 6 suitcases onto a shuttle bus to travel from terminal 4 to terminal 5 where the bus to Oxford parks. Our bags took up the entire aisle so the other passengers had to board through the back door. The next bus, the Oxford Bus Company Airline was larger (think Greyhound) so our bags rode in the luggage compartment. Matthew was so tired that he didn't see the countryside; he dozed.

The greeting in Oxford was brilliant. Two chaps from work brought our car to the park and ride. Cliff Barley made tea for us at the Countax facility while we waited for our apartment to be cleaned. The flat is small, new, and well equipped. Everything here is just like at home except everything is MUCH smaller.