Location: Oxford, UKThe last bank holiday of May was another experience of old England.
Oxford this time around, starting just outside the university town at Blenheim Palace. The birthplace of Winston Churchill has lovely summertime grounds so we were lucky to have scheduled our visit on a day of sun. Inside the building is a 50 minute animatronic tour recalling the palace's history and also a 'Churchill Exhibition' through the state rooms. But with perfect ice-cream-consumption weather outside, it was a quick walk though and then off to the art and craft fair in the grounds.
In the evening, we took the coach back to Oxford and waited in fast moving queue outside Jamie's Italian. Deceivingly however, when we entered there was a further 20 minute wait at the bar before we got to our table. The menu is based on wholesome traditional Italian cuisine. We ordered the "fish in a bag" and "chicken cooked under a brick". Unfortunately, the food wasn't much to write home about fish was bland, chicken too salty, although the service was very friendly.
For our overnight stay, I was treated to a night at the Malmaison. The former prison to Oxford Castle has been renovated to a high quality reducing the fears of ghosts of ghouls past. For me, it was a more relaxing and novel night's sleep compared to a stay in a more 'genuine' prison-concept hotel. The cocktail and breakfast deal for two was a winner, with a yummy continental buffet and freshly cooked selection on offer. Disappointingly, (e
xcuse me Mr/Ms Manager listen up), the checkout process on the Bank Holiday took over 30 minutes as two receptionists worked to clear out the fully booked hotel with a growing queue of guests.
On the final day we got to the tourist information centre disappointingly late and missed out on places in the walking tours of the collages. But, there's plenty to see in Oxford and we headed down the road to the Bodleian Library and booked a tour for the afternoon. Rich in history our guide explained the development of the town before we entered into the low-lit room amongst the rich array of readers.
Independent of the tours, the university's collages have opened their doors to the tourists - for a fee. We made it to Christ Church College, the biggest of the bunch. Walking around the old buildings and and manicured lawns, it was pretty but it would be best to have a guide. And a tip, plan your trip outside of lunchtime hours so you can view the dining hall of Harry Potter fame.
Luckily Oxford is only an hour out of London. When the sun comes out again, a day out punting along the river will only show that Oxford has more to offer than it's scholarly fame.
Item 68: Oxford? CHECK!
For our overnight stay, I was treated to a night at the Malmaison. The former prison to Oxford Castle has been renovated to a high quality reducing the fears of ghosts of ghouls past. For me, it was a more relaxing and novel night's sleep compared to a stay in a more 'genuine' prison-concept hotel. The cocktail and breakfast deal for two was a winner, with a yummy continental buffet and freshly cooked selection on offer. Disappointingly, (e
xcuse me Mr/Ms Manager listen up), the checkout process on the Bank Holiday took over 30 minutes as two receptionists worked to clear out the fully booked hotel with a growing queue of guests.On the final day we got to the tourist information centre disappointingly late and missed out on places in the walking tours of the collages. But, there's plenty to see in Oxford and we headed down the road to the Bodleian Library and booked a tour for the afternoon. Rich in history our guide explained the development of the town before we entered into the low-lit room amongst the rich array of readers.
Independent of the tours, the university's collages have opened their doors to the tourists - for a fee. We made it to Christ Church College, the biggest of the bunch. Walking around the old buildings and and manicured lawns, it was pretty but it would be best to have a guide. And a tip, plan your trip outside of lunchtime hours so you can view the dining hall of Harry Potter fame.
Luckily Oxford is only an hour out of London. When the sun comes out again, a day out punting along the river will only show that Oxford has more to offer than it's scholarly fame.
Item 68: Oxford? CHECK!
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