December 24 – January 1, 2011
We loved sharing the holiday season with Jennifer and Ben in London! They arrived on December 24th and we picked them up in a rental car at the airport and were off to Oxford (after fitting their suitcases in and around the four of us)…a full size car in the UK is NOT the same size as a full size American car!!!
We arrived at The Old Bank Hotel in Oxford and discovered the campus directly across the street. Before dark (which is at 4 PM in the winter months), we walked over to Radcliffe Square which features the iconic Radcliffe Camera…the domed main reading room of Bodleian Library (oldest library in the world). We continued from there on through campus, under the Bridge of Sighs which connects two parts of Hertford College and on to the central pub on campus: The Turf Tavern. Back at the hotel, we let the travelers finally have a shower and a nap before dinner at a restaurant housed in a Victorian Conservatory and then on to Midnight Mass sung by the choir at The University Church of St. Mary which dates from the 13th century. After breakfast on Christmas day we drove to the Cotswolds and although many of the village roads were iced over, we were able to visit: Northleach, Bourton-on-the-Water, Lower Slaughter, Stow-on-the-Wold, and Burford. We returned to Oxford in time for our Christmas Feast and then settled into the hotel’s library where we had beer, wine and snacks and played cards until our eyes closed. After breakfast on Boxing Day (the 26th) we had a proper tour of Oxford University and learned the history and tales of this most famous place…who knew that Hugh Grant was an honours graduate of Oxford University?!?!
We returned to London and immediately set about seeing many sights in and around London including: The Changing of the Guard at Buckingham Palace, The Churchill War Rooms, Hampton Court Palace, The National Gallery, Windsor Castle, and the Wallace Collection & Armory. Rick was able to arrange a special tour of the London 2012 Olympic Site and also get us tickets to a Premireship Football Match between Chelsea and Bolton.
As you can guess, their trip ended much too soon but we were all happy to ring in the New Year together in the UK five hours before the Peach dropped in Atlanta!
Enjoy our photos: http://picasaweb.google.com/alysehirsekorn/JenniferBenS2010WinterHoliday?authkey=Gv1sRgCJbTktDBkZCGOQ&feat=directlink
Snow day here in Hotlanta...great day to catch up on the London blog. GREAT pics! Who knew that there was a "bridge of sighs" in England. Silly me, I thought it was just in Venice, but when you think about it, there are probably more...considering it was the last time some prisoners ever saw the light of day!
ReplyDeleteLOVE the pic of Hampton Court with the purple shadow...very artsy! And the icicle shot was very nicely done as well. Looked COLD, but I know you were warm in your hearts.