A Spot of Tea and Bother

A Lovely Time in The Cotswolds

Sam’s parents are over for the week (our last one here, can you believe it??) and they really wanted to get to the Cotswolds.  We decided to take 3 days out of their London tour to travel the short 70 miles out to the area and I’m so glad we did. Think of the English countryside - what do you picture? The Cotswolds are exactly that.  Seriously, I’m talking little stone houses and one-lane roads, adorable farm animals and locals taking walks in the fields. At Blenheim Palance, we decided to picnic on their ridiculously large front lawn and I felt like I was in a freaking Jane Austen novel. Incredible. The area is what most Londoners and my godfather would think of as “twee” but we were all just smitten.  It didn’t hurt that we stayed at a fabulous B&B where we made friends with the local bantam. It was wonderful to get to see some more of England and we all left feeling refreshed and pretty proud of Sam for driving on the opposite side of the road.

Highlights:

The Swan Inn at Swinbrook

Blanheim Palace 

The Roman city of Cirencester, later a major center of the Elizabethan wool trade 

Bantams

The Bodleian Library at Oxford

Burford - the cutest damn city you’ve every seen

I Love Paris in the Springtime

We Saw Henry VIII!

Really!  He was in residence at Hampton Court! Ok, so he was a guy dressed up like Henry VIII performing for some school groups, but I was still excited and made Sam snap a photo. This poor little kid is being told he can have the honor of being the King’s son’s Whipping Boy. Tough.

Thursday, Sam and I took the tube and a train out to Hampton Court which is really a very easy ride and should be on everyone’s list, especially in the summer.  The gardens there are absolutely amazing and its location on the Thames means it’s a lovely little oasis.  The castle itself is an interesting mix of architectures and buildings.  It was originally constructed by Henry’s trusted advisor, Cardinal Wolsey, in 1514, but was given to the King when Wolsey fell out of favor in 1529. With direction from Anne Boleyn (she’s got a whole gate there!) Henry enlarged it and used it as his primary residence and Tudor evidence is everywhere.  

The castle survived intact until the reign of William and Mary when Christopher Wren (I swear he designed London as we know it today) was employed to create a new type of palace more in keeping with the French courts. The intent was to complete destroy the Tudor castle, but luckily for us, the funding ran out and Sir Christopher was only able to get halfway through the building.  The result is that the Tudor kitchens and Great Hall still exist, along with impressive Baroque architecture and state rooms.  It’s a pretty cool mixture.

Next Stop: Paris!!

What Have We Been Up to Lately?

What indeed!

1. We went to the Lucian Freud Portraits Exhibit at the National Portrait Gallery. Londoners are really into their big name shows right now (haven’t been able to score David Hockney tickets yet, but I still have a month!) so there was quite a crowd, but it was worth it.  I’m actually a big fan, but seeing his style evolve over the years, and just the volume of work was impressive. I mean, the man literally died in his studio. Painting. (Ps. Kate went too!)

2. We finally saw Warhorse (the play, NOT the movie, which I heard was terrible). What an incredible piece of staging. If you can get tickets to the one in New York, do it now. It’s moving and sweet and a real feast for the eyes.

3. We’ve been riding Boris Bikes! Barclay’s has sponsored a bike hire program throughout London. They’re easy to use, although I’m not brave enough to ride on the streets with the CRAZY London drivers. Hyde Park is just fine though!

4. We’re exploring new neighborhoods! We went to Fulham the other night to have dinner with an old Bates friend and we went up to Camden to check out the enormous market and the canal. London is a city of little neighborhoods, each with its own distinct feel, and we’re enjoying getting to know them.

5. We’re loving the parks! Sam and I have been running through tiny Holland Park which is close to Stuart and Jan, I’ve already told you about Hyde Park rides, and Regent’s Park which is up by LBS is just gorgeous.  The flowers are starting to bloom!

Sam and I are realizing how little time we have left here and how much more of London and England we want to see. Next day trip: Hampton Court where Henry VIII spent much of his reign. Yes, the Tudors again…

The “Credit Cards” Come to Town

Well, I’ve been very behind on my posting but we had a big week/ weekend last week.  My parents came to town and we had a grand old time.  Let me explain the title of this post: My godfather Stuart’s son has a friend who when told that Stuart and Jan were coming into town to visit their children at UVA exclaimed gleefully “Oh goody! The Credit Cards are in town!” and we’ve been laughing about it ever since.  (But seriously, thanks Mom and Dad.)

We visited the National Portrait Gallery which is a real treat and a should be on everyone’s list when visiting London.  It’s a great way to understand the history of England through the eyes of its artists and the portraits they painted of the country’s most influential leaders. I had gone to an exhibit at the British Library of the illuminated manuscripts in the Royal Collection mostly from the personal collections of Edward IV and Henry VII and the NPG complemented that nicely.  I was able to fill in a couple of holes in my knowledge of the history of the Lancaster and Yorkist kings and once again realized how little we were taught about this country.  Ask me about the Revolutionary War though…. really. 

The highlight of the weekend was Windsor Castle.  Not only is it gorgeous and impressive and filled with history (William the Conqueror built the first fortress there!) but the Queen herself was in residence! It was an exciting day.  The tour of the Royal Apartments was really well done and worth the cost.  We spent most of the day there, save for a short trip to Bray, a tiny hamlet outside of Windsor, for lunch.  If you’re a foodie and you haven’t yet heard of Heston Blumenthal, just wait. I’m sure you will. He has a host of restaurants and cooking deals in England but his gastropub in Bray, The Crown, was absolutely perfect.  I am not really a fish and chips girl, but I went for it there and I am so glad I did. The flakiest of white fish and the batter… woah.  Of course now I’m completely spoiled and no other fish and (triple cooked) chips will do. Sigh.

The weekend’s cultural tour ended at the Cabinet War Rooms from which Churchill ran the war.  When they were closed after World War II, they were kept virtually untouched until they were refurbished and expanded to include the Churchill Museum. Down under the massive concrete slabs that protected the teams from the Blitz, you can really start to understand what it was like living at that time. But I can’t even imagine living down there for years with all that cigar smoke…

All in all it was a great weekend and it was a good excuse for me to see Big Ben for the first time since arriving here in January! Photos to follow.