"This blessed plot, this earth, this realm, this England."- William Shakespeare
So the journey continues as we make our way through the South of the lush country of England, our first two stops being Oxford and the Cotswolds.
The truth is, everything about Oxford is charming. From our lovely flat with an exposed brick
wall and skylight, to the colorful store fronts along High Street, you're in for a visual treat in this college town. Our flat was a lovely 10 minute walk into the center of town. On the way there we stopped to take in the drizzly weather, colorful leaves, and reflections of the beautiful buildings in the puddles.
Once you're in town, there's plenty of little shops to entertain as well as boys in glasses and colorful trousers zooming by on their bicycles, presumably on their way to class. Yes, Oxford is a wonderful, magical place full of smart looking young people and cobble stone streets. I wondered, though, how anyone could possibly get any homework done when there are so many interesting sights to see and so many pubs to relax in.
On that note, we spent a lot of time in our favorite pub (dare I say it) in all of England. Not that we've been to every pub in England, but I mean once you see this place you'll understand. It's the famous Turf Tavern, where you'll get "An education in intoxication" as states the sign in the alley on your way to the hidden pub. It's attached to Hartford College, right near the Bridge of Sighs. Don't let the dark alley deter you from visiting this picture-perfect establishment. We thoroughly enjoyed their mulled wine, house ales, and steak pies with mash. We met up with some great friends and enjoyed some traditional English hospitality.
After enjoying a hearty meal at the pub, we went punting down the river at Magdalen College. This is definitely something you'll want to do in Oxford as long as weather permits. After punting, it was straight back to the pub for us for some classic sticky toffee pudding.
Onward we go to the Cotswold region. I think it's safe to say that the most commonly yelled phrase on our car through the duration of this particular journey was "SHEEP!". You know, being from Southern California, we don't see a lot of sheep. We also don't see a lot of open green fields surrounded by trees, so to us this was all pretty dang exciting. The little villages in the Cotswolds are quiet and quaint. There are tea rooms galore and many visitors that have come to enjoy the peace and quiet.
We stayed in a hotel called Dumbleton Hall which was a transformed estate and may as well have been Downton Abbey, sadly, no Maggie Smith to be found. The grounds and hotel were equally gorgeous. The history of this place was also impressive, having visitors such as Elizabeth Gaskell in days past. I'd say the highlights of Dumbleton would be driving up to the hotel through hundreds of sheep, running around the grounds listening to film scores (Pride & Prejudice, Far From the Madding Crowd), and our afternoon tea in the beautifully decorated rooms.
Up Next... Bath & Devon.
-Maddi x
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