Adventures in the Cottswolds

Some people don't go for cold, wet, old fashioned, and relative isolation, but if that's how you're going to describe a cottage in Oxfordshire during a chilly English summer I will call it heaven! The whole time I kept talking about being a senior citizen and living there, but that is still a ways off (-:. Here are some pictures of a slice of heaven.

There was a field of sheep in our backyard.

I love sheep.

My hair looked pretty crazy but it was wet and I was cold!

My oxfords were the most comfortable walking shoes I've had before and very snazzy!

The neighbor's dog and I got along quite well!

I didn't want to go to too touristy of a place, but Bibury was just down the road.

I really just can't resist Antiques stores.

I loved our house so much I was ready to stay!

Adventures part 3

As a budding British historian I just had to take some day trips to the Baroque palaces of Hampton Court and Blenheim. I devoured Lucy Worsley's Courtiers last year and recently savoured the autobiography of Consuelo Vanderbilt ex Duchess of Marlborough. So these historic houses were at the top of my list to see.

A gorgeous bust of Consuelo, she was gorgeous, warm, kind, intellectual, and forward thinking! A real role model.

The Palace state rooms were full of tapestries in celebration of the first Duke's victory at the battle of Blenheim in 1704.

The Palace is truly beautiful.

The weather was magnificent and made everything that much more enjoyable.

Me in front of the entrance.

Doesn't this angle look like the Downton Abbey intro shot?

Having a snack in the gardens before heading home

I was very impressed by Hampton Court Palace! It was beautiful and very well presented and had so much more to see than just the Henry the 8th side. 

The gardens were beautiful even on  a cloudy day!

Hampton Court Rose Garden

There were so many types of roses and they were just in bloom.

King William II's staircase

Fountain courtyard

Fabulous special exhibition on "the secrets of the bedchamber".

Adventures Part 2

Here are some photos of Cambridge and Oxford. I'm a historian in high school and have high ambitions, I'll leave it at that.

Queen's College Oxford

Oxford, they were having an open day when I visited so I crammed in visits to 4 colleges but wish that I had been able to fit in more.

Trinity College, Oxford

Trinity College, Oxford

Trinity gardens

At Oxford they draw symbols for every rowing race won by one of the teams from the college. I'm a rower so I loved how important an aspect of the society it was!

Oxford

Pembroke college, Oxford

my favorite antiques store across from Peterhouse college, Cambridge

Peterhouse college, Cambridge

Last year I did a summer program at Peterhouse so it was fun to go back and visit

!

Fitzbillies, the classic Cambridge stop for breakfast, lunch, tea, or their famous chelsea buns

Clare college, Cambridge

I'm pretty sure this is Trinity college but I'm not sure....  this is embarrassing

Clare gardens, Cambridge

Clare Bridge

The Fitzwilliam Museum of Art, Cambridge ~ one of my favorite haunts from last year

Cows by the river and punters on the Cam

King's College, Cambridge