Travels with Charley - A Spot of Tea

Charlie and I had arrived a day early in Oxford and were pleased to have the time to rest a bit. Lunch the first day was to be pretty standard fare for our entire time there. The daily soup was pretty good. Tomato-basil and mushroom soups were the most prevalent. I wondered if they were made from the mushrooms and stewed tomatoes left from breakfast. A grouping of unrecognizable sandwiches was surprisingly tasty, but not well-liked by the munchkins. The hotel finally learned to put out plenty of peanut butter sandwiches with and without jelly. The children were delighted to show off their new vocabulary as they leaned "chips" were "crisps" and that almost no one in the world likes Vegemite unless they have eaten it from birth.

We were offered the usual coffee and tea to drink as well as a form of "soda-pop" which was a flavoring added to water.One day, I asked for iced tea, just for a change. I know they don't usually serve it, but I figured enough Americans had been through there to have some effect on the kitchen. The server was very accommodating and I watched as he made my "iced tea." He filled a white tea pot with ice, added water to an invisible line, put a tea bag in it, and put the lid on top, He handed me the "iced tea" and a glass of ice. An hour later I still had faintly colored ice water. The next day, I asked for a pot of hot tea and a glass of ice. I had my iced tea.

PhotoHunt - "The View"

Wordless Wednesday - "Silver Gladiator"

Yes, he is REAL!

Today's Flowers "Water Lily"

Water Lily at Warwick Castle Garden

Travels with Em - "Through Alice's Door in Wonderland"

And so it was indeed: she was now only ten inches high, and her face brightened up at the thought that she was now the right size for going through the little door into that lovely garden.

This is the small door in the Master gardens of Christ Church College which inspired the one in "Alice in Wonderland." Alice peeks through and sees bright flowers and fountains soon after she arrives in Wonderland. She believes it is the most beautiful garden imaginable. The garden is part of the realm of the King and Queen of Hearts.

Today's Flowers - "Pink Rose"

See more flowers here every Monday

PhotoHunt - "Colorful Chameleon"

This colorful Chameleon sat motionless, but would squeak and pedal wildly for a few coins.

Victoria Embankment, London

More "Colorful" shots here

Travels with Em - "Blenheim Palace Pleasure Gardens"

A miniature train, with a steam engine named "Winston Churchill," links Blenheim Palace with the Pleasure Gardens. These gardens were more recently formed from the old kitchen gardens.

The Pleasure Gardens is a child oriented area. I wonder if they were built to keep children out of the gravel. There is a Butterfly House where exotic butterflies are in free flight. Giant chess (reminiscent of "Alice in Wonderland") or draughs (which we know as checkers), putting greens, and a long adventure playground delighted our children . Also in the Pleasure Gardens is the Marlborough Maze, covered in a previous post.

A model of Woodstock, the town where Blenheim sits, was on display in the Pleasure Gardens.

Travels with Em - "Public Transportation"

One of the best moves I made prior to leaving for England was to buy a London Pass Travel Card. I only wish I had known that children 10 and under could travel for free and I could have saved the price of Em's ticket. Nevertheless, it allowed us to travel by public transportation - all bus, underground, and Dockland Rail (DLR) within zones 1-6. I think Em would have been happy riding the rails all day, everyday. We caught on quickly to the tube map which explained the travel routes of the underground. We even had strangers asking US for directions. This clip from Samantha Brown's travel show talks about the underground system.

The underground was not always this calm and sedate. We ended up in transit at rush hour a couple of times. Once, Em was so squashed in between all the much taller passengers that she did not even have to hold on.

"I am held up by all these people," she said. All I could see was a head with a laughing face. We got off at the next stop and waited for a less congested train while we shared a good laugh.

Travel by DLR was much easier. Perhaps there were not so many people going that far at the hours we were traveling. The only time we ran into a problem, was getting to a bus from the train station to get to our next objective. Chislehurst Caves was within walking distance of the train, but catching the bus to Hampton Court Palace would have taxed both of us to the limit. Fortunately, a very nice lady drove us to the bus stop when we stopped to ask for directions. It was not far by car, but would have been a fair distance by shank's mare.

Travels with Em - "Two Towers"

Em was a real trooper as we walked and walked and walked some more. We covered 5-10 miles every day we were in London. I know that is true because I had a pedometer. We climbed a lot of stairs in Oxford.

...and some of the narrowest stairs. I wonder if people were that much smaller or if they just didn't all climb to the top of the tower.

I wonder if past generations would be surprised to discover that Carfax Tower is right downtown.

All promised the best views of the city and all the offerings were very good, but one set of these stairs would have been sufficient. Still, I had to wonder as I was climbing, how many feet had gone before me over the centuries. How long did it take to make a wide groove into the center of the step as each person wore away a small amount of the stone with his passing? Surely it was men who climbed these steps, not often women in their long gowns. The views have changed dramatically, but buildings were constructed to last.

Of course, there were no building regulations, so the original stairs were of different heights and widths, proceeding in a tight spiral to the top. Often the top is a tight squeeze as well. I wonder how they shot their arrows from such small spaces.

Em and friend clamber up these newer stairs of Carfax Tower, while I rest on the premise of taking a photo.

We both enjoy the views from the top of Carfax.

Travels With Em - "A Visit to Jericho"

The children stayed behind for an activity and the adults had a field trip to Jericho. Joshua may have "fit the battle of Jericho," but Mark Davies has brought it to life.
Mark, our EH speaker, lives on the Oxford Canal in a "narrow boat." He says he didn't start out to write a book, but became intrigued by the area called Jericho and has spent a great deal of time researching it, interviewing people who have lived in the area a long time and, this year, trying to make a living telling the world about it. He now gives tours and has just released his 3rd book on the area. Check out Oxford Towpath Press.
Mark led us on a tour of Jericho, which was originally an unsavory, red light district, but has been renovated and currently consists mostly of living spaces and shops. You will also find Jericho listed in Colin Dexter's novels.

We meandered along the paths by the Isis (known as the Thames elsewhere in England)., where long, narrow boats lined one side of the Oxford Canal.

Some of the occupants of these boats were at home, while other boats were dark and quiet.

The boat owners pay one fee for plying the waterways and another, depending on the town or area, for mooring. They have coal and fresh water delivered, and sump tanks emptied, by other boats who service the area. It is all very picturesque.

On this particular day, police were, quietly, everywhere and a police tape cordoned off an area where divers were searching the dark, murky waters. One of the boat people was missing.

Travels with Em - Em Update

Helen, the EH staffer in charge of the children, sometimes keeps the children for activities while the adults pursue other avenues. I am not quite sure who benefits more. The children love her, they are bonding, having a great time, and Em couldn't care less where I am. In other words, Em is having a great time and is being very independent. She has become quite friendly with 1-2 other girls and has someone to pal around with. I gave her a key the very first day and she has felt like she is older and ready to take on the world. I have to bring her back to earth occasionally, like when she plays with the ketchup bottle and (accidentally) squirts it into the air and a plop of it lands in my hair.......or when she sticks the bowl of a spoon into her mouth sideways and leaves the handle hanging out on one side, and turns around to show everyone......or when she orders coffee.....

I got her up for a walk the first morning we were here. She did not want to go...dragged her feet....refused...until I suggested we go to take photos of the Dragon School. That is actually the name of the school where the girl who played Hermione, in the Harry Potter film, went to school. That got her out and we managed pretty well except I couldn't keep up with her. Either I am slowing down or she just doesn't want to be seen with me, or both. We managed alright until we headed back to the hotel and she was more anxious to get there than I. She kept running ahead and I kept calling her back. As we got closer to our destination, she got faster, until I saw her heels disappear around a corner. Unfortunately, she was going the wrong way....and going fast. Calling out someone's name on the street with other people around, is not a safe practice, but when I finally got within calling distance, I called her. It took three tries before she heard me. She was standing by a very busy street.
"Well, I wasn't going to cross it," she told me.
I gave her a lecture and we headed back.
There is a fine line between guarding Em's safety and squashing her independence. I hope we can get it resolved here, where the streets are mostly quiet and life is slower.

We're off!

Just in case you are one of the ones who check in here occasionally, please note that I will return.
Em and I are off to Oxford and London, England for the next 3 weeks. Since I don't know when I will have time, or access, for blogging, I am posting a note now. I expect there will be plenty to share so check back frequently and share your comments. You are always welcome.