I think I could live in England. I'd have to get a lot of things first, like a stable, well-paying source of income, but I could live here. Oh, and I'd probably have to learn how to drive stick. Other than that, the currency, the courtesy, the roads, and the language, England reminds of home. England (and Scotland) have Pizza Hut, Subway, McDonalds (yuck), Burger King (double yuck), KFC (triple yuck), Dominos, and Starbucks on every other block (as to every corner, like in Oregon.) There's also similar brands in the grocery stores. Except water. Every brand of water has minerals added to it. I don't think it makes the water any fresher, rather it gives it a coated taste.
Blenheim Palace
Next we went to Blenheim Palace, where Winston Churchill was born. I was so overwhelmed by the beauty of the place, inside and out. I could easily stay there a whole day, taking pictures. There were at least 1-2 gardens, a bridge, a spire, and one tour I didn't get to go on because of time constraints.
The palace is 300 years old, named after a village in Bavaria where Churchill's ancestor defeated Louis XIV and the French army. Cannon fire could be heard from 40 miles away. By winning this battle, Churchill's ancestor "saved England," so the Queen donated a very, very, very large chunk of land to this family, and made him a duke. It took the family 18 years to build the palace. It had its own theater, and guests and children, as well as servants, would act in the plays.
Churchill didn't actually live here, but his cousins did. He is, however, buried here. The man wouldn't have been born here either, had he not be born six weeks early. Our tour guide said "he chose to be born here."
There were paintings on every wall, a gown and a clock from one of the queens, beautiful dining sets in the dining room. The family apparently eats there every Christmas. There was a pipe organ in the library and paintings on every ceiling. Winston Churchill himself was a painter, and allowed his paints to be used for greeting cards.
The Trout Inn
After Blenheim Palace, we had lunch at the Trout Inn. The servers were very attractive and one just said off-handedly that C.S. Lewis inspiration for Aslan was out back, and that different famous people had signed the frames on the wall. We had "potted duck" (a pattee of shredded duck and chicken.) Make sure, if you ever eat potted duck, not to stir it into the butter. I think that much...cholesterol kind of ruined it for me. My favorite was the rainbow trout, chives and potatoes. As long as I didn't look at the fish's eye while I ate it, I didn't get grossed out.
Christchurch College & Cathedral
We checked in the hotel and went into Oxford again to go to Christchurch College and Cathedral. A note to other tourists: they don't take credit cards at the gate.
Lewis Carroll, whose real name was Charles Dodgson, was a math tutor at Christchurch. He wrote Alice's Adventures in Wonderland and Through the Looking Glass to entertain the daughters of the dean of Christchurch, one of whom was named Alice. John Wesley was educated at Christchurch. While a student in Oxford, he started a religious group nicknamed "the Methodists" by those who opposed it. Other famous members of Christchurch include 13 prime ministers. Christchurch was founded by Henry VIII. (Previously it was called Cardinal College, and was run by Thomas Wolsey, who got in the way of Henry VIII's divorce from Catherine of Aragon. Henry VIII removed him from power and renamed the college.)
Nowadays the college is probably more famous for being used as a filming location in the first two Harry Potter movies. I also saw a memorial to John Locke, which I found slightly ironic, but interesting none the less.
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