He'd not been to Oxford before and I hadn't either so it was decided. We drove into town with no idea where to go or what to see but we were in Oxford (of which I'd heard of in books, tv shows and movies). As we drove in, I saw a sign in front of a big building, which turned out to be a museum, saying "Free Entry". Excellent! We had a plan! We found somewhere to park while dodging cyclists left right and centre. As we walked past some very old beautiful buildings towards the museum, we saw strangely dressed men walking in that direction too.
We had a quick look around a teeny tiny section of the Ashmolean museum (honestly, this place is amazing and a whole weekend could be spent here, exploring and learning). We couldn't resist the allure of the music coming from outside and headed out to have a look. It was such fun! The Morris dancers represented surrounding districts in their dance-offs. It was fun to experience and something completely new to us.
We left Oxford and drove through the beautiful Cotswolds to Royal Leamington Spa. The countryside is lush and green and the cottages and houses in this area are what you imagine from BBC television shows.
We checked into our hotel and went for a little walk in the surrounding area. We found the loveliest park and garden and I went about taking lots and lots of photos of the gardens.
We had our first squirrel encounter, EVER! We don't have squirrels in Australia, so we were very very VERY excited to see them running and climbing between trees. Some people were feeding them, so we joined in and got to watch these friendly squirrels up close. Watching them clutch the peanuts while they nibble them is the cutest thing.
The next day, we headed to Stratford Upon Avon - the home of Shakespeare. This is another absolutely beautiful town with lots of very old buildings brimming with stories and history. We found the house where Shakespeare was born but the whole area was full of school kids on excursions so we didn't hang around too long.
It had been a few days since we'd been to an old castle so we headed to Kenilworth Castle and the Elizabethan Gardens. The castle has a very interesting history between Robert Dudley and Elizabeth 1. Read more about the castle and it's history here.
It had been a busy day, but there was still time to stop in for a visit of The Wool Warehouse. Yes! The Wool Warehouse is in Leamington! I was in yarn heaven when I walked into the little showroom. Samples of all the yarns they sell were displayed. It was just wonderful (and even better still was that hubby and the kids waited out in the car).
I came away with a bag full of yarn (Attic 24 - Cupcake) and I just hope we can fit it into the suitcases without squishing it too much.
Next stop... Cambridge...
It had been a busy day, but there was still time to stop in for a visit of The Wool Warehouse. Yes! The Wool Warehouse is in Leamington! I was in yarn heaven when I walked into the little showroom. Samples of all the yarns they sell were displayed. It was just wonderful (and even better still was that hubby and the kids waited out in the car).
I came away with a bag full of yarn (Attic 24 - Cupcake) and I just hope we can fit it into the suitcases without squishing it too much.
Next stop... Cambridge...
Anorina, what a wonderful time. Thank you so much for sharing your adventure. Just beautiful pictures.
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