On our last big day we see more English charm then you would think possible (and cream tea too).
Cheri was nice enough to give us a ride to our next stop on her way to work. We hung out and had a wonderfully brown breakfast (veggi sausage, beans, hashbowns, fried egg and instant coffee) at a service station. We enjoyed some more of Linda McCartney veggi sauseges but felt that there possible health benefits were negated by the "chief's" choice to deep fry them (oh well when in Rome).
Our friend Penny picked us up and whisked us off to see the sites of Oxford. We were glad to see Penny and could have asked for a better guide as she has lived in the area on and off. Including England, we have visited with Penny in three different countries over the last 8 months (Penny we have four more months to really set a new record...lunch in Mexico?).
Penny took us on her standard Oxford tour which included many of the best sites. We really enjoyed the fabulous architecture of Oxford's many colleges. Highlights included visiting the Bodleian library, the view from the tower of the University Church of St. Mary the Virgin, the gardens of Christ Church, walking Merton College and poking around Oxford's covered market.
A review- The University Church of St. Mary the Virgin, Oxford
Shilo's thoughts- The best part about this church, other than the view, is the intricate grotesque statues woven into the gothic stone exterior. My favorite was the screaming flying nun holding her breasts.
Gabe's thoughts- I really enjoyed the mix of stone and wood in this old building. There was something about the smell of the building musty, woody, and old. I guess what I'm say is it had an incredible ambiance. It goes with out saying that the views from the tower were incredible.
(A sad note this will be our last review of the trip. No more Napolese pizza, no more 15th century churches, and no more Greco-Roman ruins.)
It was at the market that Shilo spotted the moldiest cheese she had ever seen (actually she smelled it before she saw it). The only thing more memorable then the smell of the cheese was the "cheeky" name it had been given, "Drunken Vicar."
Speaking of cheese, Penny took us to Port Meadow for a memorable picnic featuring some excellent Cheshire cheese. The meadow was a charming setting to enjoy the greenery and see many cute animals. Our favorites were the lambs drinking from the Thames, duckling, cows and a couple of wiener dogs.
After lunch Penny was taking us to visit the Cotswold region. Truthfully, we didn't know much about the area, but we are glad Penny suggested visiting as it was a real highlight of our time in England. Tiny hamlets full of crooked English cottages nestled between expanses of lush green fields made for some exquisite touring. We stop to visit Burford, Stow-on-the-Wold, Upper and Lower Slaughter, Bibury and its famous Arlington Row.
It was in Stow-on-the-Wold that Penny treated us to our first "cream tea" which includes proper English tea, scones, berry preserves and the star of the show, clotted cream. Shilo found it easy to see why this could become an afternoon ritual, really yummy stuff. While the villages were all beautiful, Gabe really loved Lower Slaughter with its lazy river full of goslings and wonderful mill overlooking grazing sheep.
By this point in the day we were all a little worn out. We returned to Oxford and met up with Penny's other house guest, Ruth (Penny was gracious enough to entertain multiple international visitors). After exchanging stories about each others sight seeing adventures we pick-up some more East Indian food and beer (We really could dine on East Indian food and English beer for every meal). The food was spicy, the beer was cold and the conversation was great. After a long day we slept very soundly.
"Wold" (a track of open rolling country)
Shi and Gabe
Oxford Hotels
6 votes 
