From Oxford we travelled to the Cotswolds, a small collection of tiny medieval towns with quaint thatched houses and immaculate gardens, perfect for childless tourists and retiring couples. On the way, however, we stopped at Blenheim Palace (pronounced "Blenem"), an estate bequeathed by Queen Anne to the Duke of Marlborough for his success against the French in 1704. It is also the birthplace (and final resting place) of Sir Winston Churchill.
Mama and Rowan in front of the palace. I've got these pictures here because there are so many with Rowan and Baba. By this time, Rowan mostly wanted to run around outside and spin, which is unfortunate because we wanted to go inside the palace.
The palace features spectacular gardens all around it, though only one is open to the public. Rowan is shown here holding a stone which would be the beginning of his ensuing rock fetish for the rest of the trip, an obsession trumped only by his later penchant for chasing pigeons.
A very rare family photo taken by some Cantonese tourists. You can see a bit more of the garden, with a portion of the palace behind. Next, it would be a short drive to Broad Campden in the northern Cotswolds.
Winnie pauses between rows of junipers outside a church in Chipping Campden (next to Broad Campden). We all then traipsed through the cemetery and looked at one of England's many fields completely taken over by sheep.
Outside our cottage in Broad Campden, beautifully draped with wisteria and ivy. We frequented a little pub down the street which served excellent ales and food (including steak and ale pies, leg of lamb and fresh fish, with the usual side of chips, potatoes and boiled vegetables which always consisted of broccoli, cauliflower and carrots). Here, Rowan and Baba have trouble finding each other. Also note how perfectly manicured the place is.
A quick side trip to Stratford-Upon-Avon brought us to the front of Shakespeare's birthplace, a quaint Tudor-style home which has become a museum of sorts. We never went inside--we had bigger fish to fry...
Swan, ducks and geese! Rowan was quite excited, until they started getting a little too close. I think this is where his bird fetish began--he sought out the little ones that couldn't hurt him and started running after them screaming "Jook tzai! Jook tzai!" (Cantonese for "little bird.")
Rowan feeds off Mama while she stands in front of an old Tudor-style schoolhouse, supposedly the sight of Shakespeare's early education (I think--don't quote me on that--it was someone famous).
England has its share of castles, mostly in the north, but here in the south they have Warwick Castle, a beautifully restored structure with some surprising relics inside (including one of the death masks of Oliver Cromwell, if you can believe it). Mostly, however, it has turned into a major tourist trap, with some attractions that are rather unique and educational (like a tutorial on archery in the Middle Ages), others vomit-inducing (like the princess tower decked in long pieces of pink fabric and lots of other pink things). And they have peacocks.
What did I tell you--peacocks.
Rowan charms a pair of English ladies with his unique headdress, explaining to them the wonders of flowers, rocks and birds--in a mix of Cantonese and English.
Rowan pauses for a moment on a country road in the Cotswolds. You can see the thatched roofs behind--very typical. Our next stop will be Wiltshire, in the heart of the Salisbury Plain.
From Oxford we travelled to the Cotswolds, a small collection of tiny medieval towns with quaint thatched houses and immaculate gardens, perfect for childless tourists and retiring couples. On the way, however, we stopped at Blenheim Palace (pronounced "Blenem"), an estate bequeathed by Queen Anne to the Duke of Marlborough for his success against the French in 1704. It is also the birthplace (and final resting place) of Sir Winston Churchill.
Mama and Rowan in front of the palace. I've got these pictures here because there are so many with Rowan and Baba. By this time, Rowan mostly wanted to run around outside and spin, which is unfortunate because we wanted to go inside the palace.
The palace features spectacular gardens all around it, though only one is open to the public. Rowan is shown here holding a stone which would be the beginning of his ensuing rock fetish for the rest of the trip, an obsession trumped only by his later penchant for chasing pigeons.
A very rare family photo taken by some Cantonese tourists. You can see a bit more of the garden, with a portion of the palace behind. Next, it would be a short drive to Broad Campden in the northern Cotswolds.
Winnie pauses between rows of junipers outside a church in Chipping Campden (next to Broad Campden). We all then traipsed through the cemetery and looked at one of England's many fields completely taken over by sheep.
Outside our cottage in Broad Campden, beautifully draped with wisteria and ivy. We frequented a little pub down the street which served excellent ales and food (including steak and ale pies, leg of lamb and fresh fish, with the usual side of chips, potatoes and boiled vegetables which always consisted of broccoli, cauliflower and carrots). Here, Rowan and Baba have trouble finding each other. Also note how perfectly manicured the place is.
A quick side trip to Stratford-Upon-Avon brought us to the front of Shakespeare's birthplace, a quaint Tudor-style home which has become a museum of sorts. We never went inside--we had bigger fish to fry...
Swan, ducks and geese! Rowan was quite excited, until they started getting a little too close. I think this is where his bird fetish began--he sought out the little ones that couldn't hurt him and started running after them screaming "Jook tzai! Jook tzai!" (Cantonese for "little bird.")
Rowan feeds off Mama while she stands in front of an old Tudor-style schoolhouse, supposedly the sight of Shakespeare's early education (I think--don't quote me on that--it was someone famous).
England has its share of castles, mostly in the north, but here in the south they have Warwick Castle, a beautifully restored structure with some surprising relics inside (including one of the death masks of Oliver Cromwell, if you can believe it). Mostly, however, it has turned into a major tourist trap, with some attractions that are rather unique and educational (like a tutorial on archery in the Middle Ages), others vomit-inducing (like the princess tower decked in long pieces of pink fabric and lots of other pink things). And they have peacocks.
What did I tell you--peacocks.
Rowan charms a pair of English ladies with his unique headdress, explaining to them the wonders of flowers, rocks and birds--in a mix of Cantonese and English.
Rowan pauses for a moment on a country road in the Cotswolds. You can see the thatched roofs behind--very typical. Our next stop will be Wiltshire, in the heart of the Salisbury Plain.
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