Last weekend we went to Oxford to see Catherine on her turf and tour the town. It's another place I haven't been since my first trip to the UK in 1988. We took the train and took advantage of First Great Western's Weekend First offer that let's you upgrade to first class on the train for practically nothing, £5 to Oxford, which given how crowded the train was in both directions was so worth it.We stayed at the Royal Oxford Hotel which is right next to the train station. It didn't look so great on its web site, but was actually a great room at a great price when we got there. Fresh fruit in the room, how often does that happen?
The three of us strolled around Oxford, taking in the sites. Because Catherine is attending Christ Church College we were able to take see the Harry Potter sites without having to queue, though we did have to deal with the crush of tourists, mostly teenagers.We headed over to a place called 4500 Miles from Dehli on Parkend Street for a great Indian lunch. Catherine said it's considered the best curry in Oxford and while I can't vouch for its standing in Oxford, it was excellent. We had a great meal and then set off to take in some architectural highlights before grabbing some pre-dinner beers.
For dinner I had scoped out a place called Restaurant 66a at the Cotswold Lodge Hotel. Great service and an excellent local cheese platter - the stinking bishop was mind blowing. When we asked for coffee afterwards they invited us into the lounge, where we sat in big club chairs in a bay window while they served a pot of french press. All of it was extremely reasonable in terms of price, I definitely recommend it as a must eat in Oxford.
The next day we took the bus to Blenheim Palace, where the Duke of Marlborough lives and where Sir Winston Churchill was born. This was my first visit to what I'd call a manor home. The Duke and his family still live at the Palace and charge £17 per person to visit to help pay for upkeep of the
building and the 2,100 acres that make up the World Heritage Site. It was really a beautiful place to spend the day. We talked about how if we lived nearby we'd get the annual pass and picnic often. It was a great way to spend the day and cap our time with Catherine before she heads back to the States.
