Excursion to Blenheim

Today we went to Blenheim because yesterday we bought reduced price tickets in the Information Center here in Oxford. It's a very easy 20 minute bus ride and it's a UNESCO World Heritage site. We've picked up quite a few of those from the World Heritage list; for one, the whole city of Bath which is the only city on that list.

It was a damp, but not rainy, foggy day; just the sort you imagine England to have all the time. Riding the double-decker bus gave us a chance to see some typical English cottages, even with thatched roofs.

Blenheim is spectacular. What you see of the house is just a few rooms on the first floor but they contain ancient tapestries, furniture, a Winston Churchill exhibit. Upstairs, in a 40 minute tour that you can't run away from, is supposed to be an interactive history of the palace. It is dreadful and not very educational.

It's a half-mile walk from the road to the palace

The Blenheim has started to have special art exhibits, probably because they sell yearly passes and want people to come back. Currently, there is an exhibit of Ai WeiWei. I've seen some of his exhibits in other cities; and he is always controversial. This exhibit is very controversial because visitors believe it is disrespectful to the grandeur of the palace. There is no explanation of his work or any descriptions which could be why people are shocked when they see it. There are 209 ceramic crabs in one room, but the main part of the exhibit is the series of photographs which show him giving the finger to government buildings, famous landmarks, etc. The photographs hang in the gorgeous library room which also has an organ that rivals any in the cathedrals. But it's not necessarily the WeiWei exhibit that detracts from this room; there are a million Christmas trees and other decorations. 

209 crabs in the "Green Room" of Blenheim

Pipe Organ in the Library

The grounds are magnificent. It was just a little too chilly to take one of the 2 mile hikes. It looks like the village people bring their dogs there. In the summer, I'm sure the place is packed; even today, it was more crowded than one would think. We did walk around the outside gardens, including going to the secret garden.

The Secret Garden

To warm up for our long trip to Paris tomorrow, we ate at the French restaurant in Oxford. It was too busy to get us in last night but tonight, it wasn't very crowded. Real French food at about the same price we're paying for lunches. The wait staff was British.

And off to France.