A late return.

Let me start by apologizing for my lack of postings. I know I gave a caveat before this journey began stating that I likely wouldn't post much, however, I'll admit that the reason I haven't been posting is that I, myself, had fallen behind in the blog and didn't want to accidentally double-blog about the same incident.

That said, I felt that I would not be remiss in not giving some kind of recap for the last two weeks. I've decided to split these experiences into two separate posts to keep things more manageable, unfortunately they are still a bit long.

First up, Oxford.

I loved our stay in Oxford.

The Cotswold Lodge Hotel was a splendid little hotel. They had a wonderful little lounge area where guests could sit, relax, and catch up on some reading. We had some absolutely wonderful afternoon teas in the hotel bar, where everything seemed to be proportioned just right. The staff were friendly and helpful. And the rooms were a nice mix of country home contemporary, allowing the guest to retreat to a cozy space that felt both relaxing and modern. I would definitely recommend staying there if you ever have cause to visit Oxford. (Take this recommendation with a grain of salt, though, as I must admit I have no idea what this home away from home wound up costing us).

The beautiful Cotswold Manor.

Besides our lodgings, I would have to say that my greatest experience had to do with overall experience. One of the main things which has stayed with me through this trip is the feeling of marvel that accompanies walking through these cities which are filled with such history. There is such a respect for heritage in these places, which really shows through in the architecture. So many of the buildings which we have been around have been old, historic buildings. But time and time again, we have seen large-scale restoral projects aimed at maintaining history, rather than just paving over it, which amazes me. For while admittedly, buildings in North America are typically much younger than those found in Europe, we tend to take the approach of bulldozing our old, worn-down buildings to make space for newer, "better" buildings. Perhaps it was just the areas we've frequented, but it certainly seems like Europeans truly respect their cities history.

A view of one of the colleges of Oxford.

The other highlight of Oxford, for me, would have to be the tea. Not to say that the specific teas that we had were anything spectacular, just your average run of the mill tea, but rather the whole experience of having an afternoon tea.

I have been an avid tea drinker from a very young age, ask anyone in my family and they will gladly tell you about my slightly ridiculous tea collection. The one thing I've never done and always wanted to do was to have a tea party - an obsession which has only been intensified over the years by period dramas, movies, and books. Something about the simple elegance of a cup of freshly brewed tea and a selection of dainty sandwiches and cakes has always appealed to me (some of life's best pleasures are it's simplest ones) and Oxford certainly did not disappoint. Something seemed so right about having tea and finger sandwiches in the elegant Cotswold Manor and again at the Grande Cafe, it was pretty much exactly as I had always hoped it would be.

A section of the bar area of Cotswold Manor where I had two splendid afternoon teas.

 

I must admit that I left Oxford with thoughts of how splendid it would be to be able to study there and be surrounded and immersed in such an amazing culture.

Thought someone might enjoy this note.