Somewhere Along The Way Everything Fell Into Place

It’s only the first week of class and already I’m feeling the stress of taking two English units and one Philosophy unit, and as we get further into the term, I can only see this stress increasing by tenfold. It’s not so much that the subjects are difficult, but it’s just the amount of reading and essay writing I’m going to have to do! Especially since my essays carry so much weight going into my final exam. Gah! Just writing about it is already stressing me out!

But okay! Let’s not dampen the mood with my whining about how much work I have, I want this post to be happy! Coz I was very happy when these pictures were taken! :)

Can’t believe that it’s been almost 3 weeks since I was in England with my family. I had the best time ever there, not so much because I loved England (although I did) or that the shopping was good (although it was), but because I got to spend uninterrupted time with my family doing things that are NOT related to work, racing or school!

But before we continue, let me just tell you guys that I really don’t have many pictures of England because when we were in London, all we did was shop and well, I was too busy shopping to bother taking pictures. Heh. :p And then when we left London to go to the countryside (Cotswold, for those of you who are wondering), I was just having such a good time that I totally forgot about taking pictures.

I think that’s a sure sign that you’re having a good time btw. That you’re having so much fun and are so into the moment that you’re just totally focused on staying in the moment. Well, that’s what Cotswold was for me. I just wanted to stay in the moment.

So these pictures were taken on our last day in England at Blenheim Palace in Oxfordshire which was about a 20-30 minute drive away from where we stayed in Cotswold.

I’m assuming that most people don’t know what Blenheim Palace is (I didn’t before this!), so it was the place where Winston Churchill was born (although he never lived there) and it’s the property that belongs to the Duke and Duchess of Marlborough. The current Duke and Duchess still live there (in a wing that is not opened to guests) and the past Dukes and Duchesses of Marlborough have lived there for many generations.

Their estate is MASSIVE, like, seriously huge, but I suppose when you helped England defeat the French (the Queen of England gave this estate and the title of Duke to the first Duke of Marlborough as a reward for his victory against the French), no estate is too large!

 

Walking in the “garden” which is more like the size of a forest reserve. Lol.

 

 

This is the rose garden. Their gardens are so large, they’re divided into sections. The rose garden, the hanging gardens, the garden where they have the fairies who produce gold. Lol.

 

They had so many colours of roses too! And even the roses were huge! They were the size of my fist! You’d think it was America, with the sheer massive-ness about this place and everything in it!

See what I mean by massive? This is just one wing of the house. I really can’t imagine living in such a massive house. It’s like a hotel! You’d stay skinny just by having to walk around your house everyday!

Okay, I know this shot is blurry, but for some reason, it’s my favourite picture. There’s just something about it, something I can’t quite put my finger on that makes me love it.

This was the shot I was trying to take in the picture above. The sun was just behind the palace and it looked so majestic, I had to try and capture it.

 

I don’t know what garden or fountain this was. But seriously, most swimming pools aren’t even that big.

Okay, I know I went on and on and on about how huge Blenheim Palace is, but really, it was so huge, it still boggles my mind. And the interior of Blenheim Palace was just as huge and it was so luxurious, I can’t even imagine living like that!

Ah, writing this post has really made me miss England. Not so much London, coz I didn’t really like London (more on this in a little while), but I miss Cotswold. Beautiful, quiet, serene, almost untouched by multinational companies, it’s like stepping into an Enid Blyton novel.

I wish so much I had pictures to show you guys where we stayed at while we were in Cotswold, it was a beautiful old manor, a B&B run by a husband and wife. I wish I could have the words to describe the place to you but nothing I say will do it justice. It was a house right out of a period novel. They had apple and pear trees in their garden. APPLE AND PEAR TREES! We plucked a couple of apples and ate them and they were so full of flavour! And the people who owned the place were the nicest people ever!

London on the other hand, I didn’t like so much. Don’t get me wrong, I enjoyed my time there. The shopping was good and we watched a really funny theatre show (Avenue Q, which is basically Sesame Street but for adults) but I didn’t love it the way I love Spain and Cotswold. London is just like any other big city in the world. There are HEAPS of people everywhere who are always in a rush and don’t have time to be nice to you. For those of you who are taking a holiday to England, I strongly suggest spending a couple of days in London for shopping and then moving to the countryside because London, does NOT capture the real England!

Wow, this was a long post! If you read the whole thing, thank you, you’re a trooper. :)