Today was a great day to go to Oxford and Stratford-Upon-Avon. The weather was dry but really windy, so quite cool. Our first stop near Oxford was The Kilns--home of C.S. Lewis from 1930 to 1963. Here are a couple views of it. It is not open to the public, but the public goes there to take pictures.
The next pictures are of Holy Trinity Headington Quarry which is where Lewis attended church. He was also buried in the graveyard next to the church.
It is difficult to read the writing on the gravestone. It was even difficult in person but this may help.
Next on our agenda was eating lunch in the Rabbit Room of the Eagle and Child. This was the favorite meeting place of the Inklings of which C.S. Lewis and J.R.R. Tolkien were part. I have included pictures that were on the wall in the Rabbit Room. It was an interesting place to eat. You simply go in and find your own table. Menus are on the table, so when everyone knows what they want someone from your table goes to the bar to place your order, giving them your table number so they know where to find you. The rooms are small--the Rabbit Room only holds about 10 people total.
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| Sorry for the blur--I was walking and it was the only pic I took. |
We didn't spend much time walking the streets of Oxford because of the crush of people. Not only was it crowded, but before we had walked 10 minutes, we had to step over a couple of homeless men who were unconscious on the sidewalk and try to avoid a prancing transvestite dressed in a short frilly pink dress. Sorry folks, no pic of that.
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| The crowds of people made walking a straight path impossible. |
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| Here are a few interesting buildings in Oxford. |
I was happy to get out of Oxford after our great lunch at the Eagle and Child. Vern recommends the Toad in the Hole as a menu option, by the way. Just in case any of you are going to the Eagle and Child soon--(Jim and Joy.)
The next stop was Straford-Upon-Avon and this place was amazing. No crowds! The buildings were beautiful and the streets were wide and the people were much more family oriented. We visited Shakespeare's birthplace, his place of education and his gravesite as well as a beautiful park along the river where we saw a ton of swans. The next pics are some of the buildings in the town.
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| Shakespeare's Birthplace |
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| No massive crowds in the streets! |
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| This is my kind of town. Did I mention that there were no crowds? |
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| Town Hall |
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| Lloyds Bank |
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| "Cream Teas" are tea with scones and clotted cream. |
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| Checking the Map |
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| Shakespeare's Grammar School |
The next pic is Shakespeare's Gravesite which is inside the church. As a matter of fact, his grave is in the place the altar usually is. When we got within a few yards of it, they wanted about $10 to view the box so I just settled for taking a long-distance pic. Wonder what Shakespeare would have said about this practice?
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| Gravesite of William Shakespeare |
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| A walk along the riverside park. |
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| This is the ladies room and they were doing a wonderful job of grooming themselves. |
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| Now they are all ready for a night on the town! |
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| Indoor theater |
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| I've heard good things about Barnaby's Fish and Chips! |
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| Shopping Area in the Cotswolds where we are staying. |
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| Our favorite eating place in the area. |
We ended our day at our favorite eatery. Since we were too full for dessert last night, we decided to split an entree of fish and chips and then get 2 servings of Sticky Toffee Pudding pictured below. It was delightful! Came with ice cream too and the toffee syrup was to die for.
That's it for another day. Tomorrow will be more restful as we wander around the Cotswolds.
So charming!
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