Day 8 Oxford & Princess Diana
Today was a tour day. We squeaked out an arrival for our Oxford walking tour just in time! Grabbed a suuuper tight parking spot, paid for parking, only to learn that we could only park for an hour (but the tour is 2 hours). But it all worked out! After we toured the first college (Balliol), they waited for me on the street while I hurried to move our car a couple spots over and then pay again for another hour! Haha brilliant right?
The tour was super interesting. Lots of interesting facts about this old university- built in 1263!! If you get accepted to Oxford, then you get in to a specific college. Right now there are 38 colleges as a whole. Each college has its own focus and flavor. And the college "campus" is made up of a large rectangular courtyard, with a dining hall, accommodations, and 2 other parts of the rectangular building around the courtyard (but my brain is tired tonight and I can't remember them!).
When you need to go to class, you attend the "faculty". If you're a math major, then you go to the math faculty for classes. A literature major, then off to the literature faculty for classes.
The underclassmen get special tutors, and special help and assistance. At no extra cost. The school is supported by the upperclassmen according to our guide, Xena. Because it's more expensive to support the underclassmen with the extra time from staff and experts, they need all those colleges for the post graduates in order to have the funding they need. So they are in the process of building a 39th college now!! Just interesting info!!
We toured several parts of the university, including Divinity Hall and the Bodliean Library. We saw where a scene from Harry Potter was filmed too!! I got that on video for Amber!!
Once we finished our tour, we had to hustle to find something to eat so that we could hurry and drive up to Althorp before the estate closed. We went on foot and found an indoor open market type scene, with tons of shops and food booths to choose from. So I ordered falafel with herbed yogurt sauce, along with spicy chickpeas and braised green vegetables. It was really delicious!
Then off again further north to the Althorp Estate, where Princess Diana grew up. Turns out - this estate has belonged to the Spencer family since 1508!! We weren't allowed to take any photos inside the house, but let me just tell you: The ARTWORK was some of the most beautiful and impressive that I've ever seen! Painted portraits of family and others clear back to the 1500s. One of the hallways was lined with HUGE paintings of all the Spencers back to the first Earl. And some we were told were self portraits. I did purchase a guide book in the gift shop because it shows the pictures that we weren't allowed to take. I will peruse that at some point. But the entire house was just magnificent!!!
We then headed outside and followed the well groomed paths down to the "lake". I guess I should back up here. Grandma Lillian asked if we were planning to visit Princess Diana's burial site while we are in England. I hadn't even thought of it, but when we researched where it was, I was delighted to see that it was right on our way up north! So that's why we even stopped here to begin with. Well, in my research, I learned a few things. First off, Diana grew up here. The house has been in the family for hundreds of years. When she died in 1997, her brother, the current Earl Spencer (3 years younger) gave the most beautiful and stirring speech at her funeral. I guess that really put him on the map, as far as the locals say. He also wanted to protect her and care for her gravesite, away from the public, so he had her buried on the little island in the middle of the "lake" that's on the estate. No one can go out there, but there is a little memorial area on the edge of the lake where you can spend some time if you'd like.
We got a special treat out at the lake. Not only was the estate not as busy as they expected today (being the 21st anniversary of her death), but we were the last ones out wandering at the lake itself. And the security guard explained what happened next. Remember how no one is allowed to go out to the island in the middle, where Diana is buried? Well, besides the family, there is a groundskeeper that takes care of the lake and the burial site as well. He came down to the lake this afternoon to take some flowers out to her gravesite. We got to watch him get in his little rowboat, paddle out to the little dock, and unload the beautiful plants and flowers. How special that was! Later, we were in the gift shop and I was talking about this with the girl that worked at the register. Even she had no idea that there was a special groundskeeper for the lake and the island, and she certainly had no idea that he could have permission to go out there or to deliver flowers. She remarked what a special thing I had captured in that moment. (you'll see the photos)
And that brings me to my final thing of the day. The Trees at Birkins Croft. My goodness. What a treat! We are out here GLAMPING for the weekend! It is so peaceful and wonderful out here. You'll see all the pictures we took as soon as we arrived. Tim and his dad built everything by hand, and they even have a photo album showing the entire process. It is just the cutest place you'll ever find on Air BnB!!
I need to head off to bed again. Tomorrow is going to be SO FUN!! We will be attending the Chatsworth Country Fair. Everything classic British - all on a beautiful estate (Chatsworth Estate) that looks like something off Downton Abbey or something.
Link to photos:
Love to all,
Michele
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