England

We only had a weekend in England, but it was worth the drive. Thanks to blogging friend White Horse Pilgrim, we have a feel for the Oxford area now.

This is way, way bigger than a Washington State Ferry. It was quite intimidating. The customs check was not a pleasant experience for me. Usually I get waved through in both Germany and America, and my husband is the one who has to have fingerprints taken and iris photos and lots of questions. This time I was the suspected terrorist, it was unnerving.

On the ferry, one of the first things we saw. *lol*

Suddenly there are three types of currency in my wallet! that one on top looks so fake to me. (And the one on bottom seems so worthless.) I was anxious to get started eating English food, so ordered a pint of dark beer  (John Smiths) and my man got fish & chips. It suddenly became very strange to understand everyone - I couldn't block anything out, and it turns out, I can understand British English fine, unlike Australian.

I was getting ready for a weekend of grey weather, my favorite.

The lower deck (there were multiple car decks) was for semis. This thing is just huge. Sadly, no Ivar's clam chowder for me!

There's another one, parked in Dover as we arrived. You can make out castles on top of the cliffs.

Yes, there are white cliffs in Dover.

I asked my man to drive in England for the most part, because I saw how he handled New York city and I knew his nerves can handle anything. So the highways aren't any big deal, cuz they're separated, except that you know the fast lane is the far right. It's the bloody roundabouts - oh, my, gosh, England has very few intersections, they have multi-lane roundabouts that you have to learn how to use, quick. Oh, and stay to the left! On this trip I only spoke German once, to a hotel employee, and felt so, so stupid about it. I'm programmed: Stranger? Speak German.

As we walked into Oxford after leaving our car at a park & ride, we saw a horse and this sign.

I like the row houses as described in the Narnia books.

On the river Thames, people sat at a cafe and enjoyed the sunshine.

Christ Church

More Christ Church

Thanks blogger for turning this image *sigh*

Fancy mailboxes with several options

I wanted to see the University, and learned it is spread out throughout Oxford in several old buildings. You can almost make out the cherry blossoms in this photo, it was breathtaking in RL.

We were geocaching, searching for particular gargoyles.

More pointy buildings

This is the old castle, 900 years old.

The bridges had cute names. The water level is very high due to horrible flooding all over England currently. WHP explained that the sewers backed up and the city installed portapotties in front of homes, including shower stalls. We only got stopped by high water once. Lots of sandbags around town.

I bet it streamed right over this bridge a week earlier.

Daffodills! England hit Spring first apparently.

Martyr tower, reminds me of Bremen.

And here is the reason I came - The Eagle and Child is famous for hosting CS Lewis and Tolkien and friends for their weekly meeting to criticize bad literature. I didn't think there'd be room on a Saturday night, but I was wrong.

We squeezed in to the short end of a long table in the Rabbit Room, right under the photos of CS Lewis. WHP got me a nice dark beer. I'd brought my copy of Mere Christianity (given to me by my grandmother) just so I could say it's been there.

The Eagle and Child has quotes referring to Lewis and Tolkein, very cute.

For dinner WHP let me choose and I was at a total loss until I saw Giraffe, a chain restaurant I'd only seen at Heathrow airport and I always eat there, so I had to go in. The food is very trendy, I love it.The people in England are so freaking polite. They, like Americans, are always saying "sorry!" when they get too close to you, and the breakfast nook at the hotel was funny, how often the word sorry was heard. Once *I* bumped someone gently and *HE* said sorry! Germans have manners, but they don't involve apologizing for bumping or crowding. However, even proper English people eat with their fork in their left hand - turned upside down! I was very surprised. I can eat with my left hand now (fork in left, knife in right), but I don'dt think I'll be stabbing my food with an upside down fork anytime soon. (OK Mom, honestly, I eat like you taught me most of the time. Fork in right hand, left hand on lap.)

They don't lie - it's hot. The reason I had to take a photo - although England's economy is not doing so well, at least their resetaurants have warm water in the bathrooms! I miss that so much.

WHP took us to a much more relaxed pub (the Duke, I think) that was just huge, so we could talk easily. We had this one room almost to ourselves.

Check out the furniture. If I lived there, I'd be there often.

We sat by a fireplace with a soccer game up top.

WHP had to go catch his train, so we said goodbye and hung out there enjoying that quiet atmosphere a while longer before walking all the way back to the park & ride.

Next, WHP shows us 2 amazing things we'd never experienced before, including his namesake, and, oh yes, his HORSE!