On our first day we took side trip to Kings Langley, about one hour away by car, to visit childhood friends of my parents. Lu and John Smith have known both my parents and us for many many years and it was lovely to see them and to spend an afternoon with them.
We topped the day off with a lovely dinner at the Boar's Head a pub with a lovely atmosphere and even better food!
We spent the next very rainy day wandering through Oxford. Alan and Hilary came with us as we wound our way through the streets past old buildings and the colleges of Oxford University.
We visited the Oxford Museum where we saw incredible Roman artifacts.
Then we moved on to the Natural History Museum. The collection is amazing, topped only by the building it is in. The building was built to be a museum and houses two collections, one artifacts of the natural world...
...And the second housing the Pitt Rivers collection. This collection was started in the eighteen hundreds by a colonel in the army who, having been charged with developng a new gun, started collecting guns from around the world. He eventually gave uis collector to this museum in Oxford and through others' donations it has grown. It was so interesting because it includes an eclectic collection of artifacts, grouped together based on their use or type rather than by epoch or geographical region. It would take many days to thoroughly explore the entire collection.
We spent a quiet day Monday. Paul and Alan went out to play pool while the ladies relaxed. We finished the day with a tour of the Oxford Plant where the MINI is produced. This was an incredible tour which all four of us found incredibly interesting and informative. I came way wanting an Emeragle Green Cooper S, until I saw the price that is!
Before we knew it our last day was upon us and we spent it wandering around the village of Abbingdon, the oldest city in England.
This included a visit to the local museum, from the roof of which we could see the city around us. We learned about 'bun throwing' a tradition of throwing buns fro the city hall into crowds below when there are celebrations, especially of a royal nature.
We saw the oldest street in the village and the two churches which are their centre. The Thames runs through the village and we watched a narrow boat make it's way down the waterway.
After these days spent with family we prepared to leave and bid Britain adieu.
Stats: 40 days in Wales, Britian, and Scotland, drove 3,394 miles (5,500 km); walked 90 miles 144 kilometers.
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