Stay Connected
Don't leave just yet. Besides these articles, sometimes I send out extra special stuff. Don't miss out. Sign up here.
This summer I had the privilege of going on vacation. While lying on a beach can be glorious, my idea of a fun vacation is one where I can learn, rest and explore. England had all of that…so I went. Oh, and did I mention that unicorns are everywhere?
That’s really why I went.
I first want to thank ALL of the Facebook and Twitter peeps who gave me great suggestions on what to see during my trip; it was a huge help. Below are a few highlights.
Watch your back Rick Steves…
The catalyst for my entire trip was to attend a week long event in Oxford put on by Ravi Zacharias’s RZIM Oxford organization. It was a week full of lectures and discussions interspersed with a “tea break” every 4.7 seconds. Brilliant!
A highlight for me was sitting in the back row each day with Os Guinness. His opinion may differ, but I consider him my new BFF (Best Friends FOREVER) since we DID pass notes and I DID watch him write the outline for a possible book during one of our lectures. (I’m not subtle with peaking.) When I said goodbye to him and his wife at the end of the week he said that he was excited to “check me out on the YouTube.”
I’m guessing once he has seen the YouTube, our friendship, and any credibility I hold, will come to an end.
I also randomly had dinner with a Lord. No, not THE Lord, but an actual Lord in the English system of royalty, parliament and all that stuff. He was extremely kind and humble and, yes, his children are friends with Will and Harry. Harry just comes over to his house to hang out. Naturally.
OK, enough of my ramblings about the older men I love.
For Oxford I recommend:
This is the English countryside and I loved everything about the stillness and storybook charm of this area. This was probably the highlight of my England experience because it was so restful.
London was a tad overwhelming to me. I had just come from the quiet countryside and London is anything but quiet. In my old age I think I am developing claustrophobia…of people.
But I still saw and learned about some incredible things…
“When I get to heaven, I mean to spend a considerable portion of my first million years in painting.” –Winston Churchill
OK, this has gotten way too long. There’s far more, but this is what stands out! If you are headed to England feel free to ask me any questions.
TIP: Most museums have audio guides for a small fee and free tours on the hour or every couple hours. I highly recommend taking advantage of this and just focusing on one section of a museum instead of trying to do it all.
TIP TWO: There is always something going on. I would take pictures of signs for different events and then at night decide what I wanted to do. But remember…you can’t do everything. If you do, you’ll end up exhausted and broke. England is pricey!!
IF I COULD GO BACK: I wouldn’t go in the summer.
SOMETHING I SHOULD REGRET BUT DON’T: Daily croissant…or two.
PUT IT IN A BOTTLE: British accent and British doors.
SHALLOW OBSERVATION: London has the highest concentration of attractive, fashionable people of any city I’ve traveled. My staring was at an all time high.
Sincerely,
Rick Steve’s Evil Twin
* Thanks to new friends Vanessa and Rob who confidently drove and navigated the Cotswolds and the opposite side of the road!
Stay Connected
Don't leave just yet. Besides these articles, sometimes I send out extra special stuff. Don't miss out. Sign up here.
Love and Respect (Now) is a division of Love and Respect. Please be considerate.
I’m not too near the rioting myself, but lots of friends being sent home from work to get out of the way – Pray for London!
As to my fav things:
Afternoon Tea at the Ritz is amazing for a special treat, and about as British as you can get.
Wandering around the Cotswolds is my other fave 🙂
I freakin’ love everything about this post. I mean, I don’t usually even use the word “freakin'” but I can’t think of a better adjective to use so let’s go with it. Anyway, the pictures are awesome. (Loved catching them first on Instagram, btw). Also, I’m jealous of your church Sunday. I went to St Paul’s by myself when I was in London. I did the audio tour and had a Japanese tourist take a picture of me on top of the church. I felt like a total nerd but I look back on that day with great memories. I’m also highly jealous that you saw our husband’s jacket. Gwenie has nothing on us. Welcome home!
Thanks! It was so fun, minus the fact that I was one of 3,400,343,986 tourists. I TRULY stumbled upon that jacket. It was in a random side room and I was like…”whhhhaaa? Why isn’t this in the main entrance of the whole museum? Why should some sculpture from the 13th century take precedence? C’mon people!” Would love to see your solo shot at St. Pauls. I felt like I was in a movie. Again…sans tourists.
Hi, Joy. What a nice post. I’m a reader from Brazil, found your blog some months ago and all I can say is: I love reading it. Thanks for the good tips and comments about England; I’m planning a visit for next year. Btw, nice to know I’m not the only one crazy about WWII, hehe.
Yo Joy – love your writing…you’re really funny! i can spend a lot of work time…i mean, free time, jumping from article to article on here. good stuff! loved reading about your trip. my dad has a degree from Oxford and i’ve been fortunate to go over a couple of times! my life changed a little when i went to evensong at Christ Church and knelt on stone that was literally worn down from the decades and decades of others kneeling there to worship the same God. just too cool! old stuff rocks! anyway, you’ve inspired me – i’m going to try to attend that program next year if i can! sounded pretty awesome!
I’ve attempted to go to England twice with both times backfiring on me and never actually making it. I think that maybe I’m doomed to never go. My new plan is to go to Scotland, and then secretly sneak over spontaneously, before it can be ruined.
I’ve been in Spain and France for the past month, so now have to madly catch up on all the blog entries that i’ve missed while i’ve been away.
Nim thinks...
I’m so glad you loved your holiday! Makes me love England even more reading your list. Last month I went to Evensong atWestminster Abbey, and it made me cry like a baby!
Love Nim – A true Brit with the accent and everything 😉
| at |