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…

PART ONE: Oxford

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:

• C.S. Lewis Tour of the Kilns: Book in advance because there are certain times during the year when tours are not available. You can see where he and his brother lived for many years before his wife, Joy joined them. You can also wander around and sit in his peaceful nature preserve.

• College Gardens: Oxford has 39 colleges. You can explore colleges that were in Harry Potter, affiliated with Lewis, Tolkien, Wycliff, Sayers, Whitfield, Tyndale, Wesley, etc. Many cost money but one of my favorites was Worcester College because it was FREE and had barely any tourists.

• Housing: For the RZIM program we stayed in The Queen’s College.  In the summer many of the colleges rent out rooms. It’s much cheaper than a hotel and I found out that John Wycliff AND the guy who invented HTML went to Queen’s. Not to mention Mr. Bean. Amazing.

• The Oxford Orchestra: If you come over to my apartment, you’ll most likely hear classical music playing. I love it. But even if you don’t, this is worth attending. You will feel like angels are kissing your eardrums. I also had the priviledge of hearing them play in the intimate Sheldonian Theatre which Lewis and his brother would often attend.

• Coffee: England is known for its tea. It’s incredible. Their coffee however seemed to be lacking. In Oxford, the best place to get a good cup was at Taylors. (Thanks to my British friend, Ben for the heads up.)

• Pubs: Adorable ones everywhere.  Obviously many know of the Eagle and Child where Lewis and the Inklings met, but few know that they also met at The White Horse and The Lamb and Flag, too. I’m pretty sure they met wherever they could get a good meal and a luke-warm English beer. My father and I first stumbled upon The Old Bookbinders which serves everything from fish and chips to warm monkey nuts….aka peanuts.

• Churches: I attended Sunday service at Christ’s Church Cathedral. The bulletin announced they were selling their old chairs to church members for 20 pounds. I contemplated joining so I could buy a few and sell them on eBay to crazy Harry Potter fans.

• Shows: Saw an outdoor rendition of Shakespeare’s “As You Like It” in the quad of the gorgeous Bodleian Library. Bought tickets the day of the show.

PART TWO: The Cotswolds

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.

• Villages: You can drive* from small village to small village and have a bread and cheese picnic under a tree. Most likely the cheese is from a goat 200 yards away. Oh, and if you sit directly under a tree, there’s a good chance you will get pooped on. What, just me?

• Biking: You might go for a bike ride down a “track road” and meet a toothless shepherd named Barry who will tell you all about his sheep hobby, or go for a walk in the woods and run into Paul walking his dog, Harvey. Both of them will stop and talk to you…and talk…and talk.

• Churches: You might stumble upon a church – or 10.  Want to see something from the 13th century? Just look around. The churches are unlocked 24 hours a day with signs for you to shut the doors when you leave so the birds don’t nest and go potty on the hymnals. Their birds seem to have some serious bowel issues.

PART THREE: London

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…

• Churchill War Rooms: A must. Not only am I a new lover of history, but especially WWII. This place was gold. There is a new museum dedicated exclusively to Churchill where you can learn about his neglectful parents, see his personal paintings (he was quite the artist), learn why people loved or hated him and even read love letters between him and his wife. I loved this quote…

“When I get to heaven, I mean to spend a considerable portion of my first million years in painting.”         –Winston Churchill

• Victoria and Albert Museum: If you have seen the film Young Victoria, then you will know about how much she and her husband loved and supported the arts. This museum was an eclectic masterpiece, and you could dedicate days to all the different areas.  I did a free guided tour of pieces from the Renaissance, but my freak-out moment was when I stumbled across the jacket Stella McCartney designed for Chris Martin’s Coldplay tour. Eee!

• Churches: I attended Westminster Abbey for early morning prayer and holy communion. It’s free if you go that early and I had the place ENTIRELY to myself…just me and the ghosts of royal weddings, funerals and coronations past. Then I stopped by St. Paul’s for an evening prayer (picture our U.S. Capitol…yup, I think we stole the design). I then tipped the scales and checked out Holy Trinity Brompton and Hillsong London. I’m not trying to impress you with my church attendance, rather I love worshipping my God and reminding myself that people can worship in many different ways.

• Shows: I saw “Wicked!” (yes, that deserves an exclamation point). They even have binoculars you can rent for one pound; totally worth it to see all the details of the set design. I bought my ticket before I left so I was guaranteed a seat, and sure, I had to deplete my future child’s college fund, but it was worth it. There’s also cheap tickets you can purchase the day of a show.

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.

SUMMARY:

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!