better late than never...

So I wrote this a few days ago intending for it to get posted but could get internet. I figured I would go ahead and post it anyway...

May 24
Today was a great day of garden touring! We had great weather and 2 beautiful gardens that were each spectacular. The first place we stopped was Hidcote Manor Garden. It was an expansive garden that combined various private areas with semi private to very open areas. Had there been less people there (as where a lot) the private areas would have been great for getting lost for a little R & R. The more open areas attracted the guys as they were instantly draw in to the croquet set that was sitting out for anyone to enjoy. I think Jimmy played 4 or 5 games before finally deciding to check out the rest of the garden!
The plants at Hidcote were gorgeous! There was a huge variety of plants and even a couple specimens that I had not seen at any other the other gardens. The private areas were arranged in the same organic/natural fashion that we have seen over and over. The more manicured areas were done such that they created 'rooms' within the garden. It was really neat to move through the different spaces as they changed shape, color, and even texture- this was accomplished through the use of different ground covers, plants, and use of statuary. We also experienced our first Haha wall- its a wall that uses a bit of an optical illusion where from a far it looks like the land is continuous but once you get up close you see there is actually a bit of a ditch before the ground slopes back up and is meant to keep livestock penned in. The reason it is called a Haha wall, as I was told, is because if you weren't paying attention you would fall into the ditch and everyone else would have a good laugh.
The second garden we went to was Blenheim Palace. The Palace was extrordinary! It was the birth place of Winston Churchill so as we toured through the palace we got a history of Churchill's life and got to see the room he was born in, letters he had written to his father, and even the place he proposed to his wife, Clementine. It was really neat and the palace, as you can imagine was beautifully decorated. The gardens of the palace we equally as incredible as there were beautifully decorated courtyards and large expansive lawns. We causally made our way around the grounds taking it all in!
From Blenheim we headed to Oxford for the night. Unlike every other hotel we have stayed at, The Oxford Hotel is on the outskirts of town so about half of us for went the usual going out and instead walked about 15 minutes down the road to a little town that had 2 restaurants. After a satisfying dinner, Jimmy, Bin, and Andy decided to take the bus into Oxford to meet up with the rest of the group while Beth, Liz, Payton, Taylor, Carrie, and myself started walking back to the hotel. Along the way we were walking past this giant pasture with cows and horses that was actually open to the public to walk through and enjoy. After sitting on the pasture fence for a while just enjoying the scenery and company we decided to venture into the field for a little walk. It was so cool!!! We were just walking along the path, passing by cows who were a few meters away grazing, they would glance up at us as we passed then go right back to eating! Eventually, we turned around and headed back to the hotel, stopping at BP to get some snacks for the night and next few days. Then the six of us came back to the hotel and had a girls night in mine and Beth's room!