Oxford

We are just nearing the end of a three day stint in Oxford visiting our friends here. We've enjoyed the architecture and history surrounding us everywhere. I had a tour of the Bodleian Library in the University which included the examination room in the Divinity school (built in 1427-88) and part of the research library (1602) that houses the oldest books and manuscripts in England.

Tomorrow we leave for Sweden!

Images from Oxford

Oxford, UK, a set on Flickr.

The Lake District

John and Martin took us to the lake district and toured us through rocky hills and lush valleys. We enjoyed seeing a rougher, more rustic section of England. This area is loaded with sheep which look more like insulated goats. Beatrix Potter is famous for purchasing the very land we traveled today in the interest of keeping it as is, for the public, and in perpetuity.

The romance of the Lake District

Ulverston, Cumbria, UK, a set on Flickr.

Ulverston, Cumbria UK

We arrived in Ulverston last night after 21 hours of travel. Our roundabout route took us via Calgary, then into Heathrow, Manchester and finally a train to Ulverston, South of the English Lake District. Because we actually lost 8 hours in there it made August 25th actually our shortest anniversary ever.

So here we are, in this amazing historic town staying with our friends, Martin & John. They own a B&B right in the middle of the town with every kind of shop just a few steps away. The buildings around us date back to the 1100s and we're staying in the top room of this 250 year home full of original woodwork and collected Georgian era antiques.

Today we went for a stroll through town taking in some rain along with the touristy things Ulverston is known for. One important stop was the busy community theater where Laurel and Hardy stand in the doorway. This is the birthplace of Laurel and a museum to this effect is here too.

We are snapping pictures as we go along and posting them to our flickr account if you want to see more.

An empty house

We've had a steady stream of friends visiting since Joel got back from LA. As my family leaves today and tomorrow we'll back to a house with a population of 2 for the first time since early May. It's been a great summer. We've had many memorable meals here, emptied many cases of wine and the hammock has been in use nearly every day.

Joel and I leave for our short vacation to Europe on Monday with two brief stops in England and then 5 days in Sweden. It's the fastest paced trip I've planned yet, every two days is a full travel day but I'm really looking forward to it. We'll write a few blog posts along the way I'm sure.