Oxford, England, Stop 22

Aug 11

Dmitri and Jack get hair cuts today and Mia and I will get hair cuts in a few days. Yay! It’s so nice to have that done a few months into the trip. I walk with Dmitri to the city centre and we stroll around while Mia works on vlogs with Jack doing voice overs. We love the covered market and are amazed at some of the shops. There are all kinds of specialty shops, including a cake shop with glass windows where we see employees decorating cake. And wow. I mean, look at this cake!!!

If I was a lesbian surfer/snorkeler this is totally the cake I would want at my wedding!!

***Mia: Mom, you should get that cake for yourself and Wendy.*** Mia, we are more hikers than surfers, but I totally would!!!

Later that night the kids and I watch The Imitation Game in preparation for our visit to Bletchley Park in a few days. Our little flat is maybe a 15-20 minute walk into where the shops and things are and we are pleased we were able to find an airbnb at such late notice. It's also a good thing we don't like to climb on random walls in Oxford.

***Dmitri--We’re close to a good supermarket and, unsurprisingly for England, a great Indian place. When in doubt, we get Indian, Chinese or Thai. Indian in particular is one of the better ways to get decent vegetable-based food, which is key after stretches of meat and potatoes, or whatever the local equivalent is.***

There is a pub maybe a 2 minute walk from our flat and what do you know? They are having a Trivia Night! Dmitri, Mia, and I head down and strike out with the first team we try to join. No matter. Our second try is gold. We meet Polly and Georgia and Angus the dog and we kick ass! We have a wonderful time and come in first! Yay, team!

***Mia: Polly is friends with the band Glass Animals, who are from Oxford, of course! I really like Glass Animals so that was cool.***

Aug 12

We wake up to see an update on New Zealand. We have been waiting to see if they will be open this December. Looks like we will be canceling our December reservations and checking back to see if we will be able to travel there in 2022. This whole trip has been an exercise in patience. And flexibility. When we first made our plans years ago, we had such a different itinerary. We had grand plans to visit all 7 continents. We all had wish list places that have since gotten knocked off. But we are out in the world. We are making it work. And we may not make it to all 7 continents on this trip. So be it.

For today, we will make it to the Cotswalds. At least two of us will. I set off with Dmitri for a day of adorable villages and impossible Cotswalds cuteness. First up is Bibury, which is very Hobbitty. We luckily find a parking spot pretty easily and we walk around. Weather jackpot again.

***Dmitri: It features the most quaint street in England, which is actually on their passports or money. I can’t remember. Anyway, it’s cute.

We end up driving through about five villages across the Cotswolds. It’s the sort of area I can imagine going antiquing in about 20 years, but for now a day is just fine. I’m also getting to my quota of narrow roads and about ready to let others get me from A to B.***

Next we drive around a bit more and then park and walk around Bourton-on-the-Water. We have a below average lunch in an above average setting. It rains but we have gear and it's still charming.

Driving around the beautiful English countryside was a treat today and seeing more road signs made us smile.

While we are gone, the kids are pretty happy to have sibling time. I.e., no mom and dad bugging them to work on their blogs or read a book or whatever else.

***Jack--I remained in Oxford with my sister and we had a small outing, we went to the Oxford Covered Market and got some food and some pretty interesting milkshakes, I stuck with vanilla but Mia got a Battenberg cake milkshake.***

***Mia: Battenberg cake milkshake! Oh my god! Best thing ever. Battenberg is one of my favorite sweets and you can only get it in UK grocery stores (or order it for a lot more money online). I was thrilled to have it in shake form.***

August 13

Today is the last day for us not only in Oxford, but also in the UK. We walk around Oxford one last time and see the college and the greens and grab lunch.

***Jack--I loved Oxford but I think I had enough time here to really absorb everything about this place and I'm very exited to go to Portugal.***

***Dmitri--Oxford is a great town. I’m still more biased towards Cambridge as a place to visit, as the river and town there are hard to beat, but Oxford certainly has its charms. Every street feels like a Hogwarts backdrop. It’s of course the other way around, but if you haven’t been you can get the sense that it’s a bit magical, old-y, and very old-school stuffy and British, mostly in a good way.***

Then it’s back to do laundry and pack up. Mia and I go for our hair appointments and are pleased to have found a gem of a little salon in Oxford. If you ever find yourself in Oxford in need of a salon, go here: https://herasalonoxford.co.uk/home

Plus, isn't this brilliant! In this chair you don't have to tip your head back at an awkward angle!!!

After the lovely trip to the salon, all four of us need to have covid tests to enter Portugal. Luckily, we find tests in a local mall within walking distance. Unluckily, it is VERY expensive for the four of us to be tested. Nevertheless, we pay and quickly test negative. As expected.

August 14

We are out the door early today as we have a drive to Bletchley Park, then a drive to Heathrow to return our rental car before getting on a plane to Portugal.

Bletchley Park is amazing. It is where the WWII code breakers secretly lived and worked while trying to decipher the German Enigma machine. The whole place is very well done and extremely interesting. https://bletchleypark.org.uk/

The Mansion at Bletchley

Alan Turing's bombe machine

***Dmitri: I’m thrilled to return the car unscathed! My pulse should drop a bit going forward.

England and Wales have been great, but I am looking forward to some beach weather and a change of pace and scenery. We knew the driving trip would be tiring, and pacing is important to factor in on a long trip. It’s time to kick our feet up and drink a beer or a sangria (the Portuguese also claim ownership of the drink!).***

**Jack--I loved seeing Bletchley Park and recognizing everything from the movie I saw with my mom. It was very interesting to hear about to codebreaking and see where it all took place.***