Cotswolds - Tue, Aug 19th
Started the day out and about in Oxford City doing errands. Stopped in the small garden next to the old Saxon tower for coffee/hot cider. Sat there enjoying the warmish weather, almost sun and listening to 2 street singers. (Looked like a father/son duo, they were very good and obviously enjoyed performing.) Then back to the flat to join the Fathers for lunch (shepherd's pie and fava beans). We've been eating at the Hall alot more this trip. No cooking so it's more like a real vacation and their food is not only varied and nutritious but we are enjoying conversations with the Fathers.
Street singers and coffee from James Sandefur on Vimeo.
Left the flat at 16:30 (4:30 pm - no I'm not really used to the 24hour clock) for a 2.5 mile walk to the home of Jim's colleagues. The walk was very interesting as we ventured outside the city centre. Walking along Botley Road we crossed 3 bridges - later found out they are all separate tributaries of the Thames River! Click here to watch the video with 5 pictures that should open in your Windows Media Player. 1) taken from one of the bridges, beautiful view of narrow boats docked along the Thames. 2) a pub that we passed to also show the cobbled sidewalk on the left. Commonplace around here so one has to continually be careful not to trip or sprain an ankle 3) the sign outside the church in the next picture; 4) church picture taken for it's beautiful architecture and 5) to show the Chemist shop with the "do not stop here" crooked lines down the middle of the road.
Jim's friends then drove us to the Cotswolds (click for Wickipedia's info) to look at a couple villages, walk to a church, then to a pub for dinner.
We are always amazed as John races us thru the various round-abouts and along country roads (1.5 lanes wide but cars go both ways - eeks!). The Cotswolds are abundant with small villages and Public Footpaths (crossing private land - generally fields/pastures).
The collage shows 1) one of the many gates as you pass from one person's land to another. Gated to keep the livestock from passing through. In this case sheep and cows. 2) The interesting front door of the church 3) the village church set in the middle of fields reached by following one of the Public Footpath's about 1/2 mile thru pastures filled with sheep and cows. 4) the churchyard is surrounded by a small dry moat, fenced in with 4 stone steps up thru the iron gate - all to keep out the livestock.
Dinner was at the Horse & Groom in Caulcott. We'd eaten there on our trip 3.5 years ago so neglected to take more pictures. Click here for their website with pics of this 16th century freehouse with it's thatched roof, entry room with fireplace and chalkboard menus, pics of food and the "main" dining area (with red tablecloths) - we at at the large table in the back to the left of the fireplace.
