New Year! New Sites!

2017 has been off to a great start! Aaron and the kids didn't have to be back to school for a few days so we took full advantage of the sunny weather ahead. Check out our touristy side...

Blenheim Palace

When you manage to drive around as much as we do, you can't help but see the same "brown sign with the castle" pop up! One might almost assume all roads lead to Blenheim Palace! We didn't know anything about the tourist attraction other than it was just that...a tourist attraction.

There had been several advertisements posted everywhere in our hometown exclaiming the "Winter Wonderland" experience found on the grounds during Christmastime. Apparently, there is a big Christmas light show there every year and it is something to behold. Christmas Lights! Music! History! Only my favorite things in the world! We decided to head out and have ourselves a peek. It was sunny after all, which in and of itself is a rarity in these parts of the world. You HAVE to take advantage when you can. 

All that sunshine and green grass can be quite deceiving though. No, it is NOT late June; it's early January and it is COLD outside. The impressive humidity over here ensures all your clothes, despite your best efforts, have a slightly damp feeling to them so the gentle breeze quietly cuts right through your denim. "HELLOOOOOOOOO WINTER!"

Regardless, we bundled up like snowmen and headed out on a new adventure outside of Oxford. We landed in Woodstock and entered into the steal iron gates of Blenheim Palace.

You can easily see we weren't the only ones with the same idea about catching some rays. The lot was packed, but thankfully to our surprise, Blenheim Palace is more than just the building. The grounds are vast and the sites many, so it didn't feel overly crowded. We decided a membership was necessary in order to enjoy all that Blenheim has to offer in future dates, but first let's see the Palace...

Pictured above are the grounds that are just entry level to the palace. This is where there is a small kid's theme park with the mega slide, merry-go-round, gift shop, cafe, and other wonderful activities. We popped in and around before heading into the main attraction!

Here is Blenheim Palace as seen from the main courtyard:

There are some major renovations occurring right now and are projected to be done some time before Summer of 2017.

Paisley was ecstatic to see a real life palace. It is always funny to hear my kids talk about their experiences so casually. For instance, as I am writing this blog, Paisley popped over for a look and spoke up, "Oh yeah! That's the time we went to the palace." like it's no big deal. Kids are funny! They have no idea!

Well, the grounds are nothing short of breathtaking, but the real treasure lies inside. I have to admit, history has become one of my favorite things in the last 8 or so years of my life, and this place is full of it!

I had no idea the iconic Winston Churchill was born here. It was by complete accident that he came into this world as early as he did. He was scheduled to be born 6 weeks later in London, but made a surprise arrival prematurely at the palace. Here is the room where he was born:

The irony is the man was born in a palace; a PALACE! And yet, these look like very humble circumstances to me compared to my accommodations for giving birth this day in age. Midwifery is BIG in England and many people this day and age still have their children at home. Remarkable!

Winston Churchill plays a big part in American history. He is taught to be revered for his role as Prime Minister during WWII as he lead the British fight against Nazi Germany, but this building taught us that he was so much more. He led quite an interesting life. Did you know he was an artist? There is a room inside his hall completely decorated with works by his own brush, but notes his most brilliant achievement was getting his wife to marry him. 

I am excited to study this man more carefully after this experience. For instance, I didn't even know that he was an heir to anyone royal. He is the descendant of the Duke of Marlborough, but was the son of the third child of the 7th generation Marlboroughs. That being said, he wasn't first in line to receive any type of inheritance, so he went into politics like his father, Lord Randolph Churchill. 

He spent much of his childhood life visiting the palace and exploring the grounds. Being such a notable name in Britain's history, there is an entire hall dedicated to his life and upbringing as well as his career and family life, too. Famous quotes from Churchill line the walls and the doorways such as this...

Interestingly enough, as we were taking the tour there were many staff members there to explain different fun facts about Winston. For instance, although highly acclaimed in the United States for his efforts in taking down Nazi Germany, he is not at all epitomized for the patriot he was in his own society. Many British historians do not favor Churchill nearly the way he is among Americans. Some believe Winston had a soft spot for the U.S.A., and his devotion to their relationship was based solely on his respect for his mother's own heritage, in other words, Churchill was part American. 

There were many other beautiful things to see inside the palace outside of the Churchill dedication. Here are a few more shots of the beautiful furniture and paintings inside the different showrooms as you walk through the palace start to end. Be sure to read the captions!

Entry into the palace

The ceiling inside the entrance

There are many glass encasements with various figurines stacked. I am not sure if these were toys once upon a time or a series of collectables for decoration. Regardless, they were everywhere. 

In addition to figurine displays, there are several different china hutches as well. 

First showroom

Up in the corner of each ceiling you can see incredible amounts of intricacy and definition,
a truly masterful work of art.

In several of the rooms the paintings extend around corners such as this. Much of the paintings are actually done straight onto the walls; they aren't canvas at all. The paint is over 300 years old.

In each of the showrooms is an interesting piece of artwork on display. I say "art" loosely because one of them is a large pile of clothes. Alongside each of them is the explanation of the display.

Duke of Marlborough

I thought this was an interesting wall display. After spending nearly an hour or so taking in historical fossils that date back to over 3-4 centuries old, we stumble upon this message:

The Long Library

The Long Library (serious book envy!)
The books on the main floor were all cut off to the public by steal bars.

Inside the Chapel at Blenheim Palace. The pews were all situated in a weird fashion, I suppose to maximize attendance and make use of the small space. The front of the chapel as seen below is quite beautiful.

Thus ended our tour of the palace, so we headed back to the cafe for a quick bite before beginning our "Christmas walk" through the gardens.

A night shot of the palace lit up. Sorry it was so blurry!

Christmas at Blenheim

There are many things that Britain does well, but Christmas is definitely the overarching winner in this category. They LOVE Christmastime. 

Snowflakes guided our way down the dark walkway as we entered the backyard of the immense monument. Music rang abundantly through the air as lights danced around us. Paisley even got to meet a real life snow fairy. She promised us a meeting with Father Christmas along our trails. 

This was by far the most interesting display. They were playing the most unusual rendition of "Silent Night" and the lights were actually flames. Although far from traditional, I found it actually quite soothing and relaxing as we walked full circle around the lit up orb.

Most of the Christmas lights were just colored spotlights illuminating parts of the walk, but it was still a fun and memorable mile and a half around the palace perimeter. Our favorite was the light display choreographed to music. 

The kids got to right the merry-go-round as we exited.

I think it is safe to say, Paisley had a good night.

Oxford Castle

Our thirst for adventure hadn't quite been quenched yet, so we decided to ride into town the next day and see the Oxford Castle. 

After visiting a massive palace, pulling up to the size of the Oxford Castle was a bit of a let down. However, what it lacked in stature, it made up for in interesting history. I told you I am a sucker for that stuff!

Fun Fact: The Oxford Castle, up until 20 years ago, was a live and active prison! In 1996, when it was turned back over to the Oxford City Council, it was converted into a hotel and the cells became guest rooms. How quaint! LOL! The rooms used for corporal and capital punishments, however, were converted into offices rather than used for guests; slightly more appropriate. 

Although built in 1071-73, it fell into disrepair after the 14th century and became primarily used for county administration and as a prison. After the English Civil War, however, the practicality and appeal of the castle faded and was designated solely for the use of the prison. The neatest thing about the tour we experienced was the live reenactment of characters from the time the Oxford Castle served as the prison. Ironically, the prison was owned and operated by Christ's Church College and rented out to wardens that would profit by charging the inmates to be in prison! That's right! When assailants were arrested, prosecuted, and thrown in to jail, they had to pay to stay in the establishment. There was a big difference in your stay if you could afford prison and if you couldn't! There were also gallows in the courtyard if your sentence demanded your execution. 

Our first activity during the tour was to climb St. George's Tower. It was a narrow, windy staircase so Aaron, Paisley, and the baby in her buggy stayed behind. Paisley just barely missed the age cut-off and was sorely disappointed. However, AJ and I got to see the 1st floor and the mass holding cell. It was most likely the size of most American living rooms and held nearly 70 individuals at any given time. It was bitter cold inside with one open window and no toilets. Those with poor behavior would be held here anywhere up to 5 days with no more than 500 calories a day, just enough to survive. Prison certainly wasn't nearly the "luxury" it is today. I'm still trying to wrap my mind around paying for your lodging and meals in prison!

Continuing up the tower, we landed ourselves at the very top, and what a view! AJ was very keen to pop into each of the window openings circling the tower and seeing Oxford from all angles. 

Back down to join our crew and visit the tombs also known as the crypt! The crypt was actually moved during one of its rebuilds and was completed by the prisoners themselves. The warden was praised for his means of acquiring "cheap labor." Below you will see the difference between "paid" prisoners and "non-paid"; it's a stark distinction. 

Non-paid guests

Entering the chapel

St. George's Crypt Chapel

 Above is the cell of a maiden who went to jail for MURDER. She came from wealth and was getting  on in age, basically in her late 20's, and her dad wished her to be married off quickly. He offered a handsome sum for any man that would take her hand in betrothal. A (married) man from Scotland came to accept the call, but was disappointed that she would not stand to inherit her father's wealth until after his death. He gave her some nice "powder" to help him sleep better, so like the good little lass she was, she put it in his tea just like her fiancé suggested. Later, she would find it was poison and was then sentenced to prison. 

However, she could afford her stay in a cell so she got to bring all her things, including a HOUSEMAID, and have regular guests for tea. She even got to go and walk the grounds freely, while those sentenced for stealing a loaf of bread for survival faced much worse accommodations in the dirt cells above. 

The following cells were given to those that were sentenced to hard labour. The idea of hard labour has more to do with mental fortitude than physical. The prison was structured in such a way to demand multiple actions day in and day out that never amounted to anything. This spinning handle has levels of resistance and can be adjusted to increase in difficulty. Your job (all day) would be to stand and turn this handle for more than 12 hours or until you reached a certain recorded number before completion. The idea was to drive the prisoners to complete mental frustration. There were multiple types of labour found throughout the jailhouse. 

The jail is no respecter of age though! The youngest prisoner to ever stay at Oxford Castle was a 7-year old girl, sentenced for one week of hard labour for stealing a pram for her doll. 

We also got to see the mocking room. The guilty of more heinous crimes were locked up inside these stocks while guards and others would be able to throw things at them. Since rotten fruits and vegetables were hard to come by, the overabundantly available dead rats were used for tossing instead. They collected the dead vermin in a bucket alongside the stocks for readiness.

There was a "dead rat" inside that AJ was prepared to throw at his sister for demonstration. 

In finishing up our tour, we found some protesters of the law. We bailed them out and took them home! I am all for rehabilitation. 😀

I realize this blog was a little less personal and a lot more educational, but I hope you enjoyed the history we've been able to take in since being a part of this country. It is sometimes hard for me to imagine that while this castle was on its 2nd or 3rd rebuild, that the USA was just being discovered, not even settled! Crazy! 

What's on the Horizon

We got word back from our Representatives on our Congressional Inquiry into AJ's case for command sponsorship. I am dedicating my next blog to its progression. 

Take care and be good! You don't want to go to jail in England!

~K