Unbelievable views
Blenheim Palace
Blenheim Palace - place where Winston Churchill was born
Great lake pictures
Awesome!Monday, August 2nd
Last night I went up to my room about midnight to get some sleep. I opened the door very quietly and entered in stealth mode - hoping not to awake the Barcelona ladies. I had my headlight on but was blocking most of the light with my hand. The room was completely dark otherwise. I slowly turned around and walked toward my bottom bunk on the right side of the room. 'Eyes are looking up at me'. Then I look up and there's another pair of eyes staring down at me from the top bunk. Alright, I had about 2 seconds to process this information. It's either (A) I'm in the wrong room (B) These people are in the wrong room (C) The ladies from Barcelona are looking for some late-night activity.
A quick look to my left - both Barcelona ladies are sleeping on their side. I'm very confident I didn't have the wrong room. Option B has to be the correct answer. My mind was turning. I decided to go with the absolute most direct approach possible. I said to the person in the bottom bunk: "You're in my bed". I now realize it's 2 young girls in the bunkbeds. The girl says back to me: "Room 422, Beds 3 & 4, my friend and I checked in this afternoon." I then said: "Room 422, Bed 4, I checked in 4 hours ago". Stalemate. I didn't think going with the "Do you want to share the bed" approach was appropriate at the time, so I said: "I'll go check it out, I'll be back"
I went back downstairs and found out that the hotel had made a mistake. Not 5 minutes after I arrived at the desk - the 2 girls showed up as well. I was correct in my stay but they had put the 2 girls in the wrong room. I told them that I would move - it was just easier that way. The night manager followed us back up to the room to get things straight. I went in and had to move all my gear. Up to this point - this was just a funny situation - no worries. Then, I noticed that the girl had just thrown all my stuff on the floor. Everything - including my wet running clothes I had hanging up to dry from my earlier run. I was less than pleased with this performance. This girl was snotty anyway. I understood the hotel's mistake, but I had left all my gear laid out on the bunk and even put my toothbrush and contact stuff under the pillow. If the girl would have just asked the reception desk if they had double-booked -- all potential problems would have been eliminated. I actually called her out on it - she just said that she thought it was the other people's clothes. Really? I had no response. But - it's hard to lie to yourself. This is a prime example of a young person only thinking about themselves. I've been there - I'm trying to get better - I find myself more aware in recent years of how my actions can affect alot of people. The fact that the girl had no 'scared emotion' whatsoever when I entered the room, confirms they expected someone to enter shortly.
Any which way - live and learn, I moved down the hall into a room filled with a couple Asian dudes. When I walked in, the room was 90 degrees+. First thing I did was open the windows. I dumped my bags and prepared for a semi-sleepless night (I talked with the manager and got the room 1/2 price the next morning)
I got up on Monday morning and had some errands to run first. I went over to the post office that I had past during my run last night. I shipped a few things back to my parents house. I had accumulated items I wanted to keep from my golfing trips, etc. I next went back to the VISA place and got my passport. Beautiful - a full page Russian VISA inside. I can now travel in Russia anytime between Sept 1-30, 2010.
It was still early in the day. I decided to take a train west. I first went to the small town of Taplow. There's a country-house hotel here - called the Cliveden. This is a place mentioned in my book. It was built in 1666 by the second Duke of Buckingham. It was located 3-4 miles from the train station. I took a cab on the way over because I wasn't sure where I was going. I then walked back. I actually just walked the grounds but didn't pay the $15 entrance fee. A wealthy place - impressive - in an unexpected area.
Back on the train, I decided to head further west to Oxford. I wanted to see the Blenheim Palace. This is the place where Winston Churchill was born in 1874. (British leader duing WWII). This was a great call and the highlight of my day. I got into Oxford and walked across town to the busstop. Did I mention that I really like Oxford? This in itself was worth the trip to see again. I took a 30 minute bus to Blenheim Palace.
The place was spectacular - It's regarded as the finest true Baroque manor in Britian. The actual palace was impressive, but the 2,000 acres of land where it stood was even better. There was a huge lake down in this valley with a walking path circling it. I made my way around. I captured some of my best pics of the trip thus far.
I give this place my 5 star seal of approval. Start the day in London. Get a train from the Paddington station. Head to Oxford - witness the history and grandeur of the town. Next, take the bus and explore the grounds around Blenheim Palace. Take a train back into London for a late-night stroll through Hyde Park. Cap it off with a great dinner and drinks at your favorite restaurant/pub. Now that -- is a good day!
Anyway - about 6:30pm, I left the Palace and returned to Oxford - then back to London. I got some food and hit the 'common lounge' for an hour before turning in. There was someone in my bed again tonight when I entered the room. This time there was a free bunk in the room. I just used that one. It would be a quick night for me. I had a train to Brussels at 8am. Here's to Scandanavia - bring on my 'happy place'.
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