Page 13 of DebH Travel Blog Posts


Europe » United Kingdom » England » Oxfordshire » Oxford January 4th 2012

Geo: 51.7523, -1.25582This morning we had another day with Martin of Absolute Touring, this time to Stratford Upon Avon and Warwick Castle as my husband and son were determined to see a real castle whilst in England. We first made a stop at Bladon to see Winston Churchill's grave as my son had developed a bit of an interest in war while we were in Paris! After that we headed to Stratford for a wander around. Martin, the tour guide, gave us complimentary tickets into Shakes... read more
Shakespeares Birthplace at Stratford upon Avon
Warwick Castle
Warwick from the River


This morning we had another day with Martin of Absolute Touring, this time to Stratford Upon Avon and Warwick Castle as my husband and son were determined to see a real castle whilst in England. We first made a stop at Bladon to see Winston Churchill’s grave as my son had developed a bit of an interest in war while we were in Paris! After that we headed to Stratford for a wander around. Martin, the tour guide, gave us complimentary tickets into Shakespeare’s Birthplace. It was quite interesting but probably not worth the price if we had paid for it. We drove to Anne Hathaway’s Cottage but did not bother to go inside. We then headed to Warwick. We first stopped on a bridge which gave a marvellous view of the Castle for photos, before ... read more
Shakespeares Birthplace at Stratford upon Avon
Warwick Castle from a Bridge on the River
Warwick Castle

Europe » United Kingdom » England » Oxfordshire » Oxford January 3rd 2012

Geo: 51.7523, -1.25582While eating my bowl of muesli for breakfast I managed to break a tooth! The hotel organised an appointment down the road at Fabian's dentist. Luckily by 9.15 I was done with a temporary filling in place! I am so glad that that happened in Oxford and not in Paris – I doubt my French would have been up to it ha ha. We spent the morning exploring Christchurch College, mainly because of my kids interest in anything Harry Potter! We were hoping to see another college or two as well this morning, but the weather was dreadful with strong winds and rain, and we were virtually trapped inside Christchurch until it improved. By then it was time for lunch.I had organised a lunch with my aunt and cousin who I hadn't seen for forty ... read more
Bridge of Sighs
The Turf
Dinosaurs at the Natural History Museum

Europe » United Kingdom » England » Oxfordshire » Oxford January 3rd 2012

While eating my bowl of muesli for breakfast I managed to break a tooth! The hotel organised an appointment down the road at Fabian’s dentist. Luckily by 9.15 I was done with a temporary filling in place! I am so glad that that happened in Oxford and not in Paris – I doubt my French would have been up to it ha ha. We spent the morning exploring Christchurch College, mainly because of my kids interest in anything Harry Potter! We were hoping to see another college or two as well this morning, but the weather was dreadful with strong winds and rain, and we were virtually trapped inside Christchurch until it improved. By then it was time for lunch. I had organised a lunch with my aunt and cousin who I hadn’t seen for forty ... read more
Bridge of Sighs Oxford
The Turf Tavern, Oxford
One of the The Turf's Famous Patrons

Europe » United Kingdom » England » Oxfordshire » Oxford January 2nd 2012

Geo: 51.7523, -1.25582We had a great breakfast in Quod. We were booked on a winter bed and breakfast special, which was great. After that we were met by our tour guide Martin from Absolute Touring. We had booked Martin for two private day tours and today was our day to go to the Cotswolds. We were picked up in an extremely comfortable 8 seater minibus and Martin was a wonderful guide. He presented us with written notes on where we were going and was an absolute treasure trove ... read more
The Black Horse Inn, Naunton
Folly in the Countryside
A Cotswold Stone Wall

Europe » United Kingdom » England » Oxfordshire » Oxford January 2nd 2012

We had a great breakfast in Quod. We were booked on a winter bed and breakfast special, which was great. After that we were met by our tour guide Martin from Absolute Touring. We had booked Martin for two private day tours and today was our day to go to the Cotswolds. We were picked up in an extremely comfortable 8 seater minibus and Martin was a wonderful guide. He presented us with written notes on where we were going and was an absolute treasure trove of information regarding the towns and villages we visited. We drove through Asthall and Swinbrook, had a brief stop at Burford, drove through Taynton and onto Bourton on the Water. As this was a private tour, we could ask him to stop whenever we wanted. We spent a bit of ... read more
Bourton on the Water
38 2-1-12 The Black Horse Inn, Naunton
Thatched Roof House Near Broadway

Europe » United Kingdom » England » Oxfordshire » Oxford January 1st 2012

Geo: 51.7523, -1.25582We had a final breakfast at Le Buci the next morning before catching a taxi to Gare du Nord for the Eurostar. We allowed an hour for checking in but it really wasn't enough time. We hoped to have time to shop for food before getting on the train, but the queues were massive and we basically queued for the whole hour and then got straight on the train. When I caught it last year it was a lot quieter and more organised. I am not sure if it was because it was New Years Day, or it is just more organised coming from the UK. We were stuck having to buy food in the food car on the train. That was the only down part of our whole Paris experience. It was the ... read more

Europe » United Kingdom » England » Oxfordshire » Oxford January 1st 2012

We had a final breakfast at Le Buci the next morning before catching a taxi to Gare du Nord for the Eurostar. We allowed an hour for checking in but it really wasn’t enough time. We hoped to have time to shop for food before getting on the train, but the queues were massive and we basically queued for the whole hour and then got straight on the train. When I caught it last year it was a lot quieter and more organised. I am not sure if it was because it was New Years Day, or it is just more organised coming from the UK. We were stuck having to buy food in the food car on the train. That was the only down part of our whole Paris experience. It was the worst food ... read more

Europe » France December 31st 2011

Geo: 48.8566, 2.35097We wandered back towards the intersection of Rue Dauphine & Rue de Buci for our breakfast this morning and had an excellent meal at Le Conti of omelettes, baguettes and croissants.We then walked to the Louvre which only took around 15 minutes. We accessed the Louvre via Passage Richelieu, no queues at all. We had only allowed a couple of hours for the Louvre, mainly to see the main things – we saw the Venus de Milo, Victory of Samothrace and Mona Lisa (of course). We spent a bit of time generally wandering around the building and also had a good look at Napolean's Apartments. Would have liked to see the Medieval Louvre, but time was running short, so had to leave that for next time. We worked out that by this point we had ... read more
Arc de Triomphe
Interior of Sainte Chappelle
Gargoyle on Notre Dame

Europe » France » Île-de-France » Paris December 31st 2011

We wandered back towards the intersection of Rue Dauphine & Rue de Buci for our breakfast this morning and had an excellent meal at Le Conti of omelettes, baguettes and croissants We then walked to the Louvre which only took around 15 minutes. We accessed the Louvre via Passage Richelieu, no queues at all. We had only allowed a couple of hours for the Louvre, mainly to see the main things – we saw the Venus de Milo, Victory of Samothrace and Mona Lisa (of course). We spent a bit of time generally wandering around the building and also had a good look at Napolean’s Apartments. Would have liked to see the Medieval Louvre, but time was running short, so had to leave that for next time. We worked out that by this point we had ... read more
Arc de Triomphe
Interior of Sainte Chappelle
Christmas Tree at Notre Dame




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