Blackwell's, Blenheim and Buckingham

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Geo: 51.4969, -0.144464

Our poor hostess had overslept (her clock was off by an hour). So after having a lovely chat with the other guests (2 Australian ladies and a Birmingham lady), we headed back into town for some sightseeing. Only trouble was, it was Sunday, and most things weren't open until 1:00. Since we didn't have that much time to spare, and didn't have a guide as to what all the interesting buildings were that we were ambling by, we decided to cut our losses and head out. I popped back into <a href="http://bookshop.blackwell.co.uk">Blackwell's</a> for a quick souvenir while the others went to have a spot of tea.

We then drove to <a href="http://www.blenheimpalace.com/">Blenheim Palace</a>, which was really spectacular. Beautiful estate, home to the current Duke of Marlborough. The gardens were lovely (although I think we were there just a couple of weeks too early for the really spectacular display) and the guided tour was interesting.

Back on the road, and into London. We checked into the <a href="http://www.tripadvisor.com/Hotel_Review-g186338-d218409-Reviews-Thistle_Victoria-London_England.html">Thistle Victoria</a> and I returned the car (a happy thing, as I thought I was just parking the car for the night). We had dinner at Garfunkel's, then strolled over to Buckingham Palace. Very pretty at night, if a bit hard to photograph. Sara & I had a pint at Shakespeare's, then another in the hotel bar, before turning in.

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