Sept 14 Blenheim

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Sunday, Sept 14 - Blenheim Palace day

Had a little later start today since our first stop (at Blenheim) didn't open until 10:30. The restaurant was supposed to open for bkfst at 8, which it did, with a fair selection of cold items. But, we had to request any hot items, including coffee --- which took 40 minutes to come (and about 3 or 4 requests); I gave up on ordering any type of egg (have been eating too many anyway) and had more to eat than I usually do at home - we've just gotten used to better. And certainly we ought to be able to get coffee much quicker (preferably serving ourselves right away).

But, it was our day to go to Blenheim, which was the destination I selected this tour for, and we had a full three hours there. I was gimped up again, with what we've decided is likely sciatica - shooting pain down my left leg - took an expired tylenol with codiene type pill that I had left over from dental work, and it really helped a lot, so I was able to see pretty much everything today.

Blenheim is magnificent, beyond huge, beyond impressive, etc. etc. It's where Winston Churchill was born to the American wife of the younger brother of the 8th Duke of Marlborough. There's a beautiful large portrait of George Vanderbilt's cousin Consuelo in one of the State rooms - she married into the family here (for a while -- G. Vanderbilt built Biltmore here in Asheville, and there's a portrait of Consuelo hanging there). I was met upon entry into the front courtyard by a friendly orange marmalade cat, reminiscent of the Churchill's favorite cat, Tango, that is in one of the family paintings at Chartwell. Because of my gimpy leg/back, I couldn't sit down and pet him, but he posed for a couple of cute pictures.

The palace and its courtyards cover 7 acres - no other statistics in the guidebook - would like to know the area inside the Palace (house) and of the grounds. The long hall/library is much bigger than Biltmore's banquet hall, and also has an enormous pipe organ that is played on Sundays; that's the last room seen on the tour. Entry is into the Great Hall and I made the mistake of going up to the new audio-visual exhibition on the 2nd floor first - you're trapped in small rooms with projections, audio, and scenes - quite high tech, Disneyfied, well-done, but not for me at this juncture. I was using a cane most of today, just in case, so I was able to bail out and go back downstairs for the house tour (self-guided, which I prefer).

There are many “State rooms” open, full of magnificent marbles, sculptures, paintings, trompe l'oueil artwork, furniture, etc. etc. And wonderful gardens, not all of which I walked through. Also more exhibits about the life of Winston Churchill (whose last name is actually Spencer-Churchill, and one could make the case that his last name should just be Spencer, the way the family lineage goes - they had to get some kind of dispensation to start using Churchill again, after the line had missed a male heir and was continued by a woman (daughter) who married a Spencer).

This 3-hour stop also included our lunchtime, but I had brought mine, so I had plenty of time to see most everything, even tho I'm moving slowly again (I think it's brought on by the bus seats, a bad bed, the tall-sided bathtubs, or some combo of factors, including age). This tour is more physical than most of us had expected, based on what I've heard others saying. I actually finished with a half hour to spare, so I had L2.00 small ice cream cone, and bought a small bottle of Blenheim Merlot (L2.99) to bring home.

We drove over to Cheltenham, for the gardens of Suddeley Castle (house is not open) - that didn't sound terribly interesting. It was at one time the home of K/Catherine Parr, the wife who managed to survive being married to Henry the 8th (well, I think he only despatched 2 or 3 of them); she was his widow, and did remarry. Her burial place is in a small church on the grounds, very picturesque. The property was a fun place to visit as it turned out. Very interesting gardens, with modern art sculpture here and there, among castle ruins, and the restored current castle residence. I enjoyed taking photos there - lots of arty scenes possible. I bought a fun little 3-part sign that says “Beware - Grumpy Old Woman” -- it's thin and light-weight. I thought about showing it to our TD so she could get one to pass around to whoever's complaining most during the day (but she's not really that type, it seems, not as outgoing and approachable as one might expect).

Great weather again, beautiful views through lovely villages among pastoral settings of rolling fields and various livestock (mostly sheep). I would like to get some better cottage and rock wall pictures, but we're always in the bus for those - the couple of “photo stops” we've made for the local buildings have been on the main business streets, which are also cute, but just not the same. All those villages and cottages I read about in cozy mysteries and see in BBC cshows do exist! And there are people hiking about with their dogs. You could (and do) see “Miss Marple”s about.

If the driving about on narrow roads, with strange signs, didn't look so intimidating, I can see that it would be delightful to have much more time to wander about the countryside - it seems to be either cute or downright gorgeous everywhere. Well, there are occasionally big cities, and we drove by one petroleum plant, but I think those just serve as reminders of how fun it is to see the rural areas and small villages.

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Photos

Side entry to Blenheim
Still a little foggy, but it cleared up. This is where the public enters.

The "Tango"-like cat
His tail is just tucked under the curb.

Approaching Blenheim
I don't have a wide enough lens to do justice to this enormous building.

Side of Blenheim
From one of the garden areas; the outside seating for the cafe is next to the house.