Our second day in London

Well, Mom had a busy day booked for us. We headed down to the lobby for a shuttle to take us on a bus tour. We were there early and waited quite awhile, and sampled the only free thing in the hotel, black coffee that we think had been spiked with beef broth. Of course it turned out that the shuttle driver had come 20 minutes ahead of when we were supposed to meet, and left. So, we dashed for a cab and did some more careening (seems to be a pattern) to Victoria Coach station, where we slid on the bus in the nick of time.
Our tour was to Warwick Castle, Stratford-upon-Avon, and Oxford.
Warwick Castle is a gorgeous place that really was an inhabited, working castle until recently. We could have spent all day there, but in the 3
hours we had we toured a section of the castle reenacting a house party in the 1890s that Winston Churchill had attended, watched an expert archery demonstration, and had tea with scones and clotted cream in the medieval dining hall. Beef broth coffee just wasn't gonna cut it, you know?







Well, we had so much fun that we lost track of time and had to sprint for the bus. They had given us a talk focusing heavily on We Will Leave You Behind If You Are Late, so hence the sprint. We were the last ones on, but we made it to the next leg, Stratford-Upon-Avon.







It is a beautifully preserved Elizabethan village, well at least the part they allow tourist buses to park in, and it is packed with tourists of every nationality. We walked through Shakespeare's birthplace wedged between Japanese and Italian tour groups, with Scandinavians not far behind. It was so cool to hear so many languages together in such small rooms. We learned a lot about the time period of Shakespeare as well, there are costumed guides in each room with an encyclopedic knowledge of the era. If you go to England with a readiness to learn, you will be amazed at how much you can get. What I liked most about Stratford is the passion for beauty and pride in their history, everything was spotless, and the flowers were wonderful. Plus Shakespeare's not so bad in his way (just kidding). We ditched the recommended route and went to look for the church where Shakespeare is buried. We found it, and were nosing around when we checked the time. Yes, time for another Miss The Bus sprint, and we weren't quite the last ones on, but we were close.
We were taken to a nearby pub and served good hearty food. We had a good time talking to all the Australians at our table. Get an Aussie talking about sports and you are good to go. I learned that in a pub if you want a dessert, any kind of dessert, order a pudding. If you want a Sprite, order a lemonade. If you want lemonade, order lemon squash. Ah, those English. I finally had an explanation for what it was Lucy had to drink in the magician's house in the Voyage of the Dawn Treader. Sorry, I nerded out for a minute.

So, we lined up, sorry, "queued up" to pay, and guess who was last on the bus.

Finally , Oxford. The land of learning. All I cared about was the choir. After my taste in St. James' yesterday, I was mad for more. We were at Christ college, where Alice in Wonderland was inspired, and where Harry Potter was filmed. We were enjoying ourselves, when the choir started their service. MAN it was spectacular, and just as they were getting into it, the tour guide dragged me off. AARRGGHH!
Well, we drove back to London, me listening to a Patton Oswalt stand up routine on my iPod and trying not to make a spectacle of myself exploding with laughter and trying to keep it contained, so I kept shooting things out of my nose and having to get the kleenex out. When they dropped us off we walked several blocks and found a great fish and chips shop. Once you acquire a taste for orange soda that's not so sweet, you really get into it. Finally we were done sprinting and we made it back to the hotel, had some 8 dollar jelly beans and went to bed.