Big Changes

So I have taken the plunge and gone and accepted my place in Leiden. After a very long thinking session I decided that the opportunity was far too huge to turn down. You have probably guessed by now that I am an Oxford fanatic. I dream of Oxford, when I visit I fall into a different world, and at the end of my trips I never want to go home. Oxford is the most inspiring place in the world for me, and that is one of the main reasons why I have chosen the Europaeum MA. The masters sees me spend my first semester in Leiden, the second at the Sorbonne in Paris and my last semester at Oxford University. My main love in life is travel and combining this with my love of college, I think I have come out the better side of choosing a masters. Of course I am extremely nervous. This is really big for me, I may be nearly a quarter of a century old but I have never lived away from home (that brief sojourn in Hyannis does not count). I am nervous about moving three times in one year, I am nervous about what life will be like in the Netherlands and France. I am worried the MA will be too hard! However I am ready to take that chance and am the most excited I have been in a very long time. Of course I am over-romanticising everything, day dreaming of walks along the Seine, baguette in one hand, crepe in the other, of cycling beside tulip fields and of living in my favourite city in the world - Oxford. I know there will obviously be huge hurdles to jump, but it is definitely going to be worth it. The big move happens August 24th and the day my Orientation Week starts! It all sounds super exciting and I am looking forward to meeting new people and settling in in Leiden! My classes don't start until September 7th so I am taking a little holiday to Oxford from the 30th of August to September 5th! The main reason for this little trip is my impending visit to HIGHCLERE CASTLE (finally)! I booked the tickets months ago and I wasn't going to miss visiting for anything!!! 

So life lately has been hectic, we just celebrated our first year of Michaella's. It has been a very hard, exhausting and extremely rewarding year helping set up my mom's business.

Attending: PIXIES, Arcade Fire & Ham Sandwich in Marley Park. I have loved the Pixies since before I can remember so getting to see my favourite band play again after 9 years was unreal. They played Velouria, my favourite song which made it all the better! They played an unreal set with most of my favourites in there, like Wave of Mutilation,  Hey and Where is My Mind?. The highlight was running across a field of thousands screaming 'FRANK, BLACK FRANCIS, I LOVE YOU' when I noticed a golf buggy carrying the band behind the gates. Sometimes I am such a fangirl.

Arcade Fire put on an impressive show as well, I liked their little intro especially!

Reading: Re-reading Harry Potter

Watching: I am watching Morse from the beginning again, which is great spotting all the little place

s I visit whilst in Oxford.

Bill Cunningham New York - watching this again because who doesn't need a little inspiration from this genius 

Listening to: Bleachers! So addicted to Rollercoaster, it reminds me of the 80s

Visiting: National Botanic Gardens, so lovely, post coming soon.

A Trip to Blenheim Palace

Just outside Oxford lies Blenheim Palace - or better known as the birthplace of Sir Winston Churchill, born here in 1874. We luckily chose the one sunny day on my last trip to take a visit to this beautiful palace. The gardens are perfect for an idle stroll, spotting man made waterfalls and wandering around the edge of the lake. Arriving by bus we experienced the walk up to the sprawling palace and gardens, once you see the glint of the gold detailed gates your breath is taken away. 

The Palace has some unusual details such as the six eyes on the ceiling of the entrance!

There was an exhibition on Winston Churchill himself at the beginning, featuring numerous letters, photographs and memorabilia, my favourite being the letter below from Harrow detailing a fall from a tricycle. 

 The bed were Churchill was born!

 That little flag on the mantlepiece is a sign that the owners have paid their 'rent' to the Queen!

 Blenheim is a must visit, combining beautiful gardens, architecture, history, art and fun. Men played cricket on the lawn, there was an organ recital, we got to see coronation gowns and there was an especially interesting exhibition on the Great House at War which featured interesting details on the role of women during the war. Blenheim's long and illustrious history is covered in numerous exhibitions throughout the Palace and stables. The beautiful portraits and photographs of times gone by show how decadent and beautiful the lives of the inhabitants were. 

We spent the whole day at the palace, and still didn't manage to see everything. We were extra lucky to receive an annual pass for the same price as a single visit, which means that I will definitely be returning for a sojourn during the summer! The bus to Woodstock (the S3) stops right outside the Ashmolean and only takes about twenty minutes to get to Blenheim, with the driver announcing the stop! 

Exploring Oxford Colleges: Lincoln

Some more photograph's from my trip to Oxford at the start of April. These are from leafy Lincoln College! Lincoln is located in the centre of Oxford and is super pretty! Lincoln College was founded in 1427 by the Bishop of Lincoln, and the college today still has a great deal of medieval features. I loved the quaint architecture and buildings with ivy clinging to the exterior. A well known Lincoln alumnus is Dr Seuss (Theodore Geissel) who was a Rhode Scholar here in the twenties. Lincoln has a more intimate feel to it than some of the larger colleges, and is nice for a quiet break from the hustle and bustle of the surrounding streets. Well worth a visit!

https://www.linc.ox.ac.uk/