A Visit To The Country

After three weeks in England I am beginning to feel settled. I figured out how to use the dryer (which does not dry) and the dishwasher (which does not wash). Navigating through Oxford via bus, car, or most frequently my own two legs is getting easier. Lately, I've been forced to find new routes through the City Centre in an effort to bypass the teenage tourists that have swarmed Oxford. Seeing the groups of tourists in matching fluorescent t-shirts, caps, and backpacks, I am happy we decided to live in a village outside of Oxford. To answer your question, no we haven't found a place to rent yet.  

This past week we hosted our first visitors from the States, Tom and Sarah (who kindly gave me permission to mention them on the blog after a few pints at the Turf Tavern). I also had my first case of food poisoning. Yes I did say first, as I fully expect to be poisoned again during our travels. 

The benefit of having visitors, someone to take our photo! 

Bodleian Library in Oxford

Rory, Sarah and Tom near Radcliffe Camera.
They were subjected to what Rory calls the "Vanessa-razzi." 

Just a typical walk home from the pub. 

With our visitors in tow we explored Chipping Norton, which is village in the Oxfordshire Cotswolds (the Cotswolds span six counties). The Cotswolds is famous for its beautiful gardens, thatched cottages, and rolling hills.  This is where the English celebrities retire on the weekends, and people go to "get away from it all." I completely understand the allure.  The Cotswolds were stunningly beautiful, serene, and simplistic. We took a 2.5 mile hike around Chipping Norton. Looking back at the photographs, my  crappy camera was unable to capture the true beauty of the English countryside. On second thought,  maybe it was the photographer. Naaaaaaa. 

The self-guided walking tour began at this Church.

Over the river and through the woods...

Yes. I really liked this tree. I mean realllly liked it. I have loads more photos of it. 

I was very tempted to run through this meadow. 

Can you tell I loved Chipping Norton? No, not just because it is fun say. After spending the morning in Chipping Norton (ok, maybe because it is fun to say) we stopped at Blenheim Palace.  Can you even imagine living in such a place? I wonder if they take dogs?? Hmmmm.

Our view while eating lunch at Blenheim Palace 

Blenheim Palace

You ready to come and visit???? 

The Hunt Begins

For the past week Rory and I have been out hunting for cars and a house to rent. I say "hunt" because apparently what we are looking for is very rare and difficult to locate in the UK - an automatic car and a landlord willing to accept dogs.

The Great Car Hunt

From the outset we decided any car must fit the following criteria: (1) Big enough for the dogs, (2) Small enough to maneuver the narrow roads and minuscule parking spots, and (3) An automatic. Yes, an automatic in the land of manuel transmissions. There is enough stress driving on the opposite side of the road and car without having to learn how to drive a stick shift with our left hand! 

The car buying process is very different from America. In the US you can visit a dealership and walk out with a brand spankin new car the same day. In the UK, there are very few new cars on a dealer's lot. The new cars are typically reserved for display or test drives (for which you must make an appointment!). If we wanted a new automatic, we would have to order it from the manufacturer and it would be delivered SIXTEEN weeks later. Not having four months to wait for a car we focused on the used cars on hand. We visited Ford, VW, Toyota, Honda, Nissan, Skoda, and Puegeot. After visiting a few dealers a pattern began to emerge, automatic cars were treated like lepers. The few dealers that even had an automatic car on hand kept them hidden in the back corner so as not to scare away the customers.  After multiple test drives, lots of research, and a week of negotiations we ended up purchasing a VW Polo (not available in the US).  

Here she is: 

Where Art Thou House?

If we thought locating an automatic car was difficult, finding a property willing to accept dogs is like spotting a purple unicorn. (Right now our dogs are still at Casa de Parents in California.) Since no properties in Oxford were willing to accept dogs, our relocation agent mustered up 6 prospects located in various towns outside of Oxford. Three properties had stunning views like this: 

This was the view from a house we toured.
Swans not included.

What could be the problem you ask? For starters there were no fences to keep the dogs from running away, no paved roads (a problem when it snows), or bus stops (a problem when you have one car), or civilization nearby (a problem when you want to eat or shop). Grrrr.  The one house we loved did not have a yard. The remaining houses I described as "gross."  In the end, we did manage to agree on a place to live, Abingdon. It is a beautiful town about 5 miles south of Oxford. There are enough shops, restaurants and pubs to satisfy my desire to live in civilization and enough picturesque countryside to satisfy Rory's desire to live in the middle of nowhere. The only problem - finding a place to live before our corporate housing runs out. Stay tuned and keep your fingers crossed. 

For those who actually made it through the entire post, here is what else we have been up to...

Christ Church in Oxford

Christ Church in Oxford

Foot path in Oxford 

The foot path is adjacent to a Thames tributary (one of the streams that eventually runs into the Thames River)

Oxford City Centre

 Christ Church

A candy store in Oxford. Shops close early (around 6) so I was limited to drooling on the window. 

During a break in a car hunt we stopped by a pub called the Jolly Boatman Inn for a pint. Well, I had a pint since Rory was test driving 

The Crown. A pub frequented by Shakespeare. 

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