Blenheim Palace
We had a super day out yesterday at Blenheim Palace, Oxfordshire, where we met up with very good friends, Chris and Carolyn. The day started a little slowly as both out cars got caught up in the stream of traffic heading for Blenheim Horse Trials: that too would have made a super day out, but the attractions of the Palace, coupled with the almost torrential rain, inclined us to do the touristy bit and leave the sporting excellence for another day.
We had a good-but-nothing-special lunch in Blenheim's Terrace Restaurant. My recollection from previous visits is that the cafe was not nearly as good, so it was worth splashing out a little extra for a decent meal. An it was a wonderful opportunity tio catch up with friends we hadn't seen for months and hear all about their foreign travels.
The Palace itself, built for the first Duke of Marlborough at the behest of Queen Anne in recompense for his military victories, is genuinely interesting. We joined a guided tour and I was delighted to find the that guide was not only knowledgeable and passionate, but also could be heard. That is a rare combination of talents among tour guides in historic houses. The Long Library, stunningly beautiful and packed full of fascinating books (which I would have paid a small fortune to be able to inspect - but no such luck), justified the rather high entry price (£13 per adult) on its own. I also particularly enjoyed the Churchill exhibition, although the selection of Hallmark cards on display in the last part of the exhibition was a little bizarre.
And, of course, I realeased another book into the wild while at Blenheim.
