Life...and something like IT: April 2007

One of the reasons that I braved going to this country which is a thousand miles away from home was the thought that I have aunts and cousins who live nearby. Nearby means in another country which is The Netherlands. True! With the efficient transportation system in Europe, travelling is very convenient. For a year that I’ve been here, my Auntie Darling and her Dutch husband have visited me twice. They travelled by car from Rotterdam and driving to Calais, France where their car will board a ship crossing the Strait of Dover and get off in a port in Dover, England. From there, it will take a 3-hour drive to my place.

For the third time, last weekend, they spent the holidays in England and this time, they brought along Auntie Nenet and her daughters, Rhys and Dayday since they were all off from work and school. They arrived in our flat at the wee hours of the morning and after charging up after their long drive, we went to Oxford after enjoying a ‘pure Filipino lunch’.

Our stop at Beale Park in Berkshire

We spent most of the day walking around the university which is located in the city. University of Oxford is said to be the oldest university in the English-speaking world. It has been in existence for nine centuries. It has 39 self-governing colleges related to the University in a type of federal system. As an internationally renowned centre for teaching and research, Oxford attracts students and scholars from across the globe, with almost a quarter of their students from overseas. More than 130 nationalities are represented among a student population of over 18,000.

Oxford High Street

The following day, we travelled to London by train to check out the changing of the guards in Buckingham Palace and the usual tourist spots for the benefit of those who were on their first visit to London. We then proceeded to the Natural History Museum and British Museum. Each can take a day to explore but you will still be inspired even if you only have a couple of hours to spare. Interestingly, in the “Power Within” section (showcasing the causes and effects of violent and destructive events like volcanic eruptions and earthquakes) in the Red Zone of the Natural History Museum, there’s a corner solely depicting the Mt. Pinatubo Eruption and a video of the news reports was continuously played. I even told my hubby that he should stand by the exhibit area and discuss his first-hand experience of the whole calamity. Hehe!

Changing of the Guards at Buckingham Palace

The whole gang at Hyde Park

With the dinosuars at Natural History Museum

Pinatubo sa UK: Mt. Pinatubo eruption and lahar flow made it big even in UK and had an exhibition corner in the Natural History Museum

British Museum

Ruins of The Parthenon

The giant among the dwarfs..hehe!

Definitely, a 3-day visit to London and the neighboring towns is not enough to see them all especially if my cousins were looking forward for more Oxford Street shopping. And of course, three days will never be enough for a marathon of chikahan that has left us all awake til midnight.

Looking forward for their next visit to England or it might be fun if we will be the ones going over to see Amsterdam this time.

Let’s see…