Winchester & Oxford

Winchester

An amazing 'typically' British town.

Leafy green trees, sandstone and all kinds of other stone houses covered in ivy with impeccable rose gardens, cobbled streets, a weekend market selling roast pork rolls (with an actual pig roasting in the background) + fresh bread and pastries + olives with all kinds of marinade + yummy baked treats galore and even a stand dedicated to venison..... Steered clear of that one (sorry dad). 

Jordan and I worked up quite an appetite after getting off the train on the opposite side of the city centre (we realised this after a 40 minute walk up and down hills.... Mostly up) but we found our way soon enough thanks to google maps. Finding the city centre was exciting, but not as exciting as feasting our eyes upon Winchester cathedral, it was seriously impressive and absolutely massive. Unfortunately we didn't take the full tour inside as there was a fee (we are stingy) and you couldn't take photos, so we settled for lunch on the grass with the cathedral as our background. Winchester does have quite the historical background, it was the last home of Jane Austen who is buried inside the cathedral, has a very impressive statue of King Alfred the great, the ruins of Wolvesey Castle give it a semi haunting vibe as you wander through what used to be great dining halls and ladies chambers, King Arthur's round table made for King Henry VIII in 1522 and Queen Elenors gardens give it that fairytale magic.... Although there is no way the knights could have played footsies underneath that thing it is seriously ENORMOUS. 

Overall Winchester was a beautiful city to spend the day exploring and wandering through, stopping here and there to take photos of houses (no I'm not creepy) or just staring at the ancient architecture. I did nearly fall on my face at one point as I admired the Guild Hall aaaaaand the S word may have slipped out which granted me a few dirty looks from some older residents. What can I say, I'm an Aussie! We express our emotions! 

After the trip home we stopped off at pound land (did I mention we are stingy) and stocked up on all the essentials, honey roasted cashews and maltesers ARE essential items. 

Sunday was rest day ready for......

Oxford

Google images did not disappoint and I was in awe for the whole four hours we were in Oxford, even inside Pizza Hut, where I devoured my first pizza since we got here (4 and a half months is a long time). After treating ourselves and helping each other waddle outside we began to experience the beauty that is Oxford. The university was the most impressive part, with it's spires, pillars and mass of sandstone I didn't know where to look first. Camera at the ready, it's safe to say I didn't stop snapping for most of the day. You can see why parts of Harry Potter and Downton Abbey were filmed there, it is a place where history and magic work together to come alive. In some ways, it didn't even feel real, it was almost too perfect. Despite the rain holding steady for most of the day we hardly noticed. By five we took refuge in a toasty cafe and warmed up before the three hour bus ride back home. 
We even got pugged on the walk back to our little home...... Yes you read correctly, PUGGED. (Chased by a pug in the park) it was both intimidating (there was a lot of grunting) and hilarious at the same time. A great way to finish a great day!

Tuesday (today) is another rest day before we venture to Bristol tomorrow. 

Although the day has been quite productive, we wandered to ASDA this morning and stocked up on sushi ingredients..... Mission SUCCESSFUL and yes we are very proud of ourselves. 

Is seems today is a day of firsts as we checked out the Icelandic cafe a few doors down from us and tonight we are going all out and hitting up Jamie's Italian for a feast and a half. We figure we will need all the energy we can get for another adventure tomorrow :) 

Exploring is a lot of work...... Which means sweets are DEFINITELY on the menu.