Blenheim Palace

Excuse us for the omission of yesterday's blog. The day was quite dreadfully packed with horrendous weather and more than a few train delays. And lets just say, next time we go somewhere over seas, I think we will be shelling out the extra money for a b&b and a taxi ride if need be rather than a hostel.

Just a note, if you are having trouble posting comments, here is what to do:
   1. Click on comments at the bottom of the post
   2. Type in your comment
   3. Where it says "comment as" select Name/URL and type your name in the name area
   4. Click publish!
Or you can select anonymous and put your name at the bottom of your comment.

Anyway, on to Blenheim Palace!

Blenheim Palace is the most impressive residential building we've ever been to. This is where the Duke of Marlborough lives. The current Duke is the 11th in succession. Construction on the palace began in 1705. The palace grounds stretch over 2,000 acres and the landscaping took 10 years to complete. The lake you'll see below was man made, and took two years to fill. And it hasn't leaked to this day. We weren't allowed to take photos inside the palace so you'll see a lot of the grounds in this post!

The palace

The East wing where the Duke lives.

Gates at the north end of the Great Court

Libby standing next to the water terraces.

The view from the south lawn
 

Both of us . . .

Water Terraces

Lower Water Terraces

Libby in front of Blenheim

Main Lake

Gnarly old tree

Vanbrugh's Grand Bridge between two man made lakes: Queen Pool and Main Lake

Libby demonstrating how to stand with a spear.

Tommy demonstrating how to look menacing with a halberd.

Another interesting tidbit we learned is that Sir Winston Churchill was also born here. He is in the same family as the lord of Marlborough, and was the Godfather of the current duke.  His birth at Blenheim Palace was actually an accident, as his mother was visiting and he was born a little early. He was later quoted as saying:

"At Blenheim I took two very important decisions; to be born and to marry. I am content with the decision I took on both occasions."

Tomorrow we are catching the 9:07 am train to York. It's an almost 4 hour train ride but we are exciting to get to York and Number 34 B&B. We stayed at Number 34 last time we were in York and really liked it. We are ready to get out of this hostel!