Oxford, UK

After checking out of Athena, we left our car in a Park and Ride (note, the parking machines there do not give change), and travelled into Oxford City by bus. We opted to get off in High Street and just walk. We loved the old buildings, the bicycles that everyone seemed to ride, and the history. When we got tired of walking, we sat in a little cafe and had coffee and Danish and soaked up the atmosphere. Then we set off again. One college had a sign out front, saying visitors were welcome to come in but the rooms were out of bounds. There was a magnificent garden inside and a smooth green quadrangle. The stone of the building was warm looking and so very old at the same time.

We left Oxford mid afternoon, retrieved our car, and travelled onto Chester, a walled city on the border of Wales and England. I spent some time here about 8 years ago, teaching English to foreign students at a summer school at Chester University, so had fond memories of the place.