Blenheim

-
I think that out of all the houses, manors, castles and palaces I've had the privilege of seeing in Europe, Blenheim remains a steady favorite.

  
Blenheim Palace - Impressive, huh?
Not only is this an actual, lived in (the 11th Duke of Marlborough currently resides in the the spacious East wing) internationally-renown palace - but it has a spectacular and rich  history surrounding its keen structure. It's easily a historian's playground and a tourist's dream!

I can't reveal all its secrets, but I think my favorite aspects of the palace lie in the fantastic array of personalities who claimed it as home. The palace has certainly seen its fair share of inhabitants, from audacious and aristocratic dukes to honorable military men (such as Winston Churchill). Another quality I admire is the grand scale of the palace. From the first moment one wanders up the carriage way, one is struck with the massive size of the palace and property. Going for a walk in the gardens, for example, could take an unprepared visitor the best part of a day!

Needless to say, Blenheim is not a one-time stop destination. I think I will fall in love with it a little bit more the more often I visit.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Back

-
Image
It's been a week and a half  since we landed in the Land of Enchantment. Yes, we're back! I gotta be honest. New Mexico is...different than England. I could fill a blog with the differences between the two. But, for the sake of travel writers and my own fingers, I won't. All I know is, life is different now that we're back. But different isn't bad. Being back means a whole lotta things can happen. Or not happen. Back means starting new things, or catching up on old things. Back means going after dreams not yet realized before, or continuing dreams pursued before. Back means meeting new people, or getting to know old friends better. Back means big choices or little decisions.  What's the first thing you do when you get back (from anywhere)?
Read more

Blooms In Memoriam

-
Image
Memorial Day:  A federal holiday in the United States for remembering the people who died while serving in the country's armed forces.  ---- I recently got a text from a dear friend that reminded me that we all fight and serve a kingdom much more than the U.S.  Let me illuminate what I mean.  We humans live and die for a cause that is so much more than fighting in other countries for freedom.  We humans live and die for a cause that is so much more than our own peace and prosperity .  We humans life and die to bring about God's kingdom. Now, we may or may not be warring against physical forces,  but we all face and must fight against spiritual forces in our daily lives.  There are those of us who have lost loved ones in that cause,  or even know beloved friends and family on the front lines of this ongoing war.   I haven't lost a brother in the armed forces fighting for the United States of Ame...
Read more

Broadway

-
Image
Childhood dream! Okay, okay, so it's not Broadway. It's actually London's West End. But that doesn't mean it doesn't count. You remember those childhood dreams you wrote down in your diary? The entries that read something like, "When I'm older (older, meaning 12) I want to travel to Australia and see a live Koala..." or the simpler entry you, age 12, wrote about becoming a grown up "I want to be a brain surgeon someday." I've never been to Australia. And that's okay with me. I can't discount things I've experienced in my lifetime just because they don't exactly meet my diary criteria. I remember going to the Albuquerque Zoo with my family and seeing a live Koala for the first time. I think I cried. Viewing that darling, fuzzy Koala face through the glass was enough for me. I will never become a brain surgeon (I've talked about my aversion to blood in other posts) And that's okay with me. I am p...
Read more