Seems like every time we go to London we manage one day trip to some other city in England. This time it's Oxford. A lot of very grand buildings in a vaguely yellow-brown palette. The elevated pictures of Oxford on this page come from the very narrow parapet at the top of the University Church of St. Mary the Virgin. Amazing views, but probably not suitable if you don't handle heights well.

We started our day at Blenheim Palace. Why doesn't the Oxford bus system go here? We don't know. Instead it goes to a rotary quite close to the palace but leaves you there to walk the rest of the way. Anyway, Blenheim is the seat for the Dukes of Marlborough. It was also where Winston Churchill was born. It has expansive grounds.

Inside... well, it's a palace. It's actually maybe half palace and half museum to Winston Churchill. Worth the visit but we enjoyed the grounds much more than the palace itself.

It has the assortment of formal gardens, fountains and wide open spaces you'd expect. The palace itself was built in the early 1700s and amended as such things go. The site has an interesting history as a royal deer hunting lodge and place to stash mistresses.

The hedge maze was a personal favorite, especially with kids along. There's also a passable cafe out near the maze.

Back in town, this is the Oxford Museum of Natural History and it is fabulous. They have a bit of everything and it's all basically crammed into one large gallery with a couple of side rooms. The organization seems a bit questionable but if you just want to wander amongst assorted fascinating items, this is the place for you.

The Bodleian Library - perhaps the most famous building at Oxford University. We did not arrange a tour to go inside it (some other trip), so we just have this picture of the front.

The pleasingly round building next door is Radcliffe Camera. It is also part of the library system at Oxford and is not open to the public.

If you've read books set in Oxford, Christ Church, or the grounds around it, always seem to figure into them. Or at least maybe in the books I've read set in Oxford it does. There is a lovely set of meadows, paths, and athletic fields between the church and the rivers (Cherwell and Thames).