JB & Calee's visit, pt. VI

After the pub crawl, we started scaling back on the agenda intensity for JB & Calee's remaining days in the UK.  We kicked off the day after with a half-speed walk through Christ Church.

I came across a memorial to W.H Auden on the floor inside Christ Church Cathedral.

You readers may have noticed all the blue skies in my posts from the first part of the week.  By Thursday, the sun was with us no longer, & England felt like England again.

I always insist to Fi that a bit of rain makes a visit to the UK more atmospheric.  She's never convinced & persists in apologizing to our guests.

It actually hailed on us that afternoon, so we sheltered inside the Grand Cafe for a cuppa.

 
By Thursday evening all was right with the world again, so we met Fiona & MC at the Bookies for a coupla beers.  JB & Fiona got on famously.  They're both talkers.

Friday morning we returned to London in order to be on time for our afternoon tea reservation at the Langham Hotel's Palm Court.

JB & Calee were brimming with excitement.

I ordered a white tea called Silver Needle, one of my favorites.

Check out the host in the background.  What's he reaching for??

The Langham came through with their reliably delicious sandwich plates.  The one below features:

• Cucumber, cream cheese, & chives
• Cornfed chicken breast with honey mustard & marjoram
• Free range chicken eggs & mustard cress
• Smoked Scottish salmon with horseradish
• Yellowfin tuna, sunblush tomatoes, & arugula

After the sarnies there were scones, raisin & plain, served with clotted cream (God, I love clotted cream) & strawberry jam.

At last came the glorious patisserie.  I never save enough room to comfortably eat all of the desserts, but sometimes you've just gotta man up.

All good things come to an end, & JB & Calee had to fly back to San Diego the next day.  Thanks again for coming to visit, guys.  We had a fantastic time having you!

JB & Calee's visit, pt. V

Oxford has great pubs, particularly in Jericho.  In my opinion, the pubs make up one of the strongest arguments for living there.  SO... in anticipation of our guests, I spent some time mapping out a pub crawl for us to follow during the Blacks' visit.  My original plan included 13 stops, but on the actual day, that list got pared down to 10 because of time & stamina.  In retrospect, 10 was a pretty respectable figure.

We started at the Bear.

 

From there we wended our way to the Turf Tavern.

After which we faced the mighty Kings Arms.

 

Feeling good.  Now comes the Lamb & Flag.

Then on to the Eagle & Child, one-time haunt of C.S. Lewis & J.R.R. Tolkien.

 

A short ramble up the road from there is the Royal Oak.

& then to Oxford's favorite veggie pub, the Gardeners Arms, where we sat in the back. JB ate a (his first?) pickled onion.

Around the corner waits the Victoria.

Then the Jude.

 
At last, we descended upon the Harcourt Arms, the establishment that would sell us our 10th & final round** of the day.

 ** I should add -- JB & I drank full pints of beer at every pub.  The girls did not.  They were far more responsible than we.