ENGLAND TRIP: Day 6: Part 1: Driving/Road Ghost/Blenheim Palace

Tom and Rob at Blenheim Palace

On the 6th day of our trip in England we picked up a car, so we could explore places outside of England.

DRIVING: Tom let me (Rob) drive and I must say it was a challenge.

SOME TIPS: 1) Always get an automatic transmission. 2) Always get a GPS for directions (or you'll get lost) 3) Realize that Speed Limit signs are actually in Miles Per Hour, not kilometers. 4) England is mostly still on the English system of measurements, not the metric system. There are exceptions though, and it's really a mixture of both.

GHOSTLY ACCIDENT: Anyone that knows me (Rob) knows that I've been able to sense Earth-bound ghosts or spirits, and driving to Blenheim Palace (way outside of London) provided another experience.  About one mile before we reached Blenheim Palace on Route M40 I sensed a car accident ahead. I actually heard sirens in my head (Tom didn't hear them). As we passed a certain spot, I realized that someone had died in a bad car accident there. It was right at that time that Tom said he smelled the smell of vomit, or something rotting, which is how he gets a sign he's in the presence of a ghost. When he said that out loud, he confirmed the ghost was there alongside the road.

Tom at the entrance to Blenheim Palace

ARRIVAL AT BLENHEIM PALACE -  WHAT IS IT? 

Blenheim Palace is a stately home situated in Woodstock, Oxfordshire, England. It is the seat of the Dukes of Marlborough. It was built between 1705 and 1724 and

was intended to be a gift to John Churchill, 1st Duke of Marlborough from a grateful nation in return for military triumph against the French and Bavarians at the Battle of Blenheim (in Holland).

Rob at Blenheim Palace's Water Garden

  However, it led to Marlborough's exile, the fall from power of his duchess, and irreparable damage to the reputation of the architect Sir John Vanbrugh. The palace is designed in English Baroque styles It is unique in its combined usage as a family home, mausoleum and national monument. The palace is also notable as the birthplace and ancestral home of Prime Minister Sir Winston Churchill.

Blenheim Palace's Water Garden where we lunched

OUR THOUGHTS: The palace was overly ornate and gaudy with gold, 17th century China and tapestries. We actually walked through it rather quickly and didn't stop to listen to the tour. We DID enjoy a lunch outside facing the "Water Garden," although it was cloudy, breezy and cold (55F). Lunch was a pot of tea and we split a sandwich. 

CHECK OUT OUR SHORT VIDEOS HERE:

VIDEO 1: Our introduction and welcome to Blenheim Palace! 

 
\VIDEO 2: Live from the Water Garden, where we had lunch! 

NEXT: The Train, the Butterfly House and the Maze