OK, I know I started somewhere with how I really like the way that England has stayed almost humble about a lot of different things. As I have been motoring along in the heart of England it is difficult to find a Starbucks, McDonalds, or any kind of fast food. Sue and I have commented that the only thing that seems to be franchised is the “Red Lion” since we have seen numerous pubs with that name in various towns as we travel. Yesterday proved to me that capitalism is not dead in England… Sue and I (after a quick stop in Hook Norton) went to Blenheim Palace. Well having visited world heritage sites before this was the first one that was in the process of setting up for the Blenheim Triathlon (sponsored by Mazda) and the first one that had animatronic displays. The house itself was lovely, and the artwork was spectacular (though I get the impression the 1st Duke liked to have his picture painted- a lot). I think I was let down by the admission price (around $28 per person) and that since the triathlon was being set up many places on the grounds were closed to visitors. I don’t think the drizzles (only the second time since we have been here) helped my viewpoint, but if you have seen my Flickr gallery you hopefully have noticed that I like to take photos. I couldn’t find a shot of the house without some company logo in frame! We did take a very nice tour which really helped me to appreciate everything that I saw, but then we decided to view the second portion of the tour which dealt with the history of people and the house through the ages with the help of technology. At first it was amusing… then it was sad. Finally I tried to figure out why anyone with such a lovely house would devote part of it to a knock off of an A ticket Disneyland attraction. The answer came at the end when the latest Duke appeared on a screen thanking us for visiting- I almost thought he was about to tell us about the books, DVDs and t-shirts available at the gift shop “and don’t forget to quench your hunger on some Blenheim Bangers and Mash- Just like Winston used to eat!”. So my idealized version of England has been brought crashing to reality, which isn’t too bad- as we head off to London then home.
