Day 7. Class in the morning and then Blenheim Palace and Stratford upon Avon in the afternoon and evening.

We leave directly after lunch and head to Blenheim Palace.  It’s hard to find the words to succinctly describe the place… it’s best left to superlatives such as: immense, stately, massive, opulent (but not nearly like some of the French Palaces), tasteful and historically fascinating (http://www.blenheimpalace.com/) We were given a tour by a wonderful guide who didn’t just explain the building and how it was built but also some of the stories that made up this lovely place.  And it is lovely.  Truly. We got more and more of that impression of it’s beauty as we progressed through the building and caught glimpses of the outside grounds. 

It’s true, Blenheim is a lovely interior but it’s gardens and parks, designed by Capability Brown  were drawing us outside.  The weather was cool, but with sun and clouds and not a rain drop to worry about.  Once we finished our tour, we made our way outside, and each of us got to experience this park in the way that we enjoyed the most.

At 4:00pm we all met up again for our ride to Stratford upon Avon, Shakespeare’s birth city and where his family lived while he worked and wrote in London.  We were scheduled to see a play, Julius Caesar that evening but since we got there at 5:00 we were able to walk the city for a little while.  Some of us went on a tour of the town and church where The Bard is buried, some simply enjoyed some drinks and dinner at the Dirty Duck and then some of us, hardy souls, we… decided to try punting on the Avon.  Well… punting didn’t happen but rowing, now rowing could happen.  We rented two boats, piled in and tried to row in a straight line. 

Needless to say, that didn’t happen… at least for a while.  We rowed for an hour or so and in that time we learned: Nick, Shengfu and Yoshi can row.  Well.  Sitara can as well but she does have a little lean to the right.  Michi wanted to row but fell off the seat and was replaced by Shengfu. Joy navigated and supervised and Christina crashed the boat into a tree.  Twice.  It’s all on facebook, all of it.  Even the swan who mooned us. ‘Nuff said.

After our race (we were turtles and rabbits… and yes, the turtles won again after unsticking the rabbits from under the bridge) we went trotting back to the Dirty Duck for a drink and some vittles before our 7:30 play.  We were scheduled to see Shakespeare’s Julius Caesar; a violent bloody play full of great, iconic, long speeches, lots of mob scenes and everyone dying.  It was marvelous.  Really.  While it was very heavy the production of this play was absolutely perfect and well done.  

We got back after 11 pm.. it was a long day..
 
Day 8. Free day—Today is the day that everyone gets to do whatever they want.  A whole free day, all to ourselves!  What shall we do?  What can we do?

Some decided to go to London.  There was a group who ended up going to the Wembley Cup matches that were taking place in the afternoon.  Those brave hardy souls grabbed a bus, then walked and walked and walked through the streets of Wembley to get to the stadium.  True dedication to the game!  Some went straight to London, and then proceeded to check their sights off on their lists. One decided to take a double decker bus tour and then promptly fell asleep. He had a nice nap and was woken gently at the end of the tour by a well meaning driver. 

Some wandered through Oxford, poking in and out of shops, alleys or pubs.  It all worked.  Finally,  some decided to take Kees and Emile up on their offer of a leisurely Sunday boat ride.  We met at the Head of the River pub and realized the boat wasn’t where it had said it was going to be. 
(Wow, it’s really raining as I write!... sorry, just a small real time aside.)

To our dismay, our boat had been rented or ‘let’ to an entire group of merrymakers who were pleasantly welcoming to us and also quite drunk pretty much from the moment they arrived.  The music from that boat was so loud it echoed off of the stone bridge and walls of the ancient city.  It was an interesting paradox that we all felt, on some level, privileged to be able to observe.  That said, we did wonder, a bit perversely, if the boat would actually motor down the Thames or actually just bounce with the back beat.  ?

Our littler, quieter boat left the quay at 2:30 for a short little scenic excursion to Iffley (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Iffley) .  This sweet little village was so picturesque, so quiet… and the dock was absolutely infested with geese and ducks.  They were everywhere, just sitting there… in the middle of the walking path.  They had no fear; we were the interlopers.  We walked carefully through them on the Tow Path back to Oxford.  Of course, once we had cleared the feathered ‘blockade’ we needed to celebrate our bravery with a drink! What ho, there is the Isis Farmhouse, a lovely local spot to relax, have some locally grown food, locally produced ciders and best of all, home baked bread and butter.  Indulgence.

Each person had their own day on Sunday, some simply alone and some with others but each person spent the day how they wished.  Some did do some work on their presentations… I can attest to it directly since they did a lot of their work right below my balcony.  Good job to you, team!

Dinner was also on each other’s own choice.  I can’t wait to hear how and what everyone chose!  We had tapas… I know! Tapas in England?  But yes. And it was good.  We found this lovely new dessert wine, which of course, can only be purchased in Spain.  How tempting to go to Spain next!

Day 8. Free day: A litte more—This class trip has been a revelation about many things.  Some of these things seem obvious… Yes, students will develop closer relationships and yes, they will see new and different things.  For some of them, it’s their first time out of the US and the opportunity to open their eyes to a new way of seeing the world is an incredible chance.  But what I also learned was the value that an experience like this offers the actual class experience and learning.

The students are able to not just think about an idea, they get to see and touch it first hand.  They get to hear from people everyday who DO things.  They get to think about how they would do IT if they could and then ask the people who Do what they think.  The foundation that is set each morning in class is reinforced by the speakers in the afternoon and the intensiveness of the whole experience allows learning to occur at lightning speed. 

I talked with many of the students and simply asked them what they thought so far.  They shared specific things, like learning about the different class roles in various societies internationally from Allyson or thinking about the running of a truly international global icon from Iain this past Friday as opening their eyes to thinking about people and business in a new way… and how it reinforced the idea that business is a rippling global experience.