August 2nd and 3rd - Parks and Recreation (Literally)

Good evening,

A lot of stuff happened over the last 2 days so let me tell you all about it!

On the morning of the 2nd, Piper, Giulianna, Connor, and I felt like something different for breakfast, so we went over to Westgate and got some donuts that we shared with each other. I got a biscoff-flavored donut, and my friends got red velvet, cookies and cream, and raspberry jam.

After we finished, Connor and I walked Piper and Giulianna to the train station since they were going to visit family in London. 

When we got back home, we wanted to do something fun, so we thought, "Why don't we walk to Blenheim Palace?" and off we went. Since Connor didn't want the sun to toast him, he wore a scarf over his head the entire way (which I thought made him look like a green alien). 

On the road to Blenheim

 

Connor posing with a chair we found on the side of the road

He looks like an alien, doesn't he?

Breakfast

When we got to Woodstock, the village next to Blenheim, we went to a restaurant called The Crown. I ate a nice meal of chicken bites with garlic aioli (also snagged some calamari), gnocci, and a brownie with caramel ice cream. It was delicious and filling!

Then, we walked around the village and entered Blenheim Park, where we were able to admire the amazing scenery. We also visited some landmarks such as the Column of Victory and the Harry Potter Tree, which was used in the film Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix. 

Front gate

Column of Victory

Harry Potter Tree

By the time we took a bus back to Oxford, it was late, so we picked up some sushi from Itsu. The cashier also threw in a small box of vegetable gyoza for free. Very nice! 

The next morning, I woke both myself and Connor up bright and early to catch a train. Our destination? Thorpe Park, one of the UK’s biggest amusement parks. We took a train from Oxford to Reading, then another to Staines-upon-Thames, and finally a bus to the park. The journey was totally worth it.

We went on all sorts of rides, including Hyperia, the UK's largest and fastest roller coaster (265 feet, 80.15 mph). We also rode Saw: The Ride (which has the steepest freefall in the world at 100 degrees), Colossus (which has 10 loops), The Swarm, Stealth (which does 0-80 mph in 1.8 seconds), Nemesis Inferno, The Walking Dead: The Ride, and a whole bunch of other stuff. 

We eventually found ourselves in an area called Amity Cove (pretty sure it's a Jaws reference) and wanted some lunch. Since the park pretty much only had fast food, we went into a KFC and I enjoyed a box meal with a sandwich, popcorn chicken, a chicken finger, fries, tang, and baked beans (I suppose we are in England after all). This KFC had the most unique theming I've seen. The restaurant was made to look like it was hit by a hurricane and featured a boat in the ceiling, as well as a giant shark coming through the wall. 10/10 atmosphere.

We also went on a water ride called Tidal Wave, which sends you down a huge slide, shooting a massive wall of water everywhere. I managed to not get too wet, but that quickly changed when I exited the boat, took my stuff, and stepped outside to get out of the ride. I was then hit with a second wave of water from the other boat sliding down. I was completely soaked!

After our long day of thrills, we made it back to Oxford and ate dinner at a place called Quod. I got a small pizza (which was excellent) and salmon fishcakes with spinach. A nice way to end the day.

That's all for now; see you next time!