European Adventure | Day 10

Even after all the beauty of Paris and Normandy and the fun of the English countryside, today was the day we had been looking forward to the entire trip. We were going to Highclere Castle that evening!

In the morning, we took a guided tour of Oxford with Alistair, one of our guides. During our tour, he explained how the college system works (students apply to one of 38 colleges and attend weekly one-on-one tutorials with their professors) and took us to several of Oxford's most famous sights, including the Saxon Tower of St Michael at the North Gate (the oldest building in Oxford), the Martyrs' Memorial, the Bodleian Library, the Radcliffe Camera, the Covered Market, and the Ashmolean Museum. We also toured Trinity College, where a black cat came out to greet our group.





After the tour, Mom and I ate lunch and then split up for the next few hours. I toured Christ Church College, where many of the scenes from the Harry Potter movies were filmed. The most famous locations are the grand staircase and Dining Hall (Hogwarts' Great Hall). The Dining Hall was fascinating to explore as the walls were covered with portraits of famous alumni (including John Wesley), royalty, and other English greats. My time alone was also remarkable for another discovery: my first Dr Pepper since leaving the U.S. a week and half earlier. I definitely savored it.





Around 2:30, we boarded the bus for Highclere Castle, and you could just sense the excitement in the group. Before we went to the Castle, we stopped at Bowdown House for tea. Bowdown is still a real home owned by a couple who are friends with the owners of Viking. It was amazing to look around the house and think about all the history that had taken place there.



After we left Bowdown House, we were on our way to Highclere Castle. We arrived there around 5 and had time to explore the grounds and visit the gift shop before entering the door at 5:30 (after the guests for the day had left). They served us champagne and then took us on a tour of the home. It was amazing to see all of the rooms I had watched on TV so many times. While we were touring the upstairs, Lady Carnarvon, the current owner of the house, came out to greet us with her dog Bella. She talked with us for a while and even allowed us to take a few pictures downstairs. It was quite a treat.




That evening we ate dinner at a local pub called The Yew Tree. I had fish and chips for dinner and a chocolate brownie for dessert. It was our last night with the Viking group, so it was time to say goodbye and remember all the good times from the last week and a half. After dinner, we came back to the hotel for our last night in Oxford.