Two weeks gone by

Already we have been here for two weeks and have seen nothing but Heathrow, the road to Oxford, and Oxford itself. Luckily, we will be saved from our rut by Bart and Tony who promise to spirit us away to Milton Keynes, a locale of a more recent vintage than Oxford.

This week we experienced a scintillating speech by the US ambassador to the UK about the Marshall plan. The highlight of the experience for me was realizing that all those horrible lectures I was dragged to in high school were not the worst lectures imaginable, but merely a taste of what was to come throughout life. At least the venue was interesting. Rhodes House has been home to many US scholars here in England, including former President Clinton. It was here that he did not inhale. More's the pity. (Actually, a pub here claims the fame of being the exact spot at which Pres. Clinton did not inhale. Perhaps it, like other English pubs, serves fine beer and mediocre food.)

That brings us to another lovely experience this week: dinner and the Cock and Camel pub. After discovering a little bit of Oxford through which we had not previously walked, we saw the Cock and Camel and felt we had to try it. Like most other pubs we've tried, we'd have been better off sticking with beer and no food.

Otherwise, the week has been a quiet, and often frustrating, attempt to set up more interesting travels for the coming weeks.

Off to the Englihs burbs . . . .