Oxford Day 2

Our second full day I Oxford was full of family time and socializing. It was really nice getting to know my extended family which, like I say, I have heard so much about but never met. They were all such kind, welcoming, hospitable, fun, generous people like others I've known that it was yard to say good bye.
We breakfasted with just a takeaway pie from yesterday's little street market while walking around the Oxford University buildings on our way to the car. A nice drive through the English Countryside brought us back to our cousins house in Princes Risborough. Today was the day we had brought my deceased grandparents ashes from New Zealand for. We were to scatter the at various locations around the Buckinghamshire countryside. Alf of Grandads went on his parents grave. Half of my grandmother's went on her brothers grave, in the came cemetery and her parents but as we weren't sure where they were buried it didn't seem right to guess. The other half of both grandma and grandad went together under a tree outside the house they had built 60 or so years ago in Princes Risborough. They were together again.
It was a very emotional experience - especially for my dad as they were his parents - but was wonderful to do it not as a big event, just with a few relatives present making a little pilgrimage across the countryside together.
After a few more stops around the places to see where people grew up or went to school, as well as a drive to the top of White Leaf Cross to see the countryside view, we went back to my cousins houses before dinner at an Italian restaurant. Dinner was nice and standard Italian fare while the drive back to Oxford after saying goodbye to the relatives was a little more sad, knowing we won't be seeing them for a long time after having never even met them before.
Tomorrow we leave for Paris which should be another interesting day full of travel.
There has been a little relief from the frustrations of a certain co-traveller whilst in the Oxford and Buckinghamshire area and we have been so busy doing Small-family stuff, which has been good.En savoir plus