By Tim Saunders
The importance of vaccines and antibiotics takes centre stage at the History of Science Museum in Broad Street, Oxford. Here, there is a room dedicated to penicillin and eradicating typhoid – Oxford scientists have played an important part in this. This excellent free resource also has Einstein’s inspirational blackboard showing his theory of relativity, which reveals the age of the universe. According to the display, he made some mistakes, and today, we realise that the universe is actually 14 billion years old! There are other displays about Marconi, radio waves, and photography. There’s so much to learn about! It seems that our children, though, are not in the frame of mind to spend long here, and so unfortunately, we’re unable to visit the other free museums: the Ashmolean, Pitt Rivers, and the University Museum of Natural History. A great shame.
We mooch through the high street and admire some of the window displays, not least the fantastic cakes in the window of Paul. There is grand architecture, cobbled side streets, and the historic Covered Market in Market Street, where there are some excellent independent businesses including a florist, which seems pretty good value for money, and Pieminister, a popular eatery. This area really does have a buzz, which is sadly lacking elsewhere in the city. We hear French and German speakers. “What is that?” questions Henry (aged 9) from inside a shop, as we peer out onto the pavement ahead. A noisy and unsettling immigration march walks past. Amid the hustle and bustle, St Michael and the North Gate City Church of Oxford offers spiritual sustenance with its peace, warmth and original church pews. If you’re lucky, you’ll be treated to a splendid, uplifting service featuring the choir. It proves a struggle for Henry, who decides to lie beneath the pew for the duration. We park in Oxford using parkingcupid.com, which allows us to easily pre-book a space on a driveway only five minutes’ walk from the city centre. This removes all worries about car parking during our time here.
There is major construction work in Oxford, causing diversions, which means that the usual five-minute drive to the parking space takes well over an hour. We are diverted into the clean air zone, against our will, where there is a charge of £5 a day for non-electric cars. This must be paid by midnight the following day, otherwise, hefty fines apply! Due to the diversions, we also end up in a bus lane, where we are photographed and subsequently fined £35 if we pay promptly, rising to £70 if we take our time. So, beware of Oxfordshire County Council’s money-making initiatives – our hard-earned cash is going to help plug their rising £163m debt.
We stay on a half board basis in two interconnecting rooms at Holiday Inn Oxford for two nights, where it’s simple to park in the car park directly outside. The moment we arrive, we’re greeted by a friendly receptionist who makes checking in easy, which we’re very grateful for because the journey, which should have been an hour, has taken two-and-a-half due to an accident on the M27, so we’re all a bit frazzled. The hotel has been stylishly revamped, and includes arty scenes of Oxford throughout the dining areas, together with verses of poetry by W.B. Yeats (although he didn’t study in Oxford, he had numerous volumes published by Oxford University Press). The interior is modern, bright and welcoming, with lots of light. We take the lift to the third floor, where our rooms are located.
“Can we look at the fitness suite?” ask the children, just wanting to be nosey. We’re not here to get fit, we just want to relax, if they’ll let us, of course!
We drop our luggage in the rooms and freshen up. Dinner is a wonderfully relaxed affair, which is just what we need. On both nights, we enjoy starters and main meals, but it’s only on the second night that we have room for desserts. On the first night, we opt for starters of tasty loaded nachos with cheese sauce, sour cream, guacamole, pico de gall and lime,, followed by cod and chips for me, and tagliatelle primavera with asparagus and leek for Caroline. Pizzas for the children. I have a pint or two of Goose Island beer while Caroline has a cider, and the children, Pepsis. The second night’s basil soup with toasted ciabatta and Club sandwiches are a winning combination for us all, especially when accompanied by a couple of pints of ice-cold, thirst-quenching Guinness… Henry is in his element, because he gets ice cream for dessert and is able to watch the football on the massive television in front of us.
We’re delighted to find that each of our rooms is fitted with a bath. We’re still getting round to replacing our shower at home with a bath (that we have in the loft waiting patiently to be fitted), so we all leap at the chance of enjoying a luxurious soak. Mine is very relaxing, but typically, is not long enough. There’s also Dove shower gel and shampoo – it’s nice to feel pampered! At the end of each bath is an Oxford scene, which I enjoy gazing at. After my bath, I’m able to start reading the book I’ve brought along, The Doomsday Carrier by Victor Canning. I read a whole 50 pages during the break, which feels like a small achievement. The children enjoy catching up on their programmes.
“Oh, there’s YouTube!” says Henry, who would be glued to it, if only he was allowed. Please save us.
After a peaceful sleep, we indulge in breakfast, which is a wonderful, unhurried experience that goes on until 11.00am, if you have the time. There are cooked and continental options, and plenty of good-quality coffees, hot chocolate and fruit juices to get you in the right frame of mind for the day ahead. It’s even possible to request poached or boiled eggs. We could get used to this way of life. My favourite has to be the full English breakfast, but then I also quite like the continental, with the yoghurt, croissants and pain au chocolate. It’s a buffet, and Henry takes it upon himself to be a waiter to Mummy, which she does enjoy. So while he is an awkward little rascal for much of the break, we have to remember that there are also the occasional moments of absolute joy, usually involving food and drink.
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