Blenheim Palace

Blenheim Palace

Blenheim Palace is a stately home in Woodstock. It was built in the early 1700s. The palace was the birthplace of Sir Winston Churchill, who was the Prime Minister of Britain during the Second World War. You can get to Woodstock and Blenheim Palace from Oxford on an X3 bus.

I visited Blenheim Palace with my family last September. My husband told me that he knew a very nice place and he would like to go there with us. This palace is really wonderful. The main entrance was crowded, but when we got to the garden, it was peaceful and tranquil. We enjoyed the sunshine, the tress and the birds. Sometimes my son shouted and we ran together, but it was OK because there was no one around us. While we were sitting near the lake, we saw a black swan. It was the first time I had seen one. We were so excited. We had a great time at Blenheim Palace.
Judy, South Korea

Picture: jyri / www.flickr.com
License: Creative Commons License (By 2.0)

Morse & Lewis


Lewis is a British television detective series set in Oxford. The character of Lewis first appeared on television in the TV series Morse. Morse was based on books written by Colin Dexter.

Most of the series is filmed in Oxford. A lot of stories in Lewis are about the murder of fictional students and professors at the University of Oxford.

A new series of Lewis starts tonight at 8pm on ITV.

WORDS & EXPRESSIONS

detective: a police officer who tries to catch criminals
series: a set of television programmes that have the same characters or subject
character: a person in a book or film
based on something: developed from something else (eg. a film based on a book)
crime: activities that are illegal
murder: the crime of killing someone
fictional: imaginary characters or events from a story
episode: one in a series of TV programmes

Lost in Paris

I fell in love with Paris right away. The sky was bright, the trees were green and the buildings were impressive. On the first day, we went to the Eiffel Tower. Despite the cold weather, it was very crowded there. My son wanted to climb the tower, but we didn’t want to wait for two hours to buy a ticket. If the weather had been good, we would have waited. On the second day, we went to the Louvre. I like paintings, so I had to go there. But when I got there, it was a disaster.

I got lost.

We got into teams of two: my friend and I, my husband and son. We picked a place to meet and then separated. A few minutes later though, I had lost my friend and my phone wasn’t working. So I had to hurry up to meet my husband at the place we had arranged to meet. I waited for three hours.

I was on edge. I only had €90. No phone, no bag, no watch. I needed a debit card or credit card. I went to the information place and they told me that I could buy a pay phone card at the phone card at the post office in the Louvre. I went to buy one. I called my family and I found them.

I still tremble at the thought of my trip to the Louvre.
Judy, South Korea

Picture: terrazzo / www.flickr.com
License: Creative Commons License (By 2.0)

My First Day in Oxford

I rode my bicycle to the city centre. The weather was really nice. I put my bicycle somewhere and started walking around the city. I saw lots of streets and buildings with beautiful architecture. At that moment, I started to fall in love with the city. I enjoyed my first day in Oxford.
Marina, France

I just wanted to go back to my country. I felt so lonely. I missed my parents and young sister. I cried on the first night, but then I decided I would study hard and enjoy my Oxford life. Now, I love Oxford. Life is much better here now than it was on my first day.
Ga Yeon, South Korea

When I arrived in Oxford, it was night time. My plane had been delayed for three hours. When I got to my homestay house I was absolutely exhausted. I met my homestay mother. Although it was the first time we had met, she was very kind to me. The only problem was that I couldn’t understand what she was talking about. I was so nervous and tired. I understand what she says now.
Zian, South Korea

When I arrived at my host family’s house, my host mother talked to me, but I was shy and embarrassed because I couldn´t understand her. I had been learning English in Venezuela for six months before that, but it was still difficult when I first came to England. I have been studying in Oxford for two months now, so I think my English is better. I have made great friends in my classroom. I like spending time with them and it is a good way to practise my speaking.
Ruddy, Venezuela

The most impressive thing about my first night in Oxford was the shining stars in the sky. When I arrived in Oxford, it was late at night. It was a very clear night, so I could see lots of stars in the sky. Although I was absolutely exhausted because of the long flight, I was really excited. All the buildings are low in Oxford, so I could see the stars easily. It is hard to see stars in Seoul because there are lots of skyscrapers.
Ji Young, South Korea

Football in Manchester

I went to see the football stadium in Manchester with my friend. It was interesting and fun. We saw the football kits, trophies and things telling us about the history of the football team. Almost everything was red. I wanted to see the football players, but they weren’t there.

I love Ji Sung Park, so I bought a Ji Sung Park football kit. It was a little expensive, but not as expensive as it would have been in Korea. If I’d had more money and time, I would have seen a match. I’d like to see Manchester play against Chelsea. My first trip to the stadium was good. I’m going to go to the Real Madrid stadium in November. I want to see Ronaldo. I love football.
Sookyeon, South Korea

I had a good time in Manchester. I watched a football match in the stadium. I saw Manchester United vs. Tottenham. It was so fun. I was studying English in Sheffield for a month with other students from my university. At the weekend, we went on trips to Manchester, London, Liverpool, York and the Lake District. I had wanted to go to England for a long time, so I was really happy. One month wasn’t enough time, so I came back to study English in Oxford.
Riho, Japan

The Notebook

My favourite film is The Notebook. The director is Nick Cassavetes. The main characters are played by Ryan Gosling (Noah) and Rachel McAdams (Allie). It is a love story set in the 1940s. It tells the story of a poor, but passionate, young man and a rich young woman. They are separated by their social differences. You also see an older man telling this story to a sick old woman. While you are watching the film you realise that the young couple are the same people as the older couple.
Eva, Spain

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