Oxford, on to Liverpool and the ferry to the Isle of Man

Peter by an old hangout, the Lamb and Flag Pub

On Tuesday morning, after breakfast, we went of the Oxford University's Ashmolean Museum of Art and Archeology near St. John's College.  The oldest museum in Britain, started in the 1620s with a small collection of paintings, was recently totally remodeled and reopened in 2009.  The new exhibition spaces are laid out well.  We all set off in different directions to explore, meeting up near the entrance 45 minutes later.  The others chose to roam around Oxford, so I stayed at the Ashmolean for another hour and a half by myself, sticking mostly to the archeology exhibits.  (Peter was so delighted to be in Oxford, telling me he could live there.  I looked at the skies and pointed out that I could not.)

I was thirsty, so I went to the cafe to get a drink.  People were sitting around enjoying cups of hot tea, but I wanted something cold.  There were bottles of moderately chilled Diet Coke.  When I approached the cashier to pay, I asked if I could have a glass of ice.  The response was a polite "No, we don't have ice."  But the expression indicated that she thought I might be an alien from another galaxy. 

The kids and I had a delicious and inexpensive lunch at Taylor's, across the street from the alumni rooms at St. John's while Peter went to fetch the car at the lot on the edge of the city.  (It's pretty much impossible to park downtown.)  He had loaded up the car by the time we met him, so we set off for Liverpool to catch the ferry to Douglas in the Isle of Man.

view of Liverpool from the ferry

The drive through the sodden countryside, skirting around the major cities on the motorways, was uneventful and we reached the right dock in Liverpool after getting directions from a passing dockworker on the street.  I thought his accent was thick, but then I hadn't yet experienced the accent of the Isle of Man!  It's a good thing Peter was at the wheel, because I couldn't understand a word of what the man who directed onto the ferry said!

The ride on the Manannan across the Irish Sea was smooth and the ferry was comfortable.  When we went to the lower passenger deck to purchase a hot dinner about 45 minutes before arrival, we found that the cafe was closing.  The very nice people made pizza and lasagna for us anyway, and it was delicious.

beach and Promenade in Douglas, Isle of Man

We arrived at the dock in Douglas about 9:45 p.m.; the sun had not yet set.  We found our hotel on the Lock Promenade, the Town House, easily enough.  We have a large and lovely apartment overlooking the promenade and the harbour in a beautifully maintained Victorian.  After we settled in, Peter and I look a walk along the promenade and through the sunken gardens.  The waterfront street and buildings are lit up with white lights for blocks and blocks.  We also walked on the next street back, which was quite quiet in the late evening.  This is known as the "tine," according to our hostess, which Peter translated as "town."

Peter by the Jubilee Clock on the waterfront

Out in the harbour, the Refuge for Seafarers which was erected by the city at the prompting of Sir William Hillary, the founder the Royal National Lifeboats Institute, who was inspired to create this organization after seeing so many shipwrecks from his home in Douglas.  The refuge on a small island looks like a spooky castle at night, lit up eerily with blue lights.