Oxford

Day 4:

It was just like the movies: Someone running, bag and ticket in hand, towards the train platform. Just as they approach the bell starts to ding, the clock reads the train departure time, and the man closes the door. He then turns around, sees the runner and their look of desperation, and reluctantly opens the train door once more. The runner hops on and the train is moving before they even find their seat.

Yep. That was me.

It didn't have to be. I had the choice to catch the 10:22 train or wait half an hour for the next one. But I'd just spent the last hour on a train and the tube, and I was done waiting. I was determined to make this train.

And I did. 

Slightly out of breath, I took one of the last seats on the train next to an old man. He turned to me and asked where I was from. I told him I was from the States. That was all he needed to start a conversation. He told me he was born in New Zealand, moved to London thirty years ago, and has been there ever since. His kids were all born and raised in London and he loves the city. He goes back to New Zealand every year but, it's too calm there. He basically told me his life story. He wanted to know what I'd seen in London so far. He was really very nice, and it was fun to actually have a conversation with someone from London.

At one point he said, "you're going to Oxford? Here's something interesting." I waited, and he said, "you know the book, "the Hobbit"? It was written by a fellow there."

Really? You don't say? :)

I got off the train at Oxford and was immediately in college town. Well, it was more like castle meets tourist hot spot meets college town. There were hundreds of people roaming the streets, going into the various shops and watching the street performers. As I got closer to the university the buildings got older. I didn't quite know where to start, so I just kept walking towards the giant towers and buildings.

The first building I saw was St. Mary's church . Admission was free so I walked in and had a look around. Then (for a small fee) I climbed the many steps to the top of the tower and got an amazing view of the city. 

After St. Mary's I walked by the Radcliffe Camera and the Bodlein Library. Both are incredible buildings. Then I went in search of the oxford market. I'd heard (read online) good things about the oxford market. But this was not what I'd expected. There were a lot of butchers and cobblers and things like that. Very few places selling cooked foods, and no souvenir or gift shops. Don't believe everything you see on the internet.

Moving on from there I continued to wander. I took pictures of so many different buildings. I didn't know what a lot of those building were. The campus was like a maze. Small alleyways, garden paths, and cobblestone streets lined with these beautiful old buildings. They also had HUGE doors. Most of the buildings were closed to the public, so I mostly just admired them from the outside.




After a while of wandering I came across the Ashmolean Museum. A history museum, it houses artifacts from all the major ancient empires. I had a quick look inside and got some pics from the "Ancient Rome" and "Ancient Egypt" portions...

From there I continued down the street and happened to see the "Eagle and Child", a pub the C.S. Lewis, J.R.R. Tolkien, and their many other writer friends used to frequent. They'd sit in this tiny place and eat and drink and share their stories. It was here that the first drafts of "The Lord of The Rings" and "The Lion, The Witch, and the Wardrobe" were shared with friends. Ready for lunch, I walked in. You enter through a tiny hallway, with small rooms on either side each housing two small round tables. It doesn't get much bigger in the back. I can imagine it being quite a crowded place with more than the five customers it had when I was there :)

After lunch I turned around and walked to the other side of the University. There I saw Magdalene College, where C.S. Lewis taught during his years at Oxford. I then walked by the Botanical Gardens on my way to Christ Church College and Cathedral.

After seeing Christ Church College I continued down the street to Oxford Castle. I had a quick look inside but didn't want to take the extensive tour of the building. Looking back now, I kind of wish I had gone into more of the buildings and churches. I guess that's what happens when you only have one day in a city with so much to see.

Since it was a two hour trip back to Rayleigh, I took the 4:00 train. However, tube and train delays meant I didn't get in until 7:30. It was an exhausting journey. But when I think about it, though I didn't go inside all the buildings or see everything I wanted to, it still was worth it. Just being there was amazing. Standing on old stones, surrounded by buildings that were built a thousand years ago, listening to the bells of Magdalene Church, feeling the history in the air... there's no way to really describe it. And I think those indescribable moments are really what travel is all about.


So, about Grad School... :)