Oxford

Paddington station

Punting

Playing in the garden 

View of Oxford from the oldest building in the city

Christ Church College

Christ Church's dining hall- where Harry Potter's Great Hall was filmed

Harry Potter staircase

Christ Church cathedral

Alice Liddell's garden

Hertford Bridge a.k.a. Bridge of Sighs

Miles of bookshelves in Blackwell's Bookshop

These gorgeous photos were taken in Oxford, where we stayed for one night at our extended family's house. We took the train in from London, which was only an hour's ride, and were taken by our extended family member (we tried to acquire the meaning of 'family member' in this situation and were met by something along the lines of my second cousin once removed) David back to their lovely house just outside the city. We dropped our bags off and then immediately got back in the car to drive to the river to go punting. It is a very 'Oxford' thing to do, especially on a sunny day, and the river was packed with boats. It is difficult to explain but the pictures give some idea- the wooden boat is narrow and fairly long with three different sections and cushions to sit on. The punter stands at the back of the boat and uses a steel pole to push the boat off of the bottom of the river. Apparently turning the boat is a bit tricky- one swings the pole behind them and pushes th boat off from another angle. The boats also have an oar for those times when you get stuck in the trees (which happened often and was very amusing) or if the pole gets stuck; you are supposed to leave it if this happens or else you would be clinging to the pole whilst the boat floats further away! It was all in all a great experience especially as it was sunny and warm. 

After a previous evening spent playing soccer, freeze tag, and three-legged races in the sprawling back garden with our extended younger cousins, we headed to Oxford city center. Almost immediately we found the city's oldest surviving building- a church- and climbed to the top for a view of shingled roofs and old stone buildings. It was a scene that probably hasn't changed much since the church was first established, which I think is part of the uniqueness of the city and campus. We then wandered through the streets until we hit Christ Church College in Oxford University. The building is very impressive and Mom and I were constantly disbelieving that it is some [lucky] 18-year-olds' campus. A highlight of the college was the Great Hall as it was used to film the Great Hall in all of the Harry Potter films. It was smaller than it is made to look on screen and of course doesn't include floating candles but was impressive in its own right with long wooden tables, huge fireplaces, and paintings of famous alumni. We all loved the outside staircase as well. The college also has a significant connection to Alice in Wonderland because Lewis Carroll attended the school and was friends with the dean and his daughter, Alice Liddell, whom Alice is based on. From the cathedral we saw "Alice's garden" and the door that Alice and her father used to go in and out of their property. Lewis Carroll gave her a cat from his hometown of Cheshire, and Alice was constantly trying to get the cat down from the tree in the garden where it perched grinning, hence 'grinning Cheshire cat'! Mom and I both love the story so it was great to learn about the origin of it. 

The rest of the day consisted of meandering in and out of the lush quads. Another highlight was Blackwell's, an old bookstore with literally miles of books. And of course having a picnic in the sun was perfect- the weather has finally changed for the better and was 90 degrees in London today! 

I loved the city of Oxford, the different college campuses, and naturally it seemed an amazing place to study. In comparison to Cambridge University, where I visited with my school earlier this year, it would have to be Oxford. It's not too shabby for the top school in the world...