(A) Today we visited Oxford. I love college campuses… especially old ones. And seeing as how educating began at Oxford in 1096, it qualifies as old. The University is made up of many Colleges that, if you wouldn’t mind a Harry Potter reference, are somewhat analogous to the Houses at Hogwarts. Each College seems to have its own building(s) and quad, and they all seem pretty self-sufficient.
We had signed up for a free walking tour, given by an Oxford student. We arrived at the designated meeting place, only to find that about 50 other people had also signed up for the free walking tour. I should have known it was too good to be true. So, instead of following around a huge group and not being able to hear what the guide was saying, we decided to do an online search for a self-guided Oxford walking tour. Lo and behold, we found one.
We strolled around the campus, which is somewhat mixed into the surrounding city, past beautiful churches and halls and towers and gardens and houses. It was a warm day, and we sought out shade wherever we could find it. (I won’t say that it was hot because I know what it’s been like in Texas lately.)
Christ Church
Christ Church Memorial Garden
I didn’t take many pictures because my phone was being used for navigation along the walking tour route. But here are a couple…
The picture on the right is of a hat shop. If you know me, you know that I love hats. I did find one in there that I really liked. It was a white linen flat cap, similar to the ones I brought with me on this trip. But the hats I have are more for fall and winter — one’s made of corduroy and the other of wool. A linen hat would be perfect for summer. Alas, the hats in this shop are all hand made…and their prices reflect that. Oh, well.
Kim took many more pictures today. I’ll see if she can add some.
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