Oxford
Tom Quad in Christ Church College in Oxford
November 12, 2008
I woke ready for my trip to Oxford, but Dan told me I had planned too much time
in the city, so I tried to change my £9.50 ticket, however to switch tickets, I
would have had to pay a £10 cancellation fee, then buy a new ticket... I decided
to just go and determine when and how I’d leave the city when it came time to leave.
I met a woman on the bus to Oxford; we talked on and off for the duration of the
journey. She was extremely nice and told me her son is a student there. She gave
me some sights to see. With these suggestions in addition to Dan's suggestions
(he went to Oxford Brooks) I had plenty to see, however both of them had nearly
identical lists.
“Bookish, conservative, closeted and elite, Oxford is a privileged place…” - Lonely
Planet couldn’t have put it better. I decided to start off by just getting hopelessly
lost. I did a fine job, but after only a half hour I realized I was too hungry to
continue for much longer so I made my way to Cowley Street for a kebab and to see
the more diverse part of the city.
The city is a place of contradictions: the working class city dwellers, the upper
class students, the less-than-diverse student population, the extremely diverse
Cowley Street, etc. My kebab at Kebab Kid was fantastic and enormous. I really miss
kebabs; I’m going to try to learn to make my own… again.
After lunch I headed to the university, first passing Magdalen College, known as
the more artsy of the colleges. The grounds are beautiful and the college’s location
on the river seems a perfect inspiration for the artists present. I then made it
to nearly everyone's highlight: Christ Church College, the most prestigious
of the colleges and one of the more impressive colleges architecturally. It was
here that Albert Einstein, John Locke, and 17 British Prime Ministers studied. Also
famous for being one of the filming locations of Harry Potter. The college is very
impressive; once the self-guided tour was over I made my way out to the rest of
the city.
I stopped in at a couple other colleges, but soon made my way to the shopping district.
I hate shopping, but the atmosphere is great and people watching was at its peak.
There seems to be an “Oxford look” that consists of suits with ties loosely tied
on the guys and well the same look as every girl in the country for the ladies:
uggs, black tights, and a skirt. There must be some sort of law requiring the look
for all women under the age of 30. If neither of the above is worn, then it seems
wearing a shirt with your college name is mandatory.
The covered market and Ashmolean Museum were very impressive and simply round out
the city’s atmosphere. The covered market offered sounds, sights, and smells not
found elsewhere in the city and the museum is a great retreat from the busy streets,
although far from an escape from the elitist feel.
Perhaps my favorite part of the city was the area around New College and the Queen’s
College. This seemed like a part of the city people forget and you feel almost transported
in time. The main road here winds around the buildings with only small passageways
allowing escape.
All in all I liked the city: the narrow winding roads, the coble stoned alleys,
the lively butcher shops in the covered market, the vibrant energy. Dan was right
though; I did have troubles filling a full day and by day’s end I was trying to
figure out why everyone was fleeing the city. Bus lines were long by 6:00pm and
by 7:00pm even the city’s two main streets felt like a ghost town. I spent the end
of my day at the public library reading before grabbing another kebab then heading
to the train station.
Oxford
All Soul's College in Oxford
Christ Church College in Oxford
Great Hall in Christ Church College in Oxford
Merton Street in Oxford
Sheldonian Theatre in Oxford
St. Helen's Passage in Oxford