Along with other international students, I had the opportunity to visit Oxford for a day. The place was no doubt beautiful; and I’m pretty sure I became about 50 times smarter just from being there (kidding).
When we arrived, my friend and I first stopped by Oxford Castle. Since we didn’t have a lot of time (nor money), we didn’t actually visit the castle. What I found quite strange was the amount of restaurants just built inside the castle. There was a Pizza Express and other chain restaurants, which was odd because I was used to other castles being treated strictly as places for tourism, not dining.
Next my friend and I visited the University Church of St. Mary the Virgin. At this church, we climbed to the top for a view of Oxford. I’m a really big fan of skylines, and this one didn’t disappoint (although there were a few cranes that I could have done without).
After that, my friend and I started walking toward the Bodleian Library. Along the way, we encountered some rebellious bike riders.
At the Bodleian Library, my friend and I really didn’t feel like waiting around for the next tour, so we simply visited the places we were allowed to see. It was strange to see all the students walking around in normal, every day clothes. I think I had a misguided vision of what to expect at Oxford. I imagined everyone looking incredibly post and well dressed; instead, everyone looked just like everyone else.
Next, my friend and I almost completely walked passed the Bridge of Sighs. This bridge was designed to be like the Bridge of Sighs in Venice, except for one small problem. It looks nothing like the Bridge of Sighs in Venice.
Past the Bridge of Sighs, my friend and I walked to the Turf Tavern, a place famous in Oxford. We didn’t actually get anything, just looked at it because of its notoriety.
Afterward, we walked back through the town centre, where we did some shopping and later stopped for lunch at a caf�.
After our light lunch, my friend and I set off to find one very specific ice cream shop: George and Danver’s. Once we found it, I ordered a delicious Banana Split all for myself. Although not even coming close to the Creamery’s ice cream at Penn State, this ice cream was still a fantastic treat.
Afterward, my friend and I visited Alice’s Shop, a store dedicated to Alice in Wonderland. Apparently, the original store was included in one of Lewis Carroll’s tales of his character, Alice. I’m not entirely sure what the whole story is, but one of my good friends back home is a huge Alice in Wonderland fan, so I had to visit for her.
Following this quick visit, my friend and I visited Oxford University’s Botanical Gardens, which were absolutely beautiful.
Above on the right, some people are “punting.” My original thought was that this would be some sort of kicking game (YAY American Football!) but instead it’s basically just a gondola ride.
After leaving the Botanical Gardens, my friend and I decided to spend the rest of our time just walking around and seeing what we could find. We ended up finding a really cute display for a wedding that was taking place that day.
We also found what I have dubbed “the street of the century.”
After walking back through Oxford Castle, my friend and I headed back to our bus stop to begin the long drive home. It was a very nice day overall. I can’t imagine ever being intelligent enough to actually be in Oxford, but being able to pretend I was for a day was enough.
Until next time,
Emily .xx
Location: Oxford, United Kingdom
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