On Thursday we took a day trip to Oxford. We had planned to take the bus to the train station, and then Oxford is only about a thirty minute train ride, but, apparently we missed the bus. We were rushing around trying to get ready, but I think we missed it. Can you believe we had trouble making it to a 9:45 bus? Anyway, we only waited about forty-five minutes until we figured it out that we probably missed it. Oh well. Side note: while we were waiting, a woman came up to us and said hello and that she recognized us from church last Sunday. I guess we're easy to recognize - three kids, one with a bright pink coat. But I just loved that Chipping Campden is small enough that we saw someone we knew!
Back to the Oxford trip. Since we were all primed to go, and the next bus wasn't scheduled until about an hour later, we opted to take a taxi. It was a little more expensive, but it gave us more time in Oxford. And, I have to say, I've loved hearing what the different taxi drivers talk about. It gives us a little insight to the town we're in.
When we first got to Oxford, we took the double-decker bus tour, which was a great way to get an overview of the town. Before we left, I was looking at the map and all the sights that we would pass. I was surprised that the college of Oxford wasn't listed, but there were all these other colleges listed. Ok, so now I know that there is not an actual Oxford University, but Oxford is actually a collection of a bunch of colleges. I feel kinda dumb for not knowing that, but maybe there's someone else out there who I am helping to enlighten!
After the bus tour, we went to Christ Church (a college, not a church, although there is a cathedral as part of it.).
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| We saw this fountain right after we came in. Obviously, the fountain is a more recent addition, but I thought it was neat the way it had "Praise the Lord" words from the Psalms on it. |
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| This area is called the "Tom Quad," named after a six-ton bell, Great Tom, which hangs in Sir Chirstopher Wren's Tom Tower. |
After walking around the grounds, we went into the Cathedral. Like the other cathedrals we've seen, it's quite ornate and beautiful. It's one of the smallest ones we've been in, so it didn't seem so overwhelming. In fact, it is one of the smallest Anglican cathedrals in England, and it's the only church in the world to be both a cathedral and a college chapel.
I'm still amazed by all the memorials. There are memorial statues, memorial tiles in the floor, and carvings on the wall. They were everywhere! The church dates back to the twelfth century, so I guess it's had a few important people live and die there!
Here's the outside entryway:
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| There was so much beautiful stained glass! This particular one is about Saint Frideswide. She's the patron saint of Oxford, and the founder of the first church on this site. |
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| Beautiful pipe organ! |
There were lots of places in the college that we couldn't go into, since it is a working college. The Great Hall, which was where some scenes from Harry Potter were filmed, only allowed visitors for two hours each day.
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| Can you imagine eating your meals here, as a college student?! |
Along the walls were portraits of many of the famous members of Christ Church, including William Penn, John Locke and John Wesley. Another interesting thing about the college is it's where Lewis Carroll was inspired to write Alice in Wonderland.
After leaving the college, we walked around town. We stopped in at Blackwell's bookstore, which is one of Oxford's oldest and largest bookstores, dating back to the 1800s. Our kids were in heaven!
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| Newton and I ponder the apple |
Our last stop in Oxford was, of course, The Eagle and Child. This is the pub where C.S. Lewis and J.R.R. Tolkien and a couple other authors used to hang out.
1 comments:
Awesome! Sadly, I am most excited you visited a place that filmed some HP. The Eagle and Child logo is so interesting. You were in the presence of so much past genius in one day. I think the greatness must linger and rub off, right?
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