UK Trip: Oxford

Stop 2: Oxford. I actually thought at one point in high school that I wanted to attend Oxford... obviously that didn't happen. I did enjoy visiting, though. Unfortunately, the weather and the fact that our reservation (made through booking.com) was not held for us (long story...) made the trip not nearly as enjoyable as it could have been.

Oliver and I caught the train from Slough on Friday morning. Once we sorted out the hotel issues, we visited Magdalen college, where C.S. Lewis studied and taught. It was a beautiful, immaculate place:

With gorgeous views:

And a famous old tree (I can't remember now why it was famous, of course, but at least Oli seemed to like it):

The grounds were absolutely lovely, with long paths through the gardens:

But the old cloister was probably my favorite:

The town itself was charming:

And Oliver and I entertained ourselves after dark by taking a "Ghost Tour" of the town. A little melodramatic, to say the least, but a fun 1.5 hours of entertainment while we waited for Chris to finish work and catch the train into town.

We even passed by the church door with the lion that supposedly acted as Lewis' inspiration for the Chronicles of Narnia (there are fawns carved into the doorframe and a nearby lampstand, as well):

The next morning, Chris and I took a walking tour of some of the colleges. We started with Christ Church, home of "Old Tom," the bell tower whose ring can be heard throughout the town:

The Old Tom quad was serene and beautiful despite the rain:

And the cathedral certainly was memorable:

Oliver was a little tired of the rain, I think:

We walked by the Eagle and Child, the pub where Lewis and Tolkien and other "Inklings" (as their intellectual discussion group dubbed themselves) used to meet. We later returned for lunch and really enjoyed it!

We then visited Exeter college:

Which had a beautiful chapel:

And backed up against the famous Bodleian Library:

And its reading room, the Radcliffe Camera:

The next stop was Lincoln college:

Which had a gorgeous chapel:

Although the trip would have been much more enjoyable with better weather, a hotel reservation, and quicker trains (Chris's arrival was much later than we had hoped), the town had an undeniable vigor and boasted spectacular medieval architecture, immaculate gardening, and irresistible charm:

Next stop: Cambridge...