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Published: June 30th 2006
First Stop...
Not a surprise! Julia and I exploring Oxford's City Center. It was nice to have a piece of home.Though my trip over seas was a little rough, things have gone really smoothly since I set foot in Europe. Because I was tardy by an entire day, I had a lot to catch up on. Julia was great in showing me around Oxford. We walked around the City Center. We passed many of the colleges of Oxford. I was lucky to see a student dressed up in his "exam" attire. At Oxford they have special outfits they have to wear to their exams. Julia and I walked around the outside of Christ Church and then headed for the covered market for some lunch. We ate "jacket potatos" (baked potatos) with cheese and beans. They were really good and we just couldn't get over the name. We then took the bus up the road about 10 minutes to meet her mother (Lebby) and her mother's childhood friend ("Moo" they call her...) at Wolfson College. This is one of the colleges of Oxford. Julia's cousin, Jo, is working on her Ph.D in population genetics at Wolfson and had offered to take us "punting" that afternoon. "Punting" is a type of boating where a person stands on the end of the boat and
Christ Church
A beautiful Church right in the heart of Oxford. It was very pretty from the outside and we opted not to go inside so that I could see a bit more before our punting date. uses a long poll to propel to boat forward. It was very relaxing and we all took turns "punting". We made our way up the river to a pub that a lot of the students walk or punt to on a regular basis. It was there that I enjoyed my first Strongbow. This is a wonderful drink, basically it is a cider but tastes like apple juice with a bit of a hint of alcohol. After our drink, we made our way back down the river to Wolfson College and then returned home. We had some tea back at Julia's relative's house and chatted for a bit. I then confirmed that my relatives (my mother's second-cousin's son (Jeff) and wife (Jo) - confusing yes) would still be able to have me over for a visit. I made my way by bus about 25 minutes to the northern part of Oxford. I got there right as they were putting their adorable twin daughters to bed. I visited quickly with the little ones and then allowed their parents to put them to sleep. Soon after Jeff and Jo came downstairs and while Jo and I caught up, Jeff decided on the "take
Punting equipment
Julia. She is so good at posing for pictures. away" (take out) and did the ordering. We enjoyed a wonderful Indian meal and watched the highlights of Wimbledon on TV. Unfortunately, with a combination of a busy day, some jet lag and with my allergies kicking in I got very congested and around 10:00 decided I better get home. Jeff drove me home and I soon after went to bed. I managed to stay awake all day without a nap and then slept right through the night. I have been on London time ever since without a problem... pictures will be posted soon.
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