Oxford

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Oxford as i have said previously is a fantastic little city.

in the 5 days we have been here we have explored a fair bit of the city and done some very "oxford" activities indeed.
as you would expect, oxford is full of history dating back a very long way (11-1200's i think, correct me if i'm wrong Chris)

throughout the centuries many famous names have studied at the various colleges within the university; Bill Clinton, Bob Hawke, Tony Blaire, the list goes on.

Wednesday: we visited Blenheim Palace today: the birthplace of Churchill and the home of the Duke of Marlborough. this is by far the most impressive building and place i have seen so far. it is enormous and stunning. words can't describe how amazing this place is.

Thursday: The three of us trekked into london for the day. the bus ride was awful. it took forever. there had been an enormous fire that closed down two of the train lines. london was alot busier today. We had lunch in St James Park and i finally managed to find a lens for my camera!!!

Thursday Night:
We had a pint and dinner a little pub called the Eagle and Child which until 1965 was home to the 'inklings' every tuesday morning. the inklings you ask? J R Tolkein, C.S Lewis and a few friends met at this pub every Tuesday morning to discuss recent writings etc. I ate dinner and sat in the very room that J R Tolkein and C S Lewis discussed the Lord of the Rings and the Chronicles of Narnia!!!!

The Pub got too busy in '65 so they moved across the road to the lamb and flag; another institution we visited.
Following the Lamb and Flag we visited yet another College tavern which according to Christian was something that we 'simply must do'. the name of this tavern: the Turf. yes thats right the turf. many of you will have heard of this pub in some form as it was the very place where Bob Hawke drank an entire Yard Glass of beer/Ale (2.75 Pints) in something like 11.4 seconds to set a world record which i think has only just been broken! it is also the place where Bill Clinton 'did not inhale'

Oxford is a quaint little place where everyone seems to rush everywhere and operate in a bubble so to speak where the days start much later (9 or 10) and end much much later 1-2am. i attended a German History lecture that focused on the years 1871-75. it was really interesting!

Friday Morning was our last day and we did a very oxford thing indeed. Christian took us punting on the isis. for those of you that dont know what punting is i shall explain. a punt is very much like a gondola except smaller. 2 of you sit in the boat whilst one person is standing on the back with a really long pole pushing you along from the river bed.

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Comments

[megs]

not cold, freezing
i bet its cold up there, something to look forward too. might go buy some thermals tomorrow!! hehe take care megs