Oxford and its dreaming spires

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I spent 3 great years studying for my degree in Oxford. It is a lovely city and well worth visiting if you are in England. It is just an hour or so from London but far enough away to feel like you have entered some strange time warp where you may well find people walking around in tweed, wearing "sub fusc" (gown, mortar board, etc) and speaking in very posh accents!

Any trip to Oxford would not be complete without a visit to the colleges. The university is made up of over 30 colleges, which range from housing 50 students to a few hundred. I went to Pembroke, which is very pretty but not very open to visitors. It is opposite the famous Christ Church college, where parts of various movies and TV shows have been filmed. It is probably well worth going to, but I would recommend that you try to get in for free (pretend to be a student!) as it is ridiculous that they should charge anyone.

There are many parts of the university which are unfortunately completely closed to visitors. This incudes the Radcliffe Camera. This amazing library, found behind the University Cathedral was a great place to study but still right in the centre of town. It is next to the Bodleain, probably the most important library in Britain. The 'Bod' contains a copy of every book or magazine ever published in Britain (although loads of it is underground and students have to order it up as and when they need). I think tourists are allowed to go into some parts of the Bod, although they tend to make sure you do not disturb the students.

However, be under no illusions, Oxford students are not all "work and no play" types. They enjoy life (probably too much) as every other student in the country. There are plenty of pubs, ranging from the slightly old man types (e.g. the Bear, Eagle and Child) to the horribly 'hip' places (I can't even remember an example, but they are easy to find - look out for neon lighting...).

I also made some great friends in Oxford (the lovely Caz and the Catholic James - accurate descriptions??!). And I also met my boyfriend Barry there. So far we have been together over 4 years and I love him more and more every day.

So, that is my analysis of 3 years in a city put into one ridiculously short travelblog. Erm, maybe I will add more one day!

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Photos

Day of my graduation
With Mum and Dad