Thursday: (another) Oxford
As an alum of Miami University in Oxford, Ohio, I was always interested in what the "other" Oxford is like. (Of course, as an Anglophile, I'm interested in what everything in England looks like.) Thursday we found out that the other Oxford is quite incredible.
But before I share our impressions of Oxford, I'd like to answer a request from my grandson Andrew and show some photos of vehicles on my blog.
Here is our rental car and Grandpa getting ready to drive ...
... and then driving.
Happily, our neighbor Sheila advised us to park outside Oxford and ride a bus into town. We followed her advice and it was easy-peasy -- plus it was fun to ride on top of the double-decker bus.
Okay, on to Oxford! The University of Oxford has no known date of foundation, but there is evidence of teaching as far back as 1096. There are an incredible number of notable alumni, from Sir Walter Raleigh to Stephen Hawking, from Margaret Thatcher to Bill Clinton.
In the heart of the oldest parts of campus is the Sheldonian Theater (below), designed by Christopher Wren, and we loved exploring this grand building.
See the cupola on roof of the Sheldonian (above)? We climbed to the top -- all 113 steps (photo to prove it!) -- and were rewarded with beautiful views of campus ...
Next we did one of those audio self-guided tours (love those!) as we walked around the campus at our own pace.
One of our favorite places was the Divinity College room (below), glorious in its own right but extra fun because it was used in Harry Potter movies. Here's some shots from inside and outside the room ...
Don't you just love the book above the door? That has nothing to do with Harry Potter. But below is a photo I found online of how the room was used in movies ...
Most of our time was spent on campus but we did a little bit of exploring the town of Oxford, including having lunch, of course!
We ended the day at the shop where the real Alice bought her candy 150 years ago. Alice was Alice Liddell, the 10-year-old daughter of a dean at the University of Oxford. Lewis Carroll was a graduate of the school.
This quote sums up our day ... “In a Wonderland they lie, Dreaming as the days go by ..." Lewis Carroll, Through the Looking Glass
But before I share our impressions of Oxford, I'd like to answer a request from my grandson Andrew and show some photos of vehicles on my blog.
Here is our rental car and Grandpa getting ready to drive ...
... and then driving.
Okay, on to Oxford! The University of Oxford has no known date of foundation, but there is evidence of teaching as far back as 1096. There are an incredible number of notable alumni, from Sir Walter Raleigh to Stephen Hawking, from Margaret Thatcher to Bill Clinton.
In the heart of the oldest parts of campus is the Sheldonian Theater (below), designed by Christopher Wren, and we loved exploring this grand building.
See the cupola on roof of the Sheldonian (above)? We climbed to the top -- all 113 steps (photo to prove it!) -- and were rewarded with beautiful views of campus ...
Next we did one of those audio self-guided tours (love those!) as we walked around the campus at our own pace.
One of our favorite places was the Divinity College room (below), glorious in its own right but extra fun because it was used in Harry Potter movies. Here's some shots from inside and outside the room ...
Don't you just love the book above the door? That has nothing to do with Harry Potter. But below is a photo I found online of how the room was used in movies ...
Most of our time was spent on campus but we did a little bit of exploring the town of Oxford, including having lunch, of course!
We ended the day at the shop where the real Alice bought her candy 150 years ago. Alice was Alice Liddell, the 10-year-old daughter of a dean at the University of Oxford. Lewis Carroll was a graduate of the school.
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