The trip was by rail, and served to once again remind us just how far behind the US is on public transportation. We were ticketed and on a train within 10 minutes of stepping off the tube. The trip itself was uneventful, going through Slough (is he having a laugh?), Reading, and a few other stops before depositing us at Oxford Station. From there it was a half mile or so walk through town to our meetup spot in front of the Ashmolean.
It is mind-boggling to be able to write that.
Oxford is absolutely stunning. Like Westminster or City of London, it mixes medieval and modern with little effort, shops selling 21st century goods out of buildings that stood before Columbus tripped and fell over America, people hanging out with smartphones and tablets on the steps of ancient monuments like it was no big deal. Which of course for them it isn't; it's their heritage but they've grown up with it in their everyday lives with it in practical use. I think that's what makes it all the more remarkable. The vast, vast majority of these buildings and objects are not behind velvet ropes, but are still being used every day for their intended purposes.
We toured the campus extensively, visiting the Bodleian Library, the Radcliffe Camera, taking coffee and tea at the University Church of St. Mary the Virgin (the lemon drizzle cake was delicious). We looked in on several colleges, but none were taking visitors so this was limited to peeking through gatehouse doors. Next was some shopping at the Covered Market, and finally lunch at the Eagle and Child.
The Covered Market.
And finally, the Eagle and Child.
The Eagle and Child pub is famous for being the meeting spot of a group of writers and poets known as the Inklings, whose membership included J.R.R. Tolkien, C.S. Lewis, and Charles Williams. So there's that. We sat with our guides and drank our drinks and ate our food and laughed and talked about books and fantasy and children and magic.
I think Tolkien would have approved.
