Oxford: "that sweet city with her dreaming spires"

The week before last was very busy for Gabby and I (multiple assignments due!), so when it was over we decided to get off campus and do some sightseeing. We decided to go to Oxford for the day. We woke up bright and early, went to Paddington Station, grabbed a coffee, then boarded our train and began our journey. Once we got to Oxford we split up for the day to do our sightseeing and made plans to meet up again for dinner before heading back to London.

After arriving, the first place I stopped was the visitor information center to grab a map and guide to the university. Here are some basic facts about Oxford I learned from the guide:

There is evidence of teaching in Oxford as far back as 1096, making it the oldest university in the English-speaking world, and the world's second-oldest surviving university.

• In 1167 Henry II banned English students from attending the University of Paris, causing many more scholars to settle in Oxford.
• The University is currently made up from a variety of institutions, including 38 constituent colleges.
• There are many famous alumni of Oxford University, including world leaders, noble prize winners Olympic medalists, authors, and more.
• Gerard Manely Hopkins, Grahame Greene, John Locke, Christopher Wren, Lewis Carroll, Albert Einstein, J.R.R. Tolkien, Evelyn Waugh, CS Lewis, Oscar Wilde, and T.S. Eliot are some notable Oxford alums. 

The Claredon Building, next to the Sheldonian Theare

The Sheldonian Theatre, designed by Sir Christopher Wren

I began my Oxford explorations by walking past the Sheldonian Theater and Bodleian Library, but both were closed in the morning for graduation ceremonies. Throughout the day I saw lots of people dressed very smart and wearing cap and gown. It was very cool to see Oxford students on what must have been a very special day for them!

The next place I stopped was the University Church of St. Mary the Virgin, which dates back to the 13th century.

The Radcliffe Camera, a reading room near St. Mary's Church

The Bridge of Sighs, designed like the bridge of the same name in Venice (also near St. Mary's Church)

From there I made my way through the university to the Botanic Garden, which is the oldest one in Britain! Since it's off-season there weren't many flower, but it was still very beautiful and peaceful. I wanted to visit J.R.R. Tolkien's favorite tree, which supposedly inspired the Ents in the Lord of the Rings, but it had been cut down due to safety reason. Fortunately, the Botanic Garden has plans to propagate the tree so that its special connection to Tolkien won't be lost to future generations.

The Thames, called the Isis in Oxford

Remains of the Tolkien Tree

After visiting the gardens I walked along the field of Merton College to Christ Church College to tour Oxford's most famous college and its beautiful cathedral.

The outside of Christ Church College

Christ Church Cathedral

Next I stopped for lunch and a coffee at The Missing Bean, I coffee shop that was recommended in an article I read about Oxford. It did not disappoint- I had one of the best lattes I've ever had and a delicious goat cheese and caramelized onion sandwich!

After lunch I stopped by the original Blackwell's bookstore. It was huge! My favorite parts were the foreign language sections. The store even had ancient Greek and Latin translations of popular fiction!

I booked of the Bodleian Library for 3:30pm, so until then I wandering around and popped into a few of the colleges which were free and open to visitors, including Lincoln College. I also visited the church of St. Michael at the Northgate, the Oxford University Press bookstore, and the Oxford covered markets.

Part of Lincoln College

Next was my tour of the Bodleian Library, the second biggest library in England (the British Library in London is the biggest). The Bodleian contains the famous Divinity School room and Duke Humfrey's library. (Unfortunately no pictures were allowed in Duke Humfrey's library.) I admit I was a little disappointed by the Bodleian, not because it wasn't impressive, but because so little of it was open to tourists. I would have loved to find an interesting book then sit and read in the library for awhile, but unfortunately this wasn't a possibility. Fun fact: parts of the Harry Potter movies were filmed at Oxford, and the Divinity School in the Bodleian Library was the Hogwarts Infirmary!

The Bodleian Library

The Divinity School

After my visit to the Bodleian I met back up with Gabby for our final stop of the night- The Eagle and the Child pub. It's the pub where the group "The Inklings", which included J.R.R. Tolkien and C.S. Lewis used to meet. Gabby and I both ordered the pint and pretended we were Inklings for the night, too.

Cheers!

After a wonderful day in Oxford, Gabby and boarded the train back to London. I'll finish the post with excerpts from two famous poems about Oxford:

I saw the spires of Oxford
As I was passing by,
The grey spires of Oxford
Against a pearl-grey sky;
My heart was with the Oxford men
Who went abroad to die.
-Winifred Mary Letts, "The Spires of Oxford" (1916)

And that sweet City with her dreaming spires
She needs not June for beauty's heightening
-Matthew Arnold, "Thyrsis"