Towers in the Mist

We departed London for a six day trip, consisting of two nights each in three locations. First stop was Oxford. . . .

We arrived in the city before lunch, having taken the train from London. The new purpose-built Youth Hostel is conveniently located just behind the railway station. We left our luggage, and set off in to town, heading first of all for the information centre - a handy stop. Grabbing a bite of lunch, we directed ourselves toward the Bodleian Library, where we saw a display of Murghal paintings and admired the courtyard and entranceway. Feeling the admission price to be a bit steep, we did not go in, though it would be interesting to see at a later time. Just up the road, and past the William Morris workshop (disappointingly closed) we opted to have a look through the Magdalen College buildings and grounds. It is a beautiful college, and we were not surprised that such genius came from its alumni - it has a very inspiring atmosphere. After looking around the quadrangle, chapel and courtyard we wandered down Addison's Walk by the meadow. It was a beautifully sunny day, and so pretty with all the spring flowers growing all over the place.

Dinner at the Eagle and Child was a must. The Rabbit Room was fully occupied, so we were obliged to sit further back in the pub (pushing through the fur coats with some difficulty. . .) and were served a perfectly adequate meal, though I wouldn't say one goes there for the food. 'Twas nice, though, and amazing to sit where CS and JRR and Warnie had talked and eaten, etc.

The next day was Good Friday, and we set out in the hopes of finding a service somewhere. Not having any guide, we thought 10am was a likely time, and we were right! Christ Church Cathedral was where we settled for our first high church experience (though it wasn't that high, just more than we're used to). The guard was somewhat suspicious that we weren't really there for the service but rather to have a free look around so sternly instructed us to come straight back when the service finished! The choir was lovely, and we did not disgrace ourselves (although kneeling had to be avoided due to having somehow found ourselves to be sitting in a pew space designed for only one person). Following this we took the opportunity to tour this college, and were much impressed with the Great Hall and the quadrangle. Miriam found that a guide and the verger in the Cathedral were knowledgeable and happy to talk to her about Elizabeth Goudge and her family, which was very nice - they had quite a chat. After a visit to Alice's Sheep Shop we walked back up to Magdalen Bridge, where we hired a pedal boat for an hour. This is definitely the way to do it - you whizz past punters and rowboats and don't even come close to some of the predicaments in which they seem to find themselves (a pedal boat is a great deal more manoeuvrable). The punters and rowers fall into two categories - those who call out "cheater!" as you zoom past, and those who look longingly at you and then argue with their husbands about why they couldn't have had a pedal boat. Such fun! We made it all the way out to the Thames, which was very cool, and did some nifty manoeuvring as we came back in to dock.

Another must do was the purchase of an Oxford hoodie. Clichéd, I know, but necessary. It is brown with pale blue writing. And I got a free cap! It was unseasonably warm weather and we both loved the history of the city - it would be quite some experience to study there.

The only other major thing we did was a long walk through the Christ Church grounds, where we sat and ate our lunch, read our books, and did a spot of sketching. Then we met up with Lyndon and Mim in a gorgeous bookshop, and they whisked us away to the Cotswolds. . .