My last few days in Oxford were actually spent primarily with Americans, but Anthony Ferrara and Ben McCorkle are great American friends that I hadn't seen in ages and it was great to get to catch up with them. I met Anthony on my very first day at the Academy (we were in the same squadron for Basic Training and 4 Degree year) and met Ben because we were squadron-mates for 3 degree through firstie year and attended FCA (Fellowship of Christian Athletes) meetings together. Anthony and Ben were two of my closest friends at the Academy and while I may have spent more time with other people, they were always guys that I could go to with any issues, big or small, happy or sad, good or bad, serious or frivolous, and they would always know exactly what to say. I appreciate their friendship so much and I'm so glad I got to see them. They are both stationed over by Cambridge and so they graciously agreed to come to Oxford for the day and I got to play tour guide. They brought along another Academy 09er Brian, whom I had met through one of my roommates Junior year, and we had a big old Hub reunion in Oxford.
We started off the day by walking down St Giles to Broad Street and to Exeter College. I showed them the Fellows Garden, with its brilliant views of the Rad Cam and Radcliffe Square, as well as the Chapel, with its painted organ and beautiful stained glass.
From there we got lunch with a beautiful view of the Rad Cam at the Vaults and Garden Cafe at St Mary's Church. While I had drank many a cup of tea at those little wooden tables, I had yet to actually eat a meal there and the food was really good! We were met by Neal who joined us for the rest of the day. From there we crossed the High and walked down Oriel Street to cut through to Christ Church meadow. We walked along the wall outside of Merton and Christchurch and over to the river. From there we stopped for a cider at the Head of the River and enjoyed the beautiful sunshine.
After our drinks we headed over to Christchurch where we forwent the ridiculously long line to get into the Hall and just checked out the Chapel instead. I've essentially memorized the little guide sheet they hand out to visitors so I relayed the highlights to the guys so we could move along quickly and get out of the ridiculous Christchurch crowds. It kills me that people pay something absurd like 16 pounds to get in there when students and alumni can get a few friends in for free!
From Christchurch we walked up Merton street to Magdalen College where we took a little stroll around the grounds, seeing their beautiful cloisters, Chapel, Hall, Gardens, and Deer Park.
After wandering around Magdalen we headed off to the Turf for another drink and to meet up with Jenny, a friend of Anthony and Ben's from Cambridge. We were expecting just her but she turned out to have quite an entourage and our little group became quite a large group!! However, the group turned out to be an indication of what a small town Oxford is because of the people she was with, one of them worked in the same lab as Bonnie and another in the same lab as Rouse! I love how everybody knows everyone in Oxford.
From the Turf we lost a few of the new entourage as they went their separate ways but we retained three new people and my so tour group expanded a bit. Everyone was impressed by my ability to navigate the streets and cobblestones of Oxford backwards while giving (if I do say so myself) quite an interesting and detailed tour. We headed under the Bridge of Sighs to the Bod Quad and took a little peak into the Divinity School. We then made our way through Radcliffe Square over to the Covered Market and then back up towards St Giles. Ben and Brian were hungry so they stopped at Mission Burrito while the rest of us headed up to the Eagle and Child for a drink in the shadows of Tolkien and Lewis. Good drinks, good company, good location, good life.
Because they hadn't had enough to eat or drink yet, Ben and Brian wanted ice cream and so we went up to Little Clarendon Street to introduce them to G&Ds. From there, Ben and Brian headed back to Cambridgeshire while Anthony and Neal and I went to meet Kim and Si and Kim's family at Nando's for dinner. I hadn't been yet during my trip and it was as amazing as I remembered. Following dinner Anthony, Kim, Simon, Neal, and I had one more drink, this time at the King's Arms. Neal and I justified all our pub stops that day by saying that no tour or Oxford was complete without a tour of its quintessential pubs and we covered quite a few of them that day. Anthony then went to his hotel in town, Kim and Si went back to the club, and Neal and I went back to Kim and Si's.
The next morning Anthony went for a run and then I met him at Turl Street Kitchen for breakfast. From there we went back over to the Bod and into the rotating exhibit hall they have. This exhibition was called Magical Books: From the Middle Ages to Middle Earth. It talked about exactly that, magical books and stories, with particular emphasis on authors with a strong connection to Oxford, particularly Lewis, Tolkien, and Pullman (of the Golden Compass trilogy). I really enjoyed the exhibit (I had been earlier that week as well) and I hope Anthony did too. We then climbed to the top of the Sheldonian to get the beautiful 360 views of the city that it provides.
From the Sheldonian we went over to the Pitt River's museum inside the Museum of Natural History. The Natural History museum is one of my favourites, not because of what's inside it, but because of the gorgeous architecture of the building. However the Museum is closed all year for renovation and so we couldn't see the museum proper and only the Pitt River's attachment was open. Pitt Rivers is so fascinating though because of the eclectic collection it houses. Michal refers to it as "Uncle Pitt's House of Weird" and that is such an appropriate name for it.
Since many of the Oxford colleges have very similar architecture (and all the ones we had visited thus far were almost identical) I then took Anthony to Keble college just to get a different kind of view. I think Keble is gorgeous, with the brick and black accents, and it was a nice change from the standard light stone of the rest of Oxford. We went into the chapel (my first time going in there) and it was well worth it for the architecture and the beautiful fresco-like depictions of biblical stories and the life of Christ that decorated the walls.
From Keble we headed back up to Madgalen College so that we could go on Addison's Walk. CS Lewis wrote of how, in his most atheist days, he would walk Addison's walk with his friends (primarily Tolkien) and they would discuss what Lewis considered untrue myths and Tolkien considered ultimate truths. These discussions led directly to Lewis's conversion and while walking the beautiful paths its easy to see how someone would be inspired by the beauty of God's creation around them. It was so great to get to chat with Anthony about life, his flying, his excitement about his Master's program, and everything else. The Air Force is really good at separating friends geographically but its so great that when we do get a chance to get back together its so easy to pick right up where we left off.
From Magdalen we picked up Anthony's stuff from his hotel and then headed over to Jericho to meet Neal for lunch at the Jericho Tavern. It was another great conversation (its great when different groups of my friends meet and get along so well-- I guess thats what happens when you have such great friends) and then Anthony headed back to Cambridge. It was such a blessing to get to spend that time with him and I wish I could see him more often.
I then went and met up with Tommy and Danny for a final farewell before packing up all my stuff and getting ready to head to the airport the next morning. Neal came with me, attempting to get on a flight a day early, and managed to get a seat on my flight. It was nice to have the company during my layover in Houston but we then went our separate ways as he headed back to Austin and I to Sac where I arrived late in the evening, drove home, and prepared myself to wake up back in the real world the next morning.
Oxford will always hold such a special place in my heart and I have already started looking forward to my next trip back to that amazing city. Thanks to all my incredible friends there for making this trip another memorable one and I cannot wait to see you all again as soon as humanly possible!!
We started off the day by walking down St Giles to Broad Street and to Exeter College. I showed them the Fellows Garden, with its brilliant views of the Rad Cam and Radcliffe Square, as well as the Chapel, with its painted organ and beautiful stained glass.
From there we got lunch with a beautiful view of the Rad Cam at the Vaults and Garden Cafe at St Mary's Church. While I had drank many a cup of tea at those little wooden tables, I had yet to actually eat a meal there and the food was really good! We were met by Neal who joined us for the rest of the day. From there we crossed the High and walked down Oriel Street to cut through to Christ Church meadow. We walked along the wall outside of Merton and Christchurch and over to the river. From there we stopped for a cider at the Head of the River and enjoyed the beautiful sunshine.
After our drinks we headed over to Christchurch where we forwent the ridiculously long line to get into the Hall and just checked out the Chapel instead. I've essentially memorized the little guide sheet they hand out to visitors so I relayed the highlights to the guys so we could move along quickly and get out of the ridiculous Christchurch crowds. It kills me that people pay something absurd like 16 pounds to get in there when students and alumni can get a few friends in for free!
From Christchurch we walked up Merton street to Magdalen College where we took a little stroll around the grounds, seeing their beautiful cloisters, Chapel, Hall, Gardens, and Deer Park.
After wandering around Magdalen we headed off to the Turf for another drink and to meet up with Jenny, a friend of Anthony and Ben's from Cambridge. We were expecting just her but she turned out to have quite an entourage and our little group became quite a large group!! However, the group turned out to be an indication of what a small town Oxford is because of the people she was with, one of them worked in the same lab as Bonnie and another in the same lab as Rouse! I love how everybody knows everyone in Oxford.
From the Turf we lost a few of the new entourage as they went their separate ways but we retained three new people and my so tour group expanded a bit. Everyone was impressed by my ability to navigate the streets and cobblestones of Oxford backwards while giving (if I do say so myself) quite an interesting and detailed tour. We headed under the Bridge of Sighs to the Bod Quad and took a little peak into the Divinity School. We then made our way through Radcliffe Square over to the Covered Market and then back up towards St Giles. Ben and Brian were hungry so they stopped at Mission Burrito while the rest of us headed up to the Eagle and Child for a drink in the shadows of Tolkien and Lewis. Good drinks, good company, good location, good life.
Because they hadn't had enough to eat or drink yet, Ben and Brian wanted ice cream and so we went up to Little Clarendon Street to introduce them to G&Ds. From there, Ben and Brian headed back to Cambridgeshire while Anthony and Neal and I went to meet Kim and Si and Kim's family at Nando's for dinner. I hadn't been yet during my trip and it was as amazing as I remembered. Following dinner Anthony, Kim, Simon, Neal, and I had one more drink, this time at the King's Arms. Neal and I justified all our pub stops that day by saying that no tour or Oxford was complete without a tour of its quintessential pubs and we covered quite a few of them that day. Anthony then went to his hotel in town, Kim and Si went back to the club, and Neal and I went back to Kim and Si's.
The next morning Anthony went for a run and then I met him at Turl Street Kitchen for breakfast. From there we went back over to the Bod and into the rotating exhibit hall they have. This exhibition was called Magical Books: From the Middle Ages to Middle Earth. It talked about exactly that, magical books and stories, with particular emphasis on authors with a strong connection to Oxford, particularly Lewis, Tolkien, and Pullman (of the Golden Compass trilogy). I really enjoyed the exhibit (I had been earlier that week as well) and I hope Anthony did too. We then climbed to the top of the Sheldonian to get the beautiful 360 views of the city that it provides.
From the Sheldonian we went over to the Pitt River's museum inside the Museum of Natural History. The Natural History museum is one of my favourites, not because of what's inside it, but because of the gorgeous architecture of the building. However the Museum is closed all year for renovation and so we couldn't see the museum proper and only the Pitt River's attachment was open. Pitt Rivers is so fascinating though because of the eclectic collection it houses. Michal refers to it as "Uncle Pitt's House of Weird" and that is such an appropriate name for it.
Since many of the Oxford colleges have very similar architecture (and all the ones we had visited thus far were almost identical) I then took Anthony to Keble college just to get a different kind of view. I think Keble is gorgeous, with the brick and black accents, and it was a nice change from the standard light stone of the rest of Oxford. We went into the chapel (my first time going in there) and it was well worth it for the architecture and the beautiful fresco-like depictions of biblical stories and the life of Christ that decorated the walls.
From Keble we headed back up to Madgalen College so that we could go on Addison's Walk. CS Lewis wrote of how, in his most atheist days, he would walk Addison's walk with his friends (primarily Tolkien) and they would discuss what Lewis considered untrue myths and Tolkien considered ultimate truths. These discussions led directly to Lewis's conversion and while walking the beautiful paths its easy to see how someone would be inspired by the beauty of God's creation around them. It was so great to get to chat with Anthony about life, his flying, his excitement about his Master's program, and everything else. The Air Force is really good at separating friends geographically but its so great that when we do get a chance to get back together its so easy to pick right up where we left off.
From Magdalen we picked up Anthony's stuff from his hotel and then headed over to Jericho to meet Neal for lunch at the Jericho Tavern. It was another great conversation (its great when different groups of my friends meet and get along so well-- I guess thats what happens when you have such great friends) and then Anthony headed back to Cambridge. It was such a blessing to get to spend that time with him and I wish I could see him more often.
I then went and met up with Tommy and Danny for a final farewell before packing up all my stuff and getting ready to head to the airport the next morning. Neal came with me, attempting to get on a flight a day early, and managed to get a seat on my flight. It was nice to have the company during my layover in Houston but we then went our separate ways as he headed back to Austin and I to Sac where I arrived late in the evening, drove home, and prepared myself to wake up back in the real world the next morning.
Oxford will always hold such a special place in my heart and I have already started looking forward to my next trip back to that amazing city. Thanks to all my incredible friends there for making this trip another memorable one and I cannot wait to see you all again as soon as humanly possible!!
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