I think I'll go to Oxford today

This weekend was a very last minute change of plans and worked out to be one of the best weekends I've had since I've been here. On Wednesday, we got word that the Husband would be going off shore for about ten days. The problem was that we had plans to visit family friends in Oxford. We began to realize we were running out of weekends and asked if we could push it up a week. Our friends said it would work in our favor as they would have a spare room available this weekend. So we finalized the details to head up there on Saturday. 

Friday night, before we arrived was the last scout meeting of the term before everyone went off to scout camp. It was pretty laid back and we watched a spy kids type movie. After the movie, they did some quick awards and then officially introduced the Husband to the group. He had a few minutes to go over some of the differences in the uniform.

And then, they welcomed him into the troop with troop patches and handkerchief.

We didn't stick around for the scout leader's meeting (which is more social than business) as we had to go home and pack.

We made it to Oxford and met J & E. J is a very close friend of the Husband's uncle. They met in Japan when they were both teachers. We started to get to know J & E over lunch. Then we took a bicycle ride to downtown Oxford. J is a Historian and made our private tour fascinating. The town was very different than any we had been to. The architecture was so diverse and unique. You could tell the city was a college town because there were people EVERYWHERE!

It was also easy to understand how Oxford is a city with rich secrets. The library is one of four (I think) that has a copy of every book ever published. It is blocks long and goes seven stories underground. The example that J used was "so if you want to read the first edition of Alice in Wonderland, you would find it here." The collection is so extensive that they have vaults twenty miles outside of the city where they keep the rare book (i.e. more rare than the 1st edition of Alice in Wonderland).

The colleges in Oxford are completely independent of each other but are governed by the University. It offers a completely different structure than the multi-college Universities in the States and offers more specialized degree plan, more similar to our Master's programs. J wanted to take us into one of the colleges so that we could see the lay out of the halls.

Originally, he wanted to take us to Christ Church, which includes the dining hall where Harry Potter was filmed. Not only were the crowd ridiculous there, but the Husband and I aren't big Harry Potter fans to begin with, so we headed to Magdalen College, a smaller college that J though was actually prettier. It was beautiful. Surrounding the well groomed courtyard are the rooms where the students meet with their tutors once or twice a week.

This is the Hall. Scholars and special guest sit at the high table during the meals and other students fill up the room. This hall was set probably for a conference of some sort as school is not actually in session at this time.

We roamed around the city for a few hours and then broke for tea. Tea doesn't have to as elaborate as what we had in London, but it does offer a wonderful break in the middle of a long day. J took us to his favorite bookstore, Blackwell Bookstore, which looks small from the outside but opens up about two floors underground.

We talked more over some Earl Grey.

J took us the scenic route home. We rode our bikes along this canal.

There were plenty of canal boats trying to get through the canal. This one, had been taken over by pirates who were on a 30 year old birthday voyage.

We rode across this pasture. It was breathtaking to see such a beautiful, open space so close to the city.

Originally, we had talked about going to see a Shakespeare play in the city. It was a little pricey and we were having such a pleasant time with our hosts, we decided just to stay in and get to know them better. E didn't make any special (chicken, eggplant, rice and green beans) but it was so nice to have a home cooked meal, very simple but delicious! She took us around her garden and I have been inspired to venture beyond just herbs for my own garden (although I'll have to wait until I have our own house). Most of the homes we have visited have gardens in the backyard. They tend to be a bit more wild and overgrown than what we are used to in the states, offering a more natural, and private feel.

Dinner lasted probably five hours, because our conversation never ended. E had a lot of questions about Judaism which I was more than happy to share. We also discussed the differences in our cultures and experiences traveling. We had dessert and then tea and chocolate. Then some more tea and chocolate. Around midnight, J cut the conversation off so we could go to bed and explore a little more the next day.

Sunday, we woke up, had breakfast and headed to the Museum of Natural Science. Outside were dinosaur footprints and African Ghost Forest tree stumps.

Inside the museum, were columns, each made of a different type of stone. It greatly enhanced the beautiful architecture of the building.

We didn't spend much time in the museum, as we only had an hour and half before we were to head back to the house for lunch, so we spent most of the time in the Pitt Rivers Museum located in the back of the Museum of Natural Science. The Pitt Rivers was essentially an anthropology museum. It looked at many problems faced by humans and compared solutions across cultures and continents. The topics ranged from the creation of fire, lamps, fishing, death of loved ones, death of enemies, boats, religion, humans in art form, animals in art form, money, etc. It was a very interesting approach to look at how different cultures reach similar solutions via different methods.

Here's just one example of what was shown in the museum.

In the currency section, I came across this pre-revolutionary note from Pennsylvania. It sparked my own interest.

We headed back for a quick lunch before we had to catch the cab to the train station. The good-byes were quick and before we knew it, we were on our way. Before I wrap up, I'd like to introduce you to the family. This is Possum. She is actually the neighbor's cat, but J & E are taking care of her while they are away. She was so friendly. I haven't met many cats who give kisses and demand attention as much as Possum.

This is the Husband, E & J as we were waiting for our ride.

We are so thankful to have had the opportunity to meet them. When we make it back to England in later years, we will surely be revisiting Oxford and J & E.

Cheers!