Well, by dreaming spires . . . I think they really mean "watching movies from 1AM-6AM because it's really 2 in the afternoon and I can't sleep at all!". But, this city is absolutely beautiful. After a great quick flight from Seattle to Heathrow (thanks Roland!)I took the train in to London Paddington and then a train out to Oxford. After walking too far (a notorious fault of mine in orienteering), I finally found the youth hostel. I checked in and then immediately went out for a walk. I already felt at home . . . which is to say, it's nice here. Here's a giant green hill. In the middle of the city. Still not sure what it's for, but the sign on the other side of the hill said it was for green space construction. Way to go over the top kids!
And yes, there is Oxford Castle right behind the hill. You know you're somewhere special when this building isn't even that impressive compared to the other 74% of the town!
i.e., this one. This is the Sheldonian Theatre built by Christopher Wren. It's next door to the science museum that I stopped in at on Saturday morning. They have astrolabes and globes and Marconigraphs and preserved thoracic ducts, penicillin jars, sketchy medicine cabinets, microscopes in spades, and a piece of a blackboard that has Albert Einstein's handwriting on it from a lecture he gave on his theory of relativity at Oxford in the 30s. This same blackboard is tucked between the chemistry jars and the microscopes in the basement. Interesante!
Here is one evening shot of Oxford before I walked back to the hostel to pick up a kebab for dinner (it's actually the best bit of roasted meat ever. Better than the Aladdin Gyro-cery in the UDistrict, and that's saying something).
Okay, as stated before, after waking up at 1 AM with nothing to do but watch "High Society", "Casino Royale", and "Lake House" in quick succession, I finally thought it was light enough to head out for some touring. Here is Radcliffe square with the big circle thing being called the Radcliffe Camera. It houses part of the Bodelian Library which is the second biggest research library in the world (go USA/Harvard . . . mainly USA!).
Here's a self-pic of me in front of this beautiful piece of architecture.
And then I decided I looked too serious. I really was having a wonderful morning (and who couldn't after a breakfast of toast and stewed tomatoes) so I took another picture.
Then I wandered down to Magdalen (pronounced "maudlin" for entirely unintelligble reasons) to see where this conference was going to shake down. Here is a skull guarding the gate door under the bridge that goes over the river next to Magdalen (did you get that)? Ominous? I don't know of too many other schools that could get away with threatening undergrads with human skulls hanging on posts . . . but they've been here since the 800s, so whatever.
And right near that skull are the punts. I hope to go punting later this week, but we'll see how it shakes out with all the interviews/conference stuff. Punts are the little flat bottom boats that you propel around with a long pole. Charming!
Okay. I know you're bored by now but I was walking down the street and saw this sign in the wall. Hello, Boyle and Hooke were kickin' it right here when the former developed Boyle's Law. Unreal. It's like the Cooperstown, Lambeau Field, and Wrigley Field rolled into one. But without the uh, obvious popular culture importance or sports history panache.
Okay, back to something that is in popular culture. I toured Bodleian Library Saturday morning and here is a piece of the library that was used to film the hospital scenes of Harry Potter. It was adjoining a room that was used by the House of Commons during the Great Plague of London in the late 1600s. Take that Yersinia pestis. Okay, that was back to being a science girl again. Sorry, little relapse.
And here's the courtyard of Bodleian Library. For you architecture fiends out there, yup, there are five different styles of colums on that building. From the bottom, Tuscan, Doric, Ionic, Corinthian, and Composite. That's King James up there handing over two books that he wrote. Pretty sure the University had requested he donate his library, not his books which no one wanted.
After that, I went to the White Horse Pub for lunch. I ordered a "beef burger" instead of "fish and chips" although I may try the latter just so I can add it to the list of things I've tried and didn't like when people say "You don't like fish? Have you tried . . . " Yes. New England Clam Chowder in Maine, gross. Smoked Marlin in Mazatlan, nasty. Trout from the stream in the mountains, yuck. Sorry for the rant. Anyway, I was at the pub and a whole family walks in a sits down and shares the table with me. It was a pretty dark wood small cramped pub, exactly what you'd be looking for in the UK and they all ordered water. A little suspicious. The dad was wearing an Oregon hat and I asked him if that's where they were from because I lived in Seattle. No, they weren't but they asked where else I had lived. I said Orem, UT, it's a town about an hour south of Salt Lake. They smiled and said that four of them had gone to BYU and they were with their youngest son who had just returned from his mission to Manchester about six months ago and were touring the country. What are the odds? Thanks small world. This was also fun because when they sat down, the guy across from me was gorgeous. Nice sport jacket over a crisp dress shirt, blonde hair, and nice jeans . . . and I thought, how lovely. Then, he turned out to be American and a member of our church. Even lovelier. Too bad I was jet-lagged and didn't say, "Hi. Whatever part of the country you live in over there, I wouldn't mind looking for a post-doctoral position in the same city." Maybe next time . . . or if anyone knows Pete's last name, let me know. After the pub, I went back to the hostel because I was so exhausted. After getting only a few hours of sleep on the plane and then about two hours of sleep the night before, it was time. I should have probably gone touring since all the colleges open up in the afternoon for visitors, but oh well. When I woke up, I decided to take a bus down Abingdon Road to see if I could find the church for the next morning. It was a piece of cake (although yes, I did walk too far and have to backtrack) and on getting back to the city center, I found the grocery store (after walking too far again) and picked up some questionable yogurt but some delicious chocolate. I would have gone out but traveling by yourself sometimes means, well, I could pretend to love sitting and looking around in a restaurant . . . or I could pick up something at the store for a third the price. Um, choice two. On the bus ride Saturday night, for the benefit of all the girls in Seattle and elsewhere, I caught a local sample of the men that are walking around everywhere looking amazing in their dress shirts and jeans. These are just normal guys over here and they're everywhere! The picture could have been better, but that would have involved me jumping off the moving bus, saying, "excuse me, but can I take all of your pictures? I'm not crazy, really. Thanks!"
Anyway, Sunday morning, I caught the bus to church. Here are two horses and their riders that crossed the road with me. I think it's wonderful when a place lives up to all your expectations. They actually have a pedestrian (equestrian?) walk button situated halfway up the post for the riders. Incredible place.
Well, now I'm at Magdalen with lots of free internet. My room smells like it was built in the 1400s (probably was) but is okay with it's own suite with chairs, tables, fireplace, and adjoining bedroom. Here's a picture of that.
And a picture of the bedroom.
Here is a picture of the quad near my building . . . this is unreal isn't it?
And the chapel that is near the Porter's Lodge on the way to the Dining Hall (which looks like the Harry Potter one, although I'll be going to the real Harry Potter one later this week at Christ Church).
Well, I know that was incredibly long but so much happens every day when you're traveling . . . and when you're going solo, who else am I going to relate this all to right now? Tomorrow is more talks, my interview with Susan Lea, and then maybe a Shakespeare night. PS, Everyone LOVES my last name over here. Don't know why exactly, but no one thinks I'm serious when I tell them. Almost everyone says, "Really, you're serious?". Well, the nice lady at church this morning said my name "was a nice proper English name" so that's an improvement over the health nurse that asked "are you Peruvian". No offense to Peru (OF COURSE!) but c'mon. Do I look Peruvian?
Well, by dreaming spires . . . I think they really mean "watching movies from 1AM-6AM because it's really 2 in the afternoon and I can't sleep at all!". But, this city is absolutely beautiful. After a great quick flight from Seattle to Heathrow (thanks Roland!)I took the train in to London Paddington and then a train out to Oxford. After walking too far (a notorious fault of mine in orienteering), I finally found the youth hostel. I checked in and then immediately went out for a walk. I already felt at home . . . which is to say, it's nice here. Here's a giant green hill. In the middle of the city. Still not sure what it's for, but the sign on the other side of the hill said it was for green space construction. Way to go over the top kids! 
And yes, there is Oxford Castle right behind the hill. You know you're somewhere special when this building isn't even that impressive compared to the other 74% of the town! 
i.e., this one. This is the Sheldonian Theatre built by Christopher Wren. It's next door to the science museum that I stopped in at on Saturday morning. They have astrolabes and globes and Marconigraphs and preserved thoracic ducts, penicillin jars, sketchy medicine cabinets, microscopes in spades, and a piece of a blackboard that has Albert Einstein's handwriting on it from a lecture he gave on his theory of relativity at Oxford in the 30s. This same blackboard is tucked between the chemistry jars and the microscopes in the basement. Interesante! 
Here is one evening shot of Oxford before I walked back to the hostel to pick up a kebab for dinner (it's actually the best bit of roasted meat ever. Better than the Aladdin Gyro-cery in the UDistrict, and that's saying something). 
Okay, as stated before, after waking up at 1 AM with nothing to do but watch "High Society", "Casino Royale", and "Lake House" in quick succession, I finally thought it was light enough to head out for some touring. Here is Radcliffe square with the big circle thing being called the Radcliffe Camera. It houses part of the Bodelian Library which is the second biggest research library in the world (go USA/Harvard . . . mainly USA!). 
Here's a self-pic of me in front of this beautiful piece of architecture. 
And then I decided I looked too serious. I really was having a wonderful morning (and who couldn't after a breakfast of toast and stewed tomatoes) so I took another picture. 
Then I wandered down to Magdalen (pronounced "maudlin" for entirely unintelligble reasons) to see where this conference was going to shake down. Here is a skull guarding the gate door under the bridge that goes over the river next to Magdalen (did you get that)? Ominous? I don't know of too many other schools that could get away with threatening undergrads with human skulls hanging on posts . . . but they've been here since the 800s, so whatever. 
And right near that skull are the punts. I hope to go punting later this week, but we'll see how it shakes out with all the interviews/conference stuff. Punts are the little flat bottom boats that you propel around with a long pole. Charming! 
Okay. I know you're bored by now but I was walking down the street and saw this sign in the wall. Hello, Boyle and Hooke were kickin' it right here when the former developed Boyle's Law. Unreal. It's like the Cooperstown, Lambeau Field, and Wrigley Field rolled into one. But without the uh, obvious popular culture importance or sports history panache. 
Okay, back to something that is in popular culture. I toured Bodleian Library Saturday morning and here is a piece of the library that was used to film the hospital scenes of Harry Potter. It was adjoining a room that was used by the House of Commons during the Great Plague of London in the late 1600s. Take that Yersinia pestis. Okay, that was back to being a science girl again. Sorry, little relapse. 
And here's the courtyard of Bodleian Library. For you architecture fiends out there, yup, there are five different styles of colums on that building. From the bottom, Tuscan, Doric, Ionic, Corinthian, and Composite. That's King James up there handing over two books that he wrote. Pretty sure the University had requested he donate his library, not his books which no one wanted. 
After that, I went to the White Horse Pub for lunch. I ordered a "beef burger" instead of "fish and chips" although I may try the latter just so I can add it to the list of things I've tried and didn't like when people say "You don't like fish? Have you tried . . . " Yes. New England Clam Chowder in Maine, gross. Smoked Marlin in Mazatlan, nasty. Trout from the stream in the mountains, yuck. Sorry for the rant. Anyway, I was at the pub and a whole family walks in a sits down and shares the table with me. It was a pretty dark wood small cramped pub, exactly what you'd be looking for in the UK and they all ordered water. A little suspicious. The dad was wearing an Oregon hat and I asked him if that's where they were from because I lived in Seattle. No, they weren't but they asked where else I had lived. I said Orem, UT, it's a town about an hour south of Salt Lake. They smiled and said that four of them had gone to BYU and they were with their youngest son who had just returned from his mission to Manchester about six months ago and were touring the country. What are the odds? Thanks small world. This was also fun because when they sat down, the guy across from me was gorgeous. Nice sport jacket over a crisp dress shirt, blonde hair, and nice jeans . . . and I thought, how lovely. Then, he turned out to be American and a member of our church. Even lovelier. Too bad I was jet-lagged and didn't say, "Hi. Whatever part of the country you live in over there, I wouldn't mind looking for a post-doctoral position in the same city." Maybe next time . . . or if anyone knows Pete's last name, let me know. After the pub, I went back to the hostel because I was so exhausted. After getting only a few hours of sleep on the plane and then about two hours of sleep the night before, it was time. I should have probably gone touring since all the colleges open up in the afternoon for visitors, but oh well. When I woke up, I decided to take a bus down Abingdon Road to see if I could find the church for the next morning. It was a piece of cake (although yes, I did walk too far and have to backtrack) and on getting back to the city center, I found the grocery store (after walking too far again) and picked up some questionable yogurt but some delicious chocolate. I would have gone out but traveling by yourself sometimes means, well, I could pretend to love sitting and looking around in a restaurant . . . or I could pick up something at the store for a third the price. Um, choice two. On the bus ride Saturday night, for the benefit of all the girls in Seattle and elsewhere, I caught a local sample of the men that are walking around everywhere looking amazing in their dress shirts and jeans. These are just normal guys over here and they're everywhere! The picture could have been better, but that would have involved me jumping off the moving bus, saying, "excuse me, but can I take all of your pictures? I'm not crazy, really. Thanks!" 
Anyway, Sunday morning, I caught the bus to church. Here are two horses and their riders that crossed the road with me. I think it's wonderful when a place lives up to all your expectations. They actually have a pedestrian (equestrian?) walk button situated halfway up the post for the riders. Incredible place. 
Well, now I'm at Magdalen with lots of free internet. My room smells like it was built in the 1400s (probably was) but is okay with it's own suite with chairs, tables, fireplace, and adjoining bedroom. Here's a picture of that. 
And a picture of the bedroom. 
Here is a picture of the quad near my building . . . this is unreal isn't it? 
And the chapel that is near the Porter's Lodge on the way to the Dining Hall (which looks like the Harry Potter one, although I'll be going to the real Harry Potter one later this week at Christ Church). 
Well, I know that was incredibly long but so much happens every day when you're traveling . . . and when you're going solo, who else am I going to relate this all to right now? Tomorrow is more talks, my interview with Susan Lea, and then maybe a Shakespeare night. PS, Everyone LOVES my last name over here. Don't know why exactly, but no one thinks I'm serious when I tell them. Almost everyone says, "Really, you're serious?". Well, the nice lady at church this morning said my name "was a nice proper English name" so that's an improvement over the health nurse that asked "are you Peruvian". No offense to Peru (OF COURSE!) but c'mon. Do I look Peruvian?
2 comments:
Love all the pictures. I want to go to England. Remember my little sister, Marian? She's lived in England for the last 2-3 years. She lives by the Mildenhall Air Force Base, which I think is about an hour north of London. Anyway, I know that's random, but she loves it there.
>asked "are you Peruvian". No offense to Peru (OF COURSE!) but c'mon. Do I look Peruvian?
I think that in a few days, you'll know exactly how Peruvian you look. But, spoiler alert, you couldn't pass as a Limenian, let alone someone from Cusco.
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