Exploring the Shire

One would expect (as previously mentioned) that the sun rarely shows over the United Kingdom. Well, rare as it may be, the last few days in Oxford have been absolutely glorious. Maybe this is some sort of welcome to help ease the shock of transplanting from continent to continent, or maybe I brought the sun along with me! I did hear that temperatures dropped the day Karen and I left Austin… :-)

Now, it would probably be best to have a sort of reference to get a directional feel for the steps I have taken. For those so interested, I’ve tracked down this map of Oxford: http://www.visitoxford.org/map.asp Not perfect, but it’ll give you an idea.

My quaint B&B, The Falcon, is located south of West Rd on Abingdon Rd. By the way, my stay at the Falcon was quite satisfactory. The room was sparse, small, but comfortable. The breakfast was absolutely superb (a full English breakfast to keep me full for my crawls all over Oxford). Living in Texas all of my life, I never really got the feel for the pedestrian life. Even at the University of Texas, I hopped in the car to drive most places. It appears that just about everything is within a reasonable walk in this ancient town. Whether it is or isn’t, I have no choice because I don’t yet have a vehicle, or plan to get one if at all possible (I’m actually jogging to a town 5 miles away today to buy a TV – the owner promised to give me a ride back if I purchased).

In any case, the stroll up Abingdon is a perfect entry in to the town center of Oxford. The first spectacle I came upon, after crossing the Thames, was Christ Church College. For those of you who don’t know, Oxford incorporates a system of colleges within the university to serve as a sort of deeper binding affiliation for all of its students. A sort of uni-sex fraternity, if you will, of students from all disciplines. You can read more about it here: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Colleges_of_the_University_of_Oxford

Christ Church happens to be the largest of these colleges, and at first glance, the most magnificent. It’s cathedral towers over Oxford, and peers over its acres of green grounds and gardens. Its emerald pastures and sports fields stretch out as far as the eye can see, and are only hemmed in by the winding of the Thames. Its antique yellow walls (I believe it was built in 1532), with so many arches and statues, give way to immaculate gardens and lawns. I hope at some point I will actually be able to view the insides of this amazing place!

As grand as that may sound (and it is), the streets of Oxford are lined with these amazing colleges. Like I said, Christ Church is the biggest, but they all hold their own majesty and wonder. Magdallen, University, Exetor, Balliol…the list goes on and on! Each with their ornate walls and immaculate inner gardens.
Abingdon Road turns into St Aldates around Christ Church, and then into Cornmarket Street at High Road. Sounds a bit like Austin with three names for one street. High Street and Cornmarket is really the “center” of Oxford. Shopping of all sorts abounds, with pubs and cafes just about every other door. Cornmarket hales as a sort of pedestrian converge of fashion shops, mobile phone stores, pubs and ATMs. Basically everything a university student would be interested in!

At the end of Cornmarket’s pedestrian bricks, the path continues into St. Giles square (which is actually just a really wide collection of streets, as far as I can tell). Here is where I found the fabled “Eagle and Child” pub. This is where JRR Tolkien and CS Lewis met regularly for twenty some odd years. Being the fan that I am, this was one of the spots that I was eager to find. To my great pleasure, it was everything that I had expected. Walking through the low and narrow door, you find yourself in a dark wood hollow, lit by flicker-bulb lamps (made to look like antique oil and gas lamps). To your right and left are cushioned alcoves, with small wooden tables and benches. As you pass through the small dark corridor, you can feel some of the inspiration that those great writers must have likened to. Or maybe it’s the ales that freely flow from the singular wooden bar at the center of the pub…  Whatever the case, I truly enjoyed this pub and its keepers. This will certainly be a mainstay for me as I make my way through the university.
For all of you considering a visit to Oxford over the coming years, my words and pictures really can’t offer this place any justice. One can almost feel the antiquity and the history of knowledge that flows through these magnificent buildings. It truly feels like a place where fairy tales could come to life.