Return to Oxford!

For those of you who don't know, I spent a month in Oxford when I was fifteen as a part of the Oxbridge Academic Programs. I can trace so much of who I am today back to that month. Without a doubt, it was one of the best experiences of my life. So five years later upon my return to England, Oxford was first on my list of Places of Absolute Necessity to Visit.

The Pelican Sundial at Corpus Christi College
(where I studied 5 years ago).

I got in around 8:30pm and met my friend Alexandra (confusing, I know. but she prefers Xandra, so I'll shorten it for the rest of the time to make it a little more obvious I'm not talking about myself in the third person) at the train station. Walking back to her apartment in absolute darkness was so disorienting. I literally could not recognize anything we were walking by! She had booked dinner for us at Atomic Burger, a tiny little burger joint that is space/comic book themed. Sadly, I have no pictures, but believe me when I say it was the coolest. After eating a delicious burger called the Frito Bandito (first meat since London! Minus the day in Great Yarmouth, but I'm a little skeptical about the bacon. and the sausage. and the fish cake.), we got ice cream at G&D's before watching a late night showing of Ghostbusters at a small, one-screen cinema. Probably the best part was the 20-30 other college students in the cinema who were dressed up for Halloween and very very drunk and so excited to watch the film! One of them kept turning around to apologise for how much she loves Ghostbusters. But it definitely made the experience more entertaining!

We found this blue wig outside Exeter's great hall
the next morning...

Saturday after brunch and delicious delicious hot chocolate (possibly the chocolatiest I've ever had!), I wandered back to Corpus Christi college for a long awaited reunion.

There were some new things:

This funky greenhouse filled with stuff.

A Pacific Boxer statue?

And many, many familiar things:

The Fraenkel Room! Where my Literature and the Fantastic
class took place.

The little "door" that inspired my L&F
final project.

And of course, the Alice in Wonderland tree.

Eventually I met up with Zoe and some of her friends from BADA at the Pitt Rivers Museum, one of many (I discovered) places I never got around to visiting during OxPrep.The rest of the day was spent touring Christ Church, popping back over to Corpus Christi, wandering about the neighboring park, and then going to Turf's Tavern for dinner and mulled wine.

Zoe et moi in the Great Hall of Christ Church.

Sunday led to more wandering and a lot of time at Blackwell's. I bought a few books (I have no resistance when it comes to 3 for 2 deals), then decided to go check out the Dicken's exhibit at the Bodleian. Earlier that week I'd checked the Bodleian website for tours, and the website had said none were taking place that weekend. But lo and behold, I walked in and they had one spot left on the last extended tour of the day - happening in a half hour! So I bought my ticket, spent 30 minutes gaping over first editions of Dickens, then started my tour.

Basically, the Bodleian is the most beautiful place. Duke Humfrey's reading room is like heaven.

After the Bodleian, I went to the Museum of the History of Science, another museum I didn't visit during OxPrep. Pretty much it's a museum filled with all my favorite scientific things.

 

 

And really, apart from eating more food and wandering more about the streets, that was Oxford! Sorry if all this feels a little summarized, but I'm so behind with posts I'm trying to just whip 'em out as quick as I can. 

It was possibly the nicest weekend I've had while abroad. I felt very much at peace with myself in Oxford. I didn't feel the pressures of needing to do something or be somewhere, I was simply there. And that was all I needed to be.