The story of the UK continues...Oxford

William Butler Yates once said, "I wonder anybody does anything at Oxford but dream and remember, the place is so beautiful. One almost expects the people to sing instead of speaking. It is all like an opera."  After visiting, I'd be happy to agree!

Two of my best friends, Richelle and Aaron, both studied abroad at Oxford University.  I was basically told that I could visit Oxford-- or face the demise of our friendship upon my return. Pretty high stakes for a nice gal like me. Just kidding.

The trip to Oxford only took a little over an hour by train from central London.  The town is just a short walk from the train station.  Our first stop was the Eagle and Child Pub.  It was lunch time and where better to dine than a place that was formerly the stomping ground of literature greats C.S. Lewis and J.R.R Tolkien.  I had my first English pie there and we warmed ourselves from the chilly outside temperature.

The heartbeat of Oxford is the university.  After listening to my dear friend Briony's advise and avoiding paying the fare to enter Christ Church College (never listen to a broke Aussie hahahaha), we dodged security guards and took a peek at what much of the tourist hoopla is all about, the dining hall featured in Harry Potter. 

The University of Oxford is divided in to several small colleges and we enjoyed just meandering around them.  Some charged admission fees just to walk inside so we peered in from outside the walls or walked down alleyways to get a better glimpse.  The college takes up much of the town and led to a picturesque day.  Here are some of my favorite photos.

The previous photo is of the Bodleian Library, taken from the top of St. Mary's Church.  I would recommend a trip up the steeple of St. Mary's for beautiful views across Oxford and some close-up admiring of the church's architecture.  The tower was built in the 13th century and I felt as though I was I was a Renaissance woman (literally) holding onto ropes and using the worn sandstone stairs to get to the top.  I do not recommend for the extremely claustrophobic!  The church also has a cafe, The Vaults and Gardens, and their scones with jam and clotted cream were a perfectly British end to our day of sightseeing!