Our first port of call was Christ Church, alma mater of societal luminaries like Sir Philip Sidney, John Locke, & the Winklevoss twins. It's a beautiful college & has gained particular notoriety of late for its supporting role in the Harry Potter films, which, I'm sure played no small part in the outrageously long line we found at the entrance. Fi & I had a few other options on deck, & it seemed a little ridiculous to queue up for hours, so we shrugged & moved on.
Plan B was to head over to Merton College with a quick a pit-stop at the Bear Inn en route. Those of you interested in pubs, be sure to insist on the Bear next time you're in town. Though it's the oldest pub in Oxford, its real claim to fame is the inner walls, which are decorated with some 5,000 snippets of neckties, every one unique. Word has it the landlord's willing to compensate tie contributors a half-pint of beer for their offerings. Big money.
Once our whistles had been wet, we repaired to Merton, where Fi studied English literature for her MPhil. Like the other colleges in town, Merton is gorgeous to behold. It's particularly fun for me to visit, though, because I get to to watch Fi show visitors around the grounds. Though I've heard the stories & school trivia a couple of times now, I still take pleasure in tagging along for her grand tour.
No Oxford University college walkthrough is complete without a traipse around the gardens, & Merton's do not disappoint. I'll spare you any details, as I'm aware they sound better spoken in an English accent, but here are a few photographs I snapped this time around.
Not bad, right? They're twice as pretty in person. Eventually, the skies began to clear up. In order to take full advantage, Fi suggested climbing up the tower at St. Mary's Church, reputed to have one of the best views of Oxford's skyline. I'd never before been to the top, so I was stoked about the prospect. A short ascent later, having squeezed through some very narrow hallways, we finally gazed upon Oxford from a height, & the tower views did not disappoint. Thanks to the Victorian poet Matthew Arnold, Oxford is known as the city of 'dreaming spires', which, after taking in the town's architecture from that tower, I can now attest, is a description entirely merited. This really is a magnificent place.
If history tells us anything, it's that no amble around Oxford should end without ducking in (literally) to the Turf Tavern. Warm weather abiding, the Turf is a reliable source for Pimm's, which was of particular interest to us then. Although Samwise has now accumulated a veteran 19 years of age, a full 12 months beyond the legal minimum in England, he hadn't yet discovered any British beverages which suited his discriminating palate. Real Ale & Cider, in my opinion two of the best reasons for local consumption, fell flat on his tastebuds, so Fi & I thought we might try Pimm's.
I don't know if he was just parched from the trekking or what, but Samwise suckled down two full glasses of Pimm's in as many seconds! Sluurrrrp. Finally, a tasty beverage we could all enjoy together. Mission accomplished! Once Sam had sponged up the dregs of our pitcher, we thought we might try Christ Church again, hoping the long lines would have abated over the afternoon. This theory actually met with some success, as we sneaked in with the very last group of visitors allowed in for the day.
Walking around the grounds inside the college, it occurred to us that Christ Church might be the worst possible place to study in Oxford. In the time I've lived here, I've never seen so many tourists squeezed into one place. Sweet merciful crap, it was awful. Negotiating the line to see Christ Church's dining hall (featured in the Harry Potter movies) felt like waiting to get my driver's license renewed at the DMV. Ridiculous. The school is stunning, no doubt, but the magic is lost (no pun intended) when you've gotta share it with six busloads of Japanese sightseers.
Once we'd ticked off that box, it was high time to head back to the homestead & cook up some dinner. We had accomplished quite a lot, & I reckon Samwise was able to see a representative slice of Oxford in his time here. Sufficiently exhausted from our day, an evening at home with some burgers & Top Gear felt like the perfect way to spend the evening. Thanks for coming to see us, Sam, & best of luck rotating back to our homeland after your summer abroad!
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