Watsons Go To Oxford

It's almost unbelievable that after nearly four years of living here we somehow hadn't been to Oxford which is just an hour and a half away from us. So one weekend in May we decided to make it happen although kids REALLY didn't want to go as we had just come back from Iceland a few days ago AND Robert, Alex and Mark had just come back from Father-Son campout that morning. So we let the boys sleep for a couple of hours and then...we packed our lunch and took off for Oxford. 

We parked at the park and ride place and took a ten minute bus right into the center of Oxford. It was very convenient as traffic and parking in town is difficult.

Oxford has a very ethically diverse population of around 160,000, and it's located 50 miles northwest of London. 

It is home to the oldest university of the English-speaking world, and one of the most prestigious ones in the world. Apparently, five applications are received for every spot available. 

So this afternoon, we decided to take a free walking tour through the main parts of Oxford. Our group was pretty big, I'd say around 50 people. But the guide was very entertaining, loud and well spoken, so we all enjoyed the tour. 

We were meeting across the street from the store, and naturally, we had to take a picture:). And I don't mean the Cath Kidston store, one of the most popular ones in the UK.

We tried to take pictures as we walked with the guide, but the trick was to remember all the information we were told!;)

Here is Blackwell Bookstore, established back in the late 1800s. 

What? Another Bridge of Sighs?? We've now seen three of them--in Cambridge, in Venice and here, in Oxford. 

One of the most famous buildings in Oxford--the Radcliffe Camera. It's a library and it has an underground tunnel that leads from it to the other academic buildings. 

Walking pass the Radcliffe Camera. It is indeed very touristy and crowded.

This might seem like an insignificant door, but for real they say that C.S. Lewis who wrote his Narnia books right here in Oxford, got his inspiration about the lion and the lantern (on the following picture) from his door decor and the street. But who knows if that is true?

Katya in Narnia.

Here is our guide telling us some snippets from C.S. Lewis' and J.R. Tolkien's life stories. 

Just another pretty street in Oxford. 

One of the oldest pubs in Oxford, dating to 1242! 

Katya liked the name of this shop:)

And finally--Christ Church (College) although we are supposed to say just Christ Church. It is the largest and most famous college in Oxford. It's the only college in the world that is also a cathedral, which is so unique. 

I didn't get a picture of it, but the famous tower at the entrance to the college is called "Tom Tower". It was designed by Sir Christopher Wren who had graduated from college. The bell in the tower is known as "Great Tom", it chimes 101 times every evening at 9 pm, because there were 101 original students at Christ Church.

Oh! And did you know that there are a lot of connections between Christ Church and Harry Potter movies? One of the biggest inspirations for the Hogwarts dining halls was the Great Hall inside. The stairways and cloisters were also used in films.  

It's a pity we only had an afternoon to spend in Oxford, but we sure are glad we made the trip. It is a beautiful city with a wonderful vibe to it:)

Lyana.