what i love most about it is that it feels both like a big city and a small town at the same time. everything is so close together, which makes the town feel small and quaint, but it's also busy and bustling all the time, like a big city. there are people everywhere, and surprisingly a lot more tourists than i expected. the shops and cafes sit in tight little rows along the main streets, interrupted every block or so by a giant, ancient church or college. it is so stinking cool, i can't even tell you.
this morning i got up (after a full 12 hours of sleep - thank you jet lag) and walked to university park, which is about two blocks down the road from wadham. it is beautiful. it definitely helps that the weather here so far has been sunny and clear with highs in the 60s and 70s (sorry y'all), but the park itself is so nice. it's huge and green and has walking paths and cricket fields (or are they called pitches? or something else? i'm not fully versed in british english yet) and oh my gosh i just love it.
after i came back we had a brief orientation at the college and then left for a short walking tour of oxford to help us get acquainted with the town. i. am. in. love.
what's really fantastic about oxford - and europe in general - is that everything here is so old. there is so much history behind every building, and it's all so incredibly beautiful. most of the buildings here are older than the united states. there is just nothing like this at home.
we walked down to the high street, which is the main street in town, and our professor pointed out helpful places to know, like the covered market, where you can buy all sorts of things from food to kitschy souvenirs, and the post office. at the end of the tour a few of us decided to keep walking around a little. there is just so much to see! we went to find Christ church college, where some of the harry potter movies have been shot (yes, we're those kinds of tourists). unfortunately, it was closed because they were over capacity on visitors, but we're planning to go back another day.
we then ventured on to st. mary's cathedral, which you can climb to the top of and get a view of all of oxford (thanks for the tip, samantha henry!). of course we got there just as they were closing for the day, so we didn't get to see the view. but we still got to see the inside of the cathedral (and hear the choir rehearse), which was beautiful. naturally.
we wandered around a little more before heading back to wadham. i'm still in awe. this town... i just don't even know how to describe it. all i can really say is...
you need to come here.
No comments:
Post a Comment