Harry Potter!!

2/6/10

Left Manchester today- off to Oxford!! We wandered around and tried to sneak into various colleges (there are 38!!) to have a look at them. There is a refectory and dining hall for EVERY college- that’s the life. The housing is amazing. They all have courtyards and beautiful brick architecture. We went up St. Mary’s church to have an aerial look at the town. It was so crazy though- when the bell struck for 2:00 we could feel the tower moving!! We went into Christ Church- they filmed parts of Harry Potter there!! I definitely recognized parts of it too- thats how you know I've seen the movies too many times. The night out was much more successful than in Manchester- there were people out!! We went to a cheap pub then went over to the Purple Turtle, but people didn’t want to pay cover so we just ended up at O’Neil’s. Fun day- I am definitely liking Oxford so far.

2/7/10

Oxford is freezing!! We woke up and drove to Stowe. I wasn’t completely blown away by it. It was essentially a mansion with thousands of acres of land with follies scattered around it. The follies were supposed to be laid out with references to one another, but I didn’t really feel it when I was there. Perhaps it was because it wasn’t maintained too well- not enough money. Such a shame. I bet it was beautiful when it was first completed. We drove back to Oxford to meet up with Nick at Magdelein College and explore. I was literally frozen to the core by the end of the day- we were outside for 7 HOURS! I was pissed- and I made sure to let DuPuy know. We stopped in for a beer at a pub close by and then went to an amazing Thai place for dinner. It was off this back alley- that’s how you know its good. I went back and pretty much fell asleep right away. Long, cold day.

2/8/10

I finally went running this morning! First time since we left Kiplin- it felt great. Plus now DuPuy can’t guilt trip me anymore for not running. We went to the Sheldonian Theatre first to sketch and then we drove to Blenheim to see the house and gardens. It reminded me of something you would see in Providence, RI like the Breakers or the Biltmore. We had a quick lunch and DuPuy dropped us off in town so we could wander around. I got an Oxford t-shirt just because I wanted to feel smart and have people question whether or not I actually went to Oxford when I wear it back in the states. Back in the Hostel now to try and warm up before going out for dinner. Leaving for Bath tomorrow.