I took an Oxford walk in 2013.
Wandering the lanes and sauntering through some of the colleges located in that most ancient of towns was delightful.
Sunlight glanced off stone as with Japanese tourists, I gawked at spirals and towers spinning against a vivid blue sky.
Dedicated students (is that an oxymoron?) darted past wearing black robes we Americans most often associate with graduation, not matriculation.
Cobblestones tripped me up on some of the lanes, and I peeked through openings to see into green-lawned interiors. School was just in session and large signs warned me away.
1612 Graffitti
As I climbed stairs to the top of University Church of St. Mary’s, I found several items that made me smile. (That graffiti IS from 1612. I also saw 1811 carvings . . )
On that Oxford walk, I ducked down narrow corridors, and chuckled at funny street titles. (That’s Magpie Lane)
How amazing a store still exists in the world dedicated to the pen, particularly the nibs.
I stopped to stare at an ancient building towering over a tent canopy advertising free Domino’s Pizza–which reminded me this WAS a college town!
I encountered students of all races, but most with distinctive British accents.
A shopkeeper explained the only people running through town were Americans; I’ve often noticed in Europe that you can tell the Americans by their shoes.
Students mobbed the grocery store in the late afternoon to buy “take away” food to eat in their “flats.”
The college view
One of the southern most colleges in this university town with over forty colleges and self-governing bodies, is Christ Church College.
It’s famous for the large “Tom bell” in the tower, and the Christ Church Cathedral opposite.
Christ Church possesses a dignified appearance from the entrance gate.
I turned around and took another photo. Wouldn’t you love to attend a school overlooking a meadow?
This sundial amused me as well. I wonder how long it’s been telling time?
I finished the day, appropriately, at Blackwell’s Bookshop, in business since 1879.
It’s enormous inside, multiple tilting floors and stuffed, of course, with books. I bought too many, including British editions of Harry Potter, and some Tolkien posters.
I also got into a discussion with the religious books manager about Oswald Chambers . . .
What do you like to see when you visit a university town? Can you imagine a shop devoted to only pens?
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Oxford Graffiti: literally carved in 1612 Click to Tweet
Amusing photos from a recent walk through Oxford Click to Tweet
Really? A shop devoted to pen nibs? Only in Oxford Click to Tweet
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