Oxford, City of Spires

Saturday we took a day tour to Oxford - not an easy place to get to from York on public transportation, so I booked the trip through a bus tour (I think we were the youngest people on the bus by about 10 years).  It was a 4 1/2 hour ride, but that included a 30-minute 'comfort' break along the way.  They may call Oxford the city of spires, but I wasn't able to get very good pictures of them, since most of the university buildings are behind locked gates. I'll show a few I was able to get peaking through the doors. We took a walking tour, but didn't have time for a tour of one of the colleges that make up Oxford University - many of them were closed anyway because of graduation ceremonies.  It was still a great visit - I would love to go back.

The University of Oxford claims to be the second oldest surviving university in the world, and the oldest English-speaking university. There are 38 colleges in the University of Oxford, each contolling its own membership, admissions and activities. All resident students and most faculty must be members of both a college and the university.

Balliol College, which claims to be the oldest college in Oxford dating back to 1263. Merton College, however, also makes claim to being the oldest (it's located off Logic Lane....).  The picture below may or may not be Merton College....I lost track after a while.

All Souls is one of the wealthiest of Oxford's colleges and does not accept undergraduate students.  It's also 'newer', having been founded in 1438.

Christ Church, below, is the largest of the Oxford colleges and has produced 16 British prime ministers. (It's great hall was also used as the Hogwart's dining room in the Harry Potter films.) 

The huge Bodliean Library founded in 1320 is one of the oldest public libraries in the world. It holds over 7 million items on over 110 miles of shelving. The library quad, below, is considered an early masterpiece of 17th century Jacobean-Gothic architecture.

The nearby Radcliffe Cameria is an Oxford landmark. It was built as a library in the 1700s and has the third largest dome in England.  The day we were there it was being used for graduation ceremonies, and it was fun to see people all dressed up in academic regalia going in and out.

The "Bridge of Sighs" (a copy of the Venice bridge) leads to the 14th-century New College and the quirky old pub recommended by our tour guide.

It's a good thing there was a sign or we would never have found our way through the narrow, twisting and turning alleys.  The 'famous' Turf Tavern is a collection of very small indoor and outdoor rooms packed with students....some still in their graduation robes. (These were not particularly tall men...the ceilings were very low.)

By now I have completely lost track of what buildings I took pictures of, so I will just post some of my favorites. Perhaps if I get back to Oxford some day I can figure out which college they represent. But first: John at the Turk and me in front of one of the many wood doors of Oxford.

Thanksgiving!

Just another work day like any other here, but my office mates made a "Happy Thanksgiving" card for me and the school arranged a dinner for U.S. students in the evening at the Merchant Adventurer's Hall - a beautiful old building from the 1300s.

The evening started off with a reception in the 'undercroft' with mulled wine and cider.

And then on upstairs for the dinner, starting with a thin soup of mixed roasted vegetables.  No turkey (which we had expected since turkey is the traditional Christmas dinner here), but there was chicken and pork roast (the dressing came with the pork - plus applesauce). The veggies were roasted potatoes, carrots and parsnips.  Dessert was either apple or strawberry tart - sort of a cream pie with slices of sugared fruit on top.  It was good and we all ate way too much (just like a normal Thanksgiving), but we did miss our traditional meal as well as our family and friends.  But how often does one get to celebrate Thanksgiving in a hall built centuries before the first Thanksgiving even took place?  We have much to be thankful for, indeed.

Sunday, Foggy Sunday

This was the view outside our front door this morning....

and this is what it looked like later in the day:

So much for fog "burning off."  This is the first day it's been like this: most days have been like Friday, when we took the following pictures during a random walk around beautiful York.

The building, above right, is where we had lunch.

Another view of the River Ouse.

And St. Williams College, above, built in 1461 to house young priests.

And the Minster, behind Bootham Bar.



A walk through the Abbey gardens

Before walking back home along the river and the wall.

 

Visitors!!!!

We were very excited to have Alison and Scott come visit us for a few days! (Above, on the city tour in front of the Roman ruins.) We loved spending time with them and showing them around our temporary "home."

Alison & Scott in the Walmgate Bar - the only surviving "barbican" that used to be in front of all the city gates. (Remember: in York a street is a 'gate;' a gate is a 'bar,' and a bar is a 'pub.')

And in front of Clifford's Tower - what remains of the 13th century castle.

Too soon, it was time to send them off to Edinburgh...

On our way home from the train station, we ran into the Remembrance Day parade!