Where is the campus?

Last Saturday, we visited Oxford, the "City of Dreaming Spires" with our friends Richard, Taha and Maria. Taha was very kind to book our train tickets online, and off we went for a one-day exploration.




Oxford is home of one of the greatest universities in the world. It is in fact, made up of 35 colleges sprinkled throughout the town. To tour all of these would be a formidable task. We thought it was best to focus on just taking a walk by the better-known colleges, checking out the pub scenes, admiring some of England's greatest architecture, and "punting" the River Cherwell. (I learned that punting is just a snooty word for rafting/boating)




The whole trip I kept saying "hurry up, I'm going to be late for my class." Yes. I was pretending I studied at Oxford University... It made me feel so smart! Another cool thing about this town were the old pubs where famous people gathered to hang out. Every college town the world over has a fair number of bars, but few can boast local watering holes with such atmosphere and history as Oxford. Here is Ted at the entrance of "the Eagle and Child." For at least a quarter of a century, it was frequented by the likes of C. S. Lewis and J. R. R. Tolkien. In fact, The "Chronicles of Narnia" and "The Hobbit" were first read aloud at this pub.



It was a wonderful day! We were afraid about the weather, because last week was pretty cold and rainy. Fortunately, we were allowed to enjoy a sunny Saturday in Oxford. The whole trip was fun, but the punting experience was soooooooo hi-la-rious! In spite of my pleas for hiring professional assistance, the guys insisted that we didn't need any help with the boat. I suffered thinking we were all going to end up at the bottom of the River. Imagine 3 guys switching places to maneuver a flat-bottom boat by a long pole and a small oar! The good news is that we made it safely. The ride was a blast and I could not trade it for the world.