Allison's Wonderland

Oxford.  It just screams high class intellectuals doesn't it?  I had the opportunity of walking these great halls where people like Lewis Carroll, Albert Einstein, J.R. Tolkien, C.S. Lewis, and John Locke walked and learned.  Just being in the city made me feel a little bit smarter.

Radcliffe Camera

I hit the road with some of my traveling buddies.  It's really difficult to find a mode of non-public transportation around here, but fortunately for us Elena was able to use her "Au Pair Mobile".  It's an old clunker, but it gets us around.  It also has a steering wheel on the left hand side just like home.  Train travel around here is a bit expensive and it was going to cost about 18.50 for a return ticket to Oxford, so this was a good little treat of only 6 pounds per person for petrol!  We started out by walking past Magdalen College.  C.S. Lewis had an office here and it looks over the Deer Park where he got his inspiration for the Chronicles of Narnia.  The town is just absolutely gorgeous.  I love it.  I would live there for sure.  Made our way up High Street, and into The University Church of St. Mary the Virgin.  Because it was Sunday, we weren't able to actually go in it unless we were attending service, but we were able to go into the tower.  Now the tower stairs going up to the top were like little metal blades of death.  It was so scary walking up those things because they were doing repairs and it was simply

Up in the Tower

scaffolding that we were walking on.  We then had to make our way up another set of stone spiral stairs to the very top.  We had a spectacular view of the whole city of Oxford and the Radcliffe Camera building which is the most photographed building in Oxford.  Leonie and I made friends with these people who were on their porch.  They were living in the building that we wanted.  It was this cool loft in a multi-colored building.  You'll see it in the pics I took.  After our near death experience up the tower, it was off to the covered market to waste some time before our tickets started to the Bodleian Library.  Of course, while in the market, most of the places were closed, but I was able to buy some post cards for family and friends back home.  Score!

Duke Humphrey's Room

It was now time for the Bodleian Library.  I was super excited about this place because it’s one of the oldest libraries in the world 1602-1620 it was built, and the Divinity School built in 1427 which is right below the library.  It also is one of the many film locations for Harry Potter which it made it extra special.  I was fascinated at the history surrounding this place.  Little fact for you, the students in Oxford and the towns people there never really have gotten along.  Kind of like in Lynchburg where all the townies are annoyed by the influx of students every year.  Well in on St. Scholastica's day a drunken brawl got out of hand

In the Divinity School

and the chancellor of the school rang the university bells and all the students rushed to the brawl.  At the end of the day on February 10, 1355, yes 1355 a truce was called.  The next morning however the towns people ran up the recruits and entered the town square with pitchforks, axes, shovels and pikes.  By the end of the day 63 students had been killed and 30 townspeople.  Yikes!  Imagine trying to go into class and you're faced with an angry towns person with a pickaxe.  Not cool.  Not cool at all.

Statues in the back of the School

Anyway, the Divinity School had all these cool statues located on the back wall of St. Peter, the Crucifix, etc.  During the English Reformation, when King Henry VIII declared himself head of the English church, he sent out representatives of the Crown to get rid of any Catholic icons.  In the school there is a decapitated St. Peter and also they took down the crucifix.  It’s a big red stain on the history of England.  Henry you're crazy. Beheading your wives and then stealing church icons.  RUDE!

Harry Potter in Bodleian

We learned all about the Divinity School which was interesting, but I was ready for the big shebang!  The Bodleian Library.  This place was so awesome.  I’ve seen the Library at Trinity College in Dublin, and this one was just as cool.  It wasn’t cooler, but it was just as cool.  And it helped that Harry Potter was filmed here.  Does the Harry Potter photo look familiar to the other one?  The Librarian in there was extremely protective.  Our Tour guide took us to the other side of the main room which was supposedly "more modern." Just ya know 16/1700’s while the other part was around 1500’s.  I guess that’s not normally a place the tour goes and the librarian watched us like a hawk.  She made me uncomfortable!  I hated the fact that we weren’t allowed to take photos, but whatever.  I got a post card.

Huge Queue

After our library tour from history back in the day it was time for a coffee break.  We went to this place called the Missing Bean which looked like the perfect college hang out.  Being in Oxford made me want to go to Oxford.  Why didn’t I try harder to get into a prestigious school?!?  Oh well, in my next life maybe.     The next stop was to go to Christ Church College.  Lewis Carroll, writer of Alice in Wonderland, graduated from this specific college and lucky for us, it was the 150^th anniversary of the writing of his popular book.  I don’t know what it is about Alice in Wonderland but it just keeps popping up in my life.  I played Alice during my senior of High school and ever since then I can’t be rid of her.  Not that I want to.  I actually got inspired by Alice in Wonderland which is the reason for the name of my Blog.  They were having a big Caucus Race in the Christ Church Meadow.  We decided to visit the college first and got in the HUGE queue to get in.  It took us about 30 minutes before we reached the front of the line.

In the Grand Hall of Christ Church College - The Dining Room in the Harry Potter Films

Great Hall Entryway

Christ Church Cathedral

 Christ Church is one of the biggest colleges of Oxford University, and one of the most well known.  It also houses Christ Church Cathedral and the Great Hall which was the inspiration for the Great Hall in Harry Potter.  When you walk in this place it’s like you’re being transported back into time.  It was so amazing to walk through these medieval halls. There were tourists everywhere, but I mean whatever, we all wanted to see this amazing place.  It was 7 pounds to get into which was a little steep, but you just gotta do it. :)  We went into Christ Church Cathedral afterwards, and the little old 80 year old woman handing out pamphlets to give more information about the place was stunned when we asked for a pamphlet in German, French, Spanish and English.  We're such a multicultural group of friends.    In the church, there's the "Jabberwocky Tree" in the courtyard that's over 400 years old.  So cool!  Lots of Harry Potter movie magic around this place too.  Just loved it.

Entryway into Hogwarts

The Great Hall

Tom Tower in the Tom Quad

The Mad Hatter at the Alice Shop

After our Christ Church College visit we went to the Caucus Race.  It was absolutely bizarre.  There were a bunch of people dressed in costume running around singing, "The best way to explain it is to do it.  DO IT!"  We left pretty quickly because all of us were a little freaked out.  We had to stop at the Lewis Carroll Alice shop before leaving the area and I got several post cards for friends back home and then of

Coffee at Queen's Lane

course a pin.  :)  Afterwards it was coffee time at this place called Queen's Lane Coffee Shop which was established in 1654.  Who establishes a coffee shop in 1654?  Everything in Oxford is just so stinking old and I absolutely love that.  Got myself an Irish Cream Mocha which was super sweet, but ya know good all the same.  Afterwards we headed over to the Bridge of Sighs replica at New College.  It's definitely not as beautiful as the real Bridge of Sighs in Venice, but it was still cool.  Had to get my picture in front of it anyways.

Bridge of Sighs Replica at New College

After our walk around it was time for my favorite part of the evening.  DINNER!  I had been looking forward to going to the Eagle and Child Pub which is famous for the fact that J.R.R. Tolkien and C.S. Lewis would meet for their book club called the Inklings.  The pub was established in the 1650's, and was really one of the main things I wanted to do while in Oxford.  Got myself some "Italian" Focaccia which wasn't Focaccia at all. It was terrible.  Simona told me I wouldn't be able to find good Focaccia outside of Genova, IT and I think she might be right.  I don't even know what this stuff was.  It was bizarre.  My fish and chips were way better than my appetizer, but I still ate it anyway because I was FAMISHED!  We sat back and had a pint where C.S. Lewis and J.R.R. Tolkien would sit and contemplate life, and I definitely felt smarter again.

By the River making Asian Poses

Afterwards it was time for a glass of wine down by the river and then we had to make the 45 minute drive home.  It was an absolutely wonderful day and all four of us had a great time.  I love Oxford and I wish that I would've at least applied to the University.  Haha...I know for a fact I wouldn't have gotten in, but just being there made me want to be a student all over again.  Maybe one day in my next life . . . :)

Eating at the Eagle and Child Pub

"A" is for Austen and Allison.  She is my LOVE!

Posing in front of the Radliffe Camera Building