Oxford

Radcliffe Camera

For what may be my last trip in a while, I decided Oxford would be a fun place to visit because of the prominence of the university. My friend Abi and I went together for a quick trip November 29-30, for what will be the last time we see each other before going back to Arizona. 

The train journey from Norwich to Oxford took nearly four hours. I had to transfer from Stratford to London Paddington via the Elizabeth Line. After we both arrived in Oxford the first thing we did was eat! We went to The White Rabbit Pub for pizza. I got the fungo puro pizza with mozzarella, tomato sauce, chestnut, mixed wild mushrooms, and truffle cream—so good!

Fungo Puro from The White Rabbit

We refueled and got walking. Oxford was founded in the 8th century, and the university during the 12th century. The whole city has a history that goes way back, and the university makes up the majority of the buildings worth visiting. One of my favorite places we visited was Blackwell's Bookshop on Broad Street. This place was huge, one of the biggest bookshops I had ever been in. It was three stories and there was another smaller shop for manga and games across the street. They had new books and used books of every conceivable genre. I was impressed with myself because I managed to go home from Oxford without a single book!

 

Blackwell's Bookshop

We spent the day wandering around and looking through other bookshops and the covered market before it began to get dark. Abi and I decided to get on a bus to check in at our hotel, Leonardo Royal Hotel Oxford. It was only a few miles outside of the city center, but it took forever to get to. There was an abnormal amount of traffic and construction causing the bus to take twice as long as usual. We unfortunately burned a lot of time just trying to get to our hotel during rush hour. After we checked in we called a taxi to take us into town for dinner. 

Japanese Curry from KIBOU

After we ate we went to a bar and had a cocktail before settling in for a nice chat at The Oxford Wine Cafe. This place was so cozy we stayed there for a couple hours just talking the night away. I ordered an Italian wine flight with Prosecco, white, red, and Moscato—a nice mixture. They were unlike anything I had ever had before. The white in particular, had the taste of over-ripened fruit. I am a big "red head" so I enjoyed the red the most. 

Italian wine flight and a limoncello spritz

The next day, we set out to explore more of the university. First, we stopped for breakfast and I got the cutest gingerbread latte with a yummy egg and bacon breakfast sandwich on an everything bagel from The Steamhouse. We paid a pound to store our bags at the Ashmolean Museum. We did not spend a lot of time here, but it would be a cool place to visit if we had more time. 

Headed back into the city center, we were disappointed to find out you had to pay to see nearly everything that is inside a building. It seemed like a cash grab, and we chose not to pay. There is an option to pay for a timed tour of the Bodleian Library. You could pay to just get inside the building, but would not have access to the area that houses the actual books. Seemed ridiculous. The architecture of the university buildings was cool enough for me. My favorite part was walking past Christ Church College. I liked seeing the plants climbing up the side of the building. 

Christ Church College

Besides Blackwell's Bookshop, we also went to Alice's Shop, an Alice's Adventures in Wonderland-themed shop. Alice in Wonderland is very popular here because Lewis Carroll was a Christ Church graduate. Alice in Wonderland is one of my favorite Disney movies, so it was fun getting to see so much themed stuff. I bought some postcards from Alice's Shop and Abi bought a bookmark and a tea towel. 

We walked back to the university and passed by the Radcliffe Camera, which is actually a library and a part of the Bodleian Library Complex. It is an iconic landmark at the University of Oxford because it is circular and at the heart of the campus. It was built in the Baroque style between 1737 and 1749. 

At this point, we had seen everything we wanted to and needed to kill some time. We went to the Westgate Shopping Center, which was a large outdoor-indoor shopping mall. It was so busy it felt like we were at Scottsdale Fashion Square. 

Our train was meant to leave at six, so we still had a lot of time to kill. We ate a late lunch at 100% PASTA and went to a small cafe to wait out the rest of the time. We said our goodbyes on the train and parted ways for the last time in the U.K. 

Meats and mozzarella at 100% PASTA

I thought the architecture and the food were the best part of Oxford. I am glad we chose to do one day here since I think anymore we would have been bored. The university was a must-see, but I cannot speak to whether or not it would have been worth it to pay to get inside. I say it is a must-see as if it is possible to ignore, the whole town is the university! More than anything, I enjoyed spending time with my dear friend Abi, and I am already looking forward to our post-study abroad debrief at Chili's Grill and Bar. 

This blog post was written for HON491C.