Oxford Part 1

Obviously, a lot's happened since I've arrived in the U.K. I have several blog posts I want to share with everyone--Worcester Cathedral, Bletchley Park, but I think I'll skip ahead and share what went down on my trip to Oxford. Well, both of them. See, we had a class trip to Oxford, which was only for a few hours, and MY trip, in which I went myself and spent the night there.

First of all, as many of you know, I'd love to study at Oxford someday. I'd love to live there. I'd love to work there. Of all the places we were going, Oxford was the city I was looking forward to the most. I'd been planning a mini-C.S Lewis tour for myself for ages. I was psyched.

Now, when fellow academics and I traversed to Oxford, I was realistic. I knew they'd be ushering us into museums and whatnot, and, because Bletchley Park took so long, we probably wouldn't have much free time. I was okay with this. I had a fresh, crisp ticket to Oxford on the Friday morning train.

However, when our bus stopped RIGHT across the street from The Eagle and the Child, the very pub the Oxford Inklings drank at and talked about their stories...it was like dangling candy in front of a small child but telling the small child they could have all the candy they wanted the upcoming weekend. I kept on whimpering and lagging behind the group, just staring at it.

I mean, it was RIGHT THERE.

They dragged us to a few museums, which admittedly were interesting, but I was chomping at the bit for a bit of free time. Finally, when I couldn't stand it any longer, I wandered over to where our student guides, Sid and Katie, stood. I asked if there would be any free time at all because it was extremely important to my sanity and physical well-being that I have a drink at the Eagle and the Child.

They said they'd try, and Sid seemed especially interested (totally already knew about it being the favored place of the Inklings, good for him) and I walked off, feeling satisfied. We suffered through another museum (I usually like museums, and these ones WERE interesting, but I was too excited about the Bird and the Baby to have any investment in them) until FINALLY we had some sneaky free-time. I bought an Oxford hoodie (why prolong the inevitable? Excuse my obnoxiously optimism, Oxford does that to me.) and then a few of us (probably due to my excessive nagging) trotted to the Eagle and the Child.

Which FYI, was AMAZING.

And yes, I was more than a little excited.

And tomorrow--my FABULOUS exploits on my own!