Spontaneous adventures are almost always a good idea, especially if they are during a rainy reading week. Last Thursday’s trek consisted of a coach ride to lovely Oxford. There was something very refreshing about speeding away from London town and out into countryside. Getting to Oxford is so zippy and cheap via the (protip) Oxford Tube Bus. The bus runs every 15 minutes and costs 14 pounds roundtrip, that’s right folks throw those train timetables out the window and get yourself to Victoria Station for an adventure.
Half an hour into the ride it started to pour which made for a dreamy trip to the college town. I was glad I had by rain boots (see pun in post title) for lots and lots of walking. I am going to guess that my friend Peter and I lapped the little town about four times. It’s really easy to go to Oxford with no plans because a. there are maps with points of interest everywhere and b. every side winding street is interesting in and of itself.
Hopping off the train there was a flea and food market beckoning us forward. So after steamed pork bao, samosas literally folded together and fried in front of us, and bowl of mixed dumplings I could have gone back pleased, but culture I guess. As we wandered we walked around the grounds of the iconic Bodleian Library before heading to Christ Church where the leaves were enormous and, had it not been for rain, perfectly crunchy.
Before heading into the church we got sidetracked by science and took a detour to The Museum of the History of Science. The name gives a good indication of the mishmash of items presented in no particular design with no particular sense of editing. However, the kitschy effect was actually enjoyable and it felt like walking through a good curio shop where you could admire everything with no salesman pressure. Back to Christ Church we paid our student (protip) entry fee and toured the cathedral and great hall. Seeing the inspiration for Hogwarts was definitely worth the charge.
More wanderings brought us to the Bridge of Sighs and the outside of the botanical gardens. Had it not been Fall and raining the gardens looked worthy of a visit. Our second church stop was University Church which boasted some vibrant stained glass and balcony views. Due to increasing rain we headed back to the bus depot with our final stop being a stroll/brisk walk around Trinity College which was incredibly green and had some extremely interesting architecture.
Some takeaways from Oxford are first, don’t forget to dress for the weather, second, always look at your bus options, and third, when you get the chance to take a break from the urban scene–run after it.
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