Back and Forth Across the Pond

Oxford is not a cheap place to stay. Since it is the backbone of my research for this trip, I needed to stay for several weeks. Limited funding meant I had to find as cheap an option as possible for accommodation. As a result, I am renting a room in a family's home. To say this arrangement is outside of my comfort zone is a serious understatement. But stiff upper lip and all that, so here I am. Fortunately the family is very warm and welcoming, and I'm fairly comfortable around them. But I'm not going to hang out with them in the lounge (livingroom) and watch tv at night. So I make and eat my meals downstairs and spend the rest of my time in my room. During the week,that arrangement works out fine. They are up and out early for work, so I've got the place to myself in the morning. And I'm back before they are in the afternoon. So I can cook and eat in peace and be tucked into my private sanctuary by the time they get home. However, the weekends are a different story...

I decided to take a guided tour of the Bodleian Library Saturday. I got into town just before noon and walked the now familiar path to the library. There were several short tours available, but I wanted the hour-long one that didn't start until 2 p.m. With time to kill and a definite chill in the air (the high only went up to about 58F and all I had was my long-sleeve shirt), I went hunting for a place to have lunch. On the other side of the Sheldonian Theatre, I found the White Horse pub. The sign said it served lunch and declared the pub had been used in both the Inspector Morse tv series and Lewis. As a fan of both shows, I decided this was a perfect place to stop. It was a very tiny pub - long and narrow. It was also really busy. I managed to nab the last table. I had a nice cup of tea before ordering a sandwich. I people watched as I ate. I witnessed the classic Oxford elitists who gathered in the minuscule walkway and wouldn't move for anyone to pass, forcing both staff a...

I'm not going to join the debate over whether or not English food is any good. But I do have a few photos I snapped in the grocery store today of items I found neat. The a British clearly have different tastes in snack food. These are potato chips, or crisps as they are called here. They have some serious bacon over here. The heck with that wimpy, streaky stuff we have in the states. String cheese taken to its logical conclusion. I love it!!

The library In which I'm doing research in Oxford wasn't staffed today, so I had a free day to explore. The rainy morning gave way to a sunny afternoon, so I just took a stroll. These are the photos: This is along Queen Street, one of the busier areas of the town center. Wanting to get away from the crowded street, I ducked down a little alley called Catte Street and found myself in front of the Radcliffe Camera. The Radcliffe was built in the early 18th century and was originally a library. It is now a reading room for the Old Bodleian Library. This is Brasenose College, which sits west of the Radcliffe in Radcliffe Square. What we know as Oxford University is a collection of colleges throughout the city. It's not a single campus of learning. Brasenose was founded in 1509. This is Old Souls College, which is on the opposite side of the Radcliffe from Brasenose. The beautiful 13th century tower of the University Church of St Mary the Virgin, which sits north of Radcliffe Ca...