Breakfast was cooked to order and very tasty, although it was a little odd that we had two rounds of toast for three people. When we had finished the two pieces we asked for a bit more. After breakfast we set off towards Christ Church College and walked through the memorial garden and water meadows before joining the queue to enter the college. I say joining the queue, in fact there were only two people in front of us but by the time the doors opened, ten minutes late there was a large queue behind us.
We enjoyed the college and the Cathedral, where in the shop I found the Pitkin Guide to Oxford. It shows the best of Oxford via two walking tours. As luck would have it we were part way through the route of one of them. We carried on along the route to the science museum and stopped for a brief visit before carrying on past the Bodleian Library to a nearby pub for lunch. The pub was a bit chaotic but we managed to find ourselves a quiet corner to sit.
After lunch we returned to the Bodleian Library but opted out from rushing to join the last tour of the day. We visited the library hall, with the intention to return the library for a tour the following day. We then carried on along the walking route passing under ‘The Bridge of Sighs’, which is so named due to the apparent resemblance to its Venetian namesake. Just past the bridge we took a slight detour down a narrow alley to find The Turf Tavern where allegedly Bill Clinton imbibed in some ‘pot’. We then continued along the walking route passing many historic buildings, stopping off in a Viennese cake shop to indulge in tea and cake…
We then made our way back to the hotel to freshen up before our evening meal in The Quod Brasserie. On our walk to the brasserie it was lovely to see young ladies in long dresses and young gentlemen in suits and ties queuing up for a function in the college. After dinner we returned to the hotel for a nightcap before retiring to bed.
This is a wonderful presentation of a great historical place of learning Cherie…
i am sure that you enjoyed the tea and cake at the Viennese shop as well….peter:)
There is much history in Oxford and only got to touch the surface. I need to return
I have only faint memories of visiting Oxford back in the year and month the Queen Mum died…that’s how long ago it was. I would love to go back and do a real tour with Astrid. I guess that would mean we’d need to make a trip to the London area one of these years??!!
Or you could just stay in or near Oxford like we did. There is much to see in the surrounding area too.
Sounds as if you are having a very thorough look round Oxford, Cherie
We did have a good look around but there was not enough time to explore it properly.
“On our walk to the brasserie it was lovely to see young ladies in long dresses and young gentlemen in suits and ties.”
Well, CherryPie, this is not unusual in these here parts you know.
After all, going out in November without the aforementioned attire would be a little nippy to say the least. Now if you go to Banbury……there is a rumour about ladies and white horses. !
Glad you had a great time.
It is the first time for many years that I have seen young ladies in long evening dresses. I thought they had gone out of fashion. They looked delightful
We did have a good time, thank you
Lovely pictures.
Thank you.
The Library is a wonderful architectural building with some amazing historical background … although I’m still waiting too see the inside of it after 3 visits.
We only did the brief tour (it was the only option available). It was well worth it and I would recommend it to anyone.