This morning I headed out on my own to explore Oxford a bit. I walked into town, and first went to Blackwell’s Books, where I saw the famed Norrington Room. This basement space boasts over 3-miles of shelves, and it’s certainly to be believed! I then walked over to the Covered Market, where I saw some venison laid out at a butcher’s (along with a whole pig being prepared). Then it was off to Christ Church, where I walked down the back meadow to the river, then back up. Popped around it, and then was off to the eastern side of town, so I turned back inwards. I headed towards last night’s pub, going under the famed Bridge of Sighs, then down the tight alleyway to The Turf Tavern. From there, I looped back around Queen’s Lane, and then checked out one of the colleges there. They turned the old cemetery and church into a library, and it was a bit odd to see students hanging out on the various tombs and stuff, smoking and eating lunch! Speaking of lunch, I then met up with John at the King’s Arms pub, where I got a traditional meal of bangers-and-mash, and a half-pint of bitters. (Knock that off my to-do list!)
After lunch, I headed up to the Pitt Rivers Museum, which was pretty neat, but I didn’t spend too much time there as there were a few rowdy school groups, and it actually started to rain, too. So I headed back to John’s flat, but stopped by Ben’s Cookies on the way (per John’s insistence), and got one. Mmm good! Walked back to John’s flat, and passed by Oxford Castle and the mound on the way. Now I’m back at the flat, cleaning up and re-packing, and then I’ll be off to London in two hours!
My nearly six-mile walking route can be found here, and photos have been added to the gallery.
(Side note: apparently I have some dust or something on my photos; I’ve checked and it’s not the lenses; so it’s gotta be the mirror or optics. I need to get this cleaned tomorrow since I want pristine images for the rest of the trip!)