Last weekend, I took a trip to Oxford. Coming from a family of brilliant Oxford academics, it’s been somewhat difficult for Father to come to terms with the fact that I now live in ‘the other place’ (aka. Cambridge), where the Clever Boyfriend is taking his PhD. In order to keep the peace (but really to visit my one of my oldest and dearest friends who is now herself a clever Oxford academic), I ensure I pay regular visits to the city of dreaming spires.
I love this place. I love the gorgeous libraries and college buildings, I love imagining all the world’s most brilliant minds who spent their university years there, I love the sound of Tom Tower’s bells echoing in the tiny cobbled alleyways, I love watching the rowing team from the riverside college meadows, I love eating in the Christ Church dining hall and feeling like i’m at Hogwarts, and I love the Oxford ‘uniform’ – all the girls dress like a modern Alice in Wonderland (dishevelled curls, tea dresses and boyish brogues), the boys like Chuck Bass (preppy blazers and white cricket sweaters), and the professors exactly as you imagine they would (crumpled tweed jackets and tartan scarves).
If you do manage to visit Oxford yourself (late Spring when the college gardens are in full bloom or mid-Autumn when the leaves are turning are my favourite times to do so), I highly recommend the following: Begin with a walking tour – I dare anyone to not be fascinated by the stories the locals will share (my friend spends her days in Einstein’s old room, while another studies at the very desk where Tolkien wrote his tomes). Aim to explore the small back alleys rather than the touristy shopping areas – getting lost is half the fun. My favourite colleges to visit are Christ Church (awe inspiring grandeur), Merton (beautiful grounds), and Exeter (Father’s old stomping ground, adorable courtyards, and the best looking men…). For a really good rummage, visit Arcadia (St. Michael’s St) – a treasure trove of classic second hand books and vintage-style homewares (I love their enormous range of original Penguin Classics), and then buy a coffee and pastry from The Missing Bean (Turl St) or an ice cream and brownie from one of the three G&Ds in town (it’s an Oxford institution). Finish with a lazy stroll along Dead Man’s walk, past the meadows, and to the river for a sunset picnic. Intellectual bliss!
Is there a place you love to go back to time and time again?
Love, Miss B xx
