Day Thirty Three: I went to Oxford Yesterday

PICTURES: 1) The Great Hall in Hogwarts, aka: the dining hall at Christ Church in Oxford. 2) The Pub where JRR Tolkien and CS Lewis spent their time. 3) The Library, well part of the library, they have over 50 million books. 4) One of the dorms. 5) A view of Oxford.

I am going to write about Oxford so early in my day because i am going to try and get schoolwork done today. I am going to a Futbol (soccer) game tomorrow night (!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!) so I will not want to do school work then. Anyway, on to Oxford...

I woke up at 7 for the third day in a row (ew) and got ready to ride a bus an hour and a half to Oxford. Allie and I got there thirty minutes early, do to a short cut i found, and do the fact that we ended up walking really fast. We used that time to explore the area where one of my campuses is, and found a really cute cafe. If you get a coffee to go (any kind of coffee) it is only 1 pound, so that is the cheapest coffee i have found so far. I ended up getting a mocha and it lasted half way to Oxford. The ride was beautiful because we went into the country and also because we were on a double decker bus and Allie and i sat up front on the top so we could see everything.

We got to Oxford and the first thing that was pointed out to us was the Eagle and Child, the pub that JRR Tolkien and CS Lewis went to while they worked and lived in Oxford. I do not think it has sunk in yet, but... damn they were real dudes and, just saying, a huge part of my influence to be a writer. I think i will call myself KE Bergene when i publish. We were walked into the "center" of Oxford. I do not know if it was really the center, because the place was so big, but it seemed to be a fairly middle location. We were given thirty minutes to do whatever we liked, toilets, coffee, shopping, ect. I ended up not moving when i was unable to make a decision as did a girl from some oriental country and realizing we were the only two left we went window shopping. I think her name was something like Am-knee (thats how it sounded), but i am horrible with names unless they are like Jack or Bob... you know, one syllable deals.

We found all of our, well my friends, who had sprinted off the to toilets in a panic and then wandered into the depths of Oxford. This place was beautiful. It can be dated back to the 8th century when it got its name. Are you ready for this? Are you ready to know what this great internationally famous Oxford, whom produced the most brilliant minds like JRR Tolkien, CS Lewis, Lewis Carroll, the guy who invented Penicillin, countless politicians, the men who settled: Pennsylvania, Delaware, Georgia and one other state, and has been the filming ground for HARRY POTTER. It was named do to the convenience of the low depths of the Thymes river so the OXEN could cross. Just saying, it kind of humbles the whole idea of Oxford for me. Good times.

The city is full of history and old buildings. It was in existence when the Romans came through and you can see their influence on the city. It was beautiful, look at my pictures and you will be able to see what i mean. It is really hard to select just a few to put on here, and i cannot wait to share all my pictures with those of you who cannot go on facebook and see them.

An important thing to note is that Oxford includes about 40 colleges. You would apply to the campus at Oxford while listing your top three choices of colleges that are in Oxford. There are about 18,000 students which attend this elaborate system. Each college works specifically in one topic area, for example you would apply to Oxford's college of _________ in English. Each department, has a few tutors who take on very few students. They do anywhere between 1 and 3 students in a tutor session. This is why during the mandatory interview process they are the ones asking questions. We went on a tour and the tour guide told us they ask questions such as "why do plants not wear hats" and the students have to rationalize it. She told us about one student who walked in and without looking up the interviewers told her to take a seat. There were three chairs in front of the desk; a milk stool, a normal chair, and a throne. The student had to explain why see took the seat she choose to the board. So, ladies and gentleman, if you want to go to Oxford you betting study your logic, rationalizing, public speaking and conversational skills. hahahahaha.

After the tour we had an hour and a half before our allotted time in the Christ Church campus, which was the only one open yesterday. It is matriculation day, which is when all the students dress in their black robe attire and meet the dean to be enrolled. They have to swear into the campus promising to do their work and be awesome students in latin. We decided it was time for lunch so, we walked all the way back to the Eagle and Child, but it was far too busy to sit nine of us. We walked across the street to the... Lamb and something, which was the other pub that JRR Tolkien went to, but that one was also busy. It was less busy, but still too busy to seat this. We walked back into the more central region of Oxford and found a very less busy pub and were able to sit down and eat. I had a chicken and mango... something (it was like mango jam) paini. It was absolutely delicious, I had the bartender pick it for me because i could not choose and he did an excellent job. I also got a pint, because i had not had one yet and i seemed to unknowingly owe lots of people back home a pint, so i debt has been paid, haha. Also, lets just say i felt it.

After lunch we wandered back to the Christ Church and got ready to go inside. It was so beautiful i cannot imagine going to class when surrounded by so much history. I would be so distracted on my way to class by looking at things. I was so distracted then, and i got left behind a few times, haha. The most important part of the tour, which i am surprised that no one really offical talked to us about was that their dining hall for the Christ Church campus is the one used as the great hall in HARRY POTTER. I walked in and was starstruck by a building. It was the great hall, it was... literally the great hall. The table for the professors was up at the other end and the lined up tables for the students was all around us. For a moment i just stood there, excited beyond belief and then i started taking pictures. Halfway around we ran into an official who began talking to us about Harry Potter. He did not say much i didn't know but he reaffirmed the fact that the cast had actually been there and this is where they had actually filmed the scenes. Also, he pointed up on the glass window where there is a little Alice and Wonderland character in the scene in tribute to Lewis Carols novel. And that was my afternoon in the land of Harry Potter.

One more note on the dining hall. If you go to it in the first session, it it casual, but if you go to the second round it is formal ware.

Also, outside of the dining hall is a large stretch of land which is used in the filming of The History Boys, if any of you know what that is all about.

On this little campus they also have a very beautiful church with descriptive windows and wood carvings.

After our tour of the Christ Church campus in Oxford's set of campus' we wandered about again. We ended up finding scarfs, and i bought one because our next step was ice cream and i did not want to get cold. It was a little chilly. The ice cream was great, and it hit the spot after that day.

That was my adventure to Oxford. On the bus ride home i made better friends with a girl name Ruthie and then i came home and curled into bed and yeah. I made pasta later on... and an avocado (because i love them).

Miss you lots