Hello collegiettes™!
It’s been a pretty quiet week over here in Oxford. No worries though, I’ve been kept busy with planning weekend trips and spring break (we get two weeks), which has been exhausting enough. The weekend kicked off with a group of six or seven of us going out to The Mad Hatter. The Mad Hatter is a cocktail bar, completely Alice In Wonderland themed. For those who don’t know, Alice in Wonderland was written by an Oxford Uni professor and based in Oxford, so the city is quite proud of their claim to fame.
As they should be, because this has been one of the most eclectic and funky places I’ve been to. In order to enter the bar, you had to answer a riddle. Ours was “What goes up when the rain comes down?” Would you be able to get in? If you did, all the drinks were served out of teapots, instead of pitchers, with tea cups. It was quite pricey and not worth the drinks, in my opinion, but a fun atmosphere for sure.
On Sunday, a friend and I went out to brunch to enjoy a traditional English breakfast. This includes: sausage, bacon, fried eggs, hash browns, baked beans, and tomato. Or the vegetarian version, which is what I got, substitutes the sausage for a veggie sausage and the bacon for a mushroom. The day continued with my friend and I climbing to the top of a church tower to take in all of Oxford. The views were spectacular. It was a rare sunny day in Oxford, so we jumped on the chance to take it all in.
On Monday, I continued my quest for the perfect cafe. I find that I study best at a tea room, coffee shop, or cafe so I’m looking for a nearby one in Oxford that isn’t too expensive. So far I have visited a purple tea and coffee shop that is two stories and has the option to buy suspended coffee, a coffee shop by day and bar by night with an outdoor garden, and a more traditional coffee shop. I love local places, so I’ve been trying to steer away from Starbucks and the UK equivalents. As of now, the purple suspended coffee shop is coming out on top, but I have three more on my list including a board game cafe, the first coffee house in the UK and a hidden coffee house in the Covered Market.
The week was taken up mostly with lectures, seminars, and studying. A highlight was being accepted (yes, you have to apply) to the Oxford Uni system. Do you know they have underground tunnels connecting the different buildings?! I felt very much like a spy nerd as I travelled underground from the main library to the Reading Room.
On Saturday, we had a bright and early morning as we travelled out to Stonehenge. I won’t say I was disappointed by Stonehenge, as I am so glad I went, but there is certainly a limited number of things to do there. Stonehenge is isolated and not nearby anything but fields with sheep. This was the reason we opted to take a group tour, as it would be extremely difficult to reach by public transit. The mystery of Stonehenge is the most intriguing part and I would recommend visiting Stonehenge, if ever in the area, to simply take in the awe inspiring and puzzling nature of it all.
Statue of the famous King Alfred the Great
Saturday’s tour also included a visit to Winchester. Winchester is an extremely old city that at one time served as the capital of England. Our tour guide told us a story of how before England was England, there were five provinces. Winchester was located in Wessex, but then the Vikings invaded the different provinces and took over the land. King Alfred of Wessex gathered all the forces and armies of the provinces and fought back against the Vikings to reclaim the land and establish England as we know it today. Winchester also includes Jane Austen history which I was excited about because she is my favorite author. Unfortunately, Winchester is where the famous author passed away and is buried.
Cathedral that is Jane Austen’s burial site. This cathedral is slowly sinking into the ground! Major repairs and works to rebuild the entire foundation were done 100 years ago, underwater, in order to prevent it from completely crumbling.
Next week will feature a friend’s birthday, an overnight in Cambridge – which will be my first hostel experience, and some sure to be interesting conferences with my quintessential British professors.
Cheers!
HCxo,
Heather
Photo Credits:
http://ichef.bbci.co.uk/food/ic/food_16x9_448/recipes/stressfreefullenglis_67721_16x9.jpg
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