Day 7
Cotswolds
Today was the day we were to leave London for “Oxbridge” (as Oxford and Cambridge are collectively known). I was tired of the hostel breakfast, so I went to Starbucks to buy Tom a mug ornament for his collection. I ate a mini loaf inspired by banoffee pie, a British dessert with caramel and bananas.
On the way to Oxford, we passed the gates to Blenheim Palace. We stopped at Jeremy Clarkson’s Diddly Squat Farm Shop. I had watched a couple of episodes of the show, so I got some souvenir socks featuring his ridiculous tractor. Our guide taught us about the dry-stone walls, of which we later saw several examples.
We had lunch in a Cotswolds village, Bourton-on-the-Water. It was unbelievably picturesque. It felt a little like town from the movie Hot Fuzz, they even have a model village. I ate a vegetable pasty with “cloudy” lemonade (which was more like American lemonade than others I tried so far on this trip).
Walking Tour of Oxford
Once arriving in Oxford, we got a guided tour of Oxford, especially Balliol College. The dining hall wasn’t the one used to film Harry Potter, but it definitely had the same feel. There was something special about being in Oxford, where so many writers I admire studied. We also saw the courtyard of Bodleian Library.
Pub Meet-Up with Oxford Students
We met some Oxford grad students at The Bear Inn. It was great to chat with them about their experiences and research. I had a Fuller’s Black Cab stout with halloumi fries. Not the healthiest of dinners, but it was delicious.
Key Moment of the Day: An impromptu organ concert in the chapel at Balliol College.
Day 8
Beren & Luthien
I’m not usually one for visiting cemeteries, but it was a lovely morning and a pleasant walk over to Wolvercote Cemetery. That is where J.R.R. Tolkien and his wife are buried under the names Beren and Luthien, the star-crossed lovers in his elven lore.
I am not sure why there were fruits and vegetable laid and planted on the grave. Seems like Merry and Pippin would approve.
History of Science Museum
Our activity for the day was the History of Science museum. We each played tour guide and presented information about an item in the museum or, in my case, the museum itself. This museum was small, but it has a lot of cool things, such as a large collection of portable diptych sundials. They also have a blackboard with some equations written by Albert Einstein, although there is an error on the board.
Key Moment of the Day: If Einstein can make mistakes, I can stand to be a little less stressed about getting perfect grades.