Oxford

Oxford is amazing. I left pretty early in the morning from Paddington station and took an hour long train ride to Oxford. It was the best city to just walk around in. Everything there seems so old and full of history. Of course the main motivation for voyaging to Oxford was to see all the CS Lewis related sights. I first went thought the typical Oxford sights like the Oxford castle, which had an amazing photography display around it called 'Earth from the Sky' or something like that. Which obviously was a series of photograhs taken from a plane looking down on the Earth. I also went around to all the different churches and colleges at Oxford. The one that stood out the most was Christs Church College. The architecture was awe inspiring, and had a similar style to St. Pauls in London. I also went around to the various shops and things in Oxford, which are plenty.

I knew that I liked CS Lewis and respected his work and everything he has done, but I didnt realize how emotional I would get when I was basically walking in his footsteps. My first stop was Magdalen College, where Lewis taught for 30 years. I got to see the building he had his office in and once again it was a very pretty building with a lot of history. The cool thing about all the Oxford colleges is that they all remind me of castles. They are walled in and have giant domes and spires. What made Magdalen even more amazing is the ridiculous amount of open space on the campus. There are fields and gardens for miles. There is a stream running through the college and walking paths everywhere. It almost feels like a nature reserve. The college also has a herd of deer that are contained within the walls of the college. Pretty amazing. I ended up staying on this campus for about 4 hours I believe. I was able to go up into their library and look around and do some reading. I couldnt help but think that Lewis had probably sat in the same spot that I was in while reading something of his own at one point. I got to go into the chapel and listen to the award winning choir and listen to a brief sermon. Also had a lot of time to try and keep up with Flood by finishing Acts.

When I left the college I headed to a small cafe full of local people. I got myself a pot of tea and the most amazing scones Ive ever had. Yes.. I did add cream to my tea, and it was quite good. After that I got to head down to the pub that CS Lewis and JRR Tolkein used to meet at and discuss their latest stories. Its called the Eagle and the Child. It was pretty empty but they had all kinds of Lewis collectables on the walls. The only thing I regret is not being able to make it to Headington which is where Lewis lived and is buried.

The best thing about Oxford I think was that it was a clean little town. Its full of young people and students, and you really get the idea that it is a great place for learning. If you walk along many of the paths and through the fields and parks it just feels like a sanctuary for learning and studying.. nothing like San Diego haha. I wonder what it takes to get into Oxford...

Overall this was the best day of the trip so far, I wish I had more time to get into a lot of the details but alas computer time is limited in this hostel. Im pretty sure it was my ideal day, lots of nostalgia, walking around, reading, and cafe's.