After a successful trip by myself to the nearest Starbucks without getting horribly lost this morning, my parents and I got an Uber car and drove out to Oxford for a two-day excursion. One of my friends studying abroad this year at Oxford insisted I see him while I was in England. The hour and fifteen-minute ride had a driver who was a bit on the crazy side and missed two of the exits which made the ride slightly longer than it had to be. At least I was able to get a nap in.
We skipped the original plan to take a train but after the long and slightly nauseating car ride, we will be taking a train back to London. Finding a place to eat that is gluten free friendly, dairy free friendly and understanding of the long list of food restrictions my mom has was not easy to do on the fly. One of the two restaurants they suggested we are already going to for dinner in a little bit.
After a late lunch at a café and after a cup of tea, because when in England, do as the British do, we ventured out in the rain to go explore Oxford. The most beautiful thing here has to be the architecture. The buildings are classic and elegant. They remind me of castles. Oxford gives off a city feel but once we entered into the Christ Church campus area, my friend acting as a tour guide, it became very quiet and the buildings became extravagant and on a larger scale. We have to delay the chance to see the Great Hall from the Harry Potter movies until tomorrow but just walking around was beautiful.
Once the rain cleared and the sun came out it became slightly warmer and the buildings had such a special light on them. Looking at the difference between Oxford to Brandeis and Oxford as a city to London has been a little bit of a culture shock. The division Oxford has between their campuses and schools is nothing like the huge integrative campus Brandeis has. It has been a very different experience walking around the Christ Church campus near our hotel, which in a weird way has made me appreciate Brandeis for everything it has. I still don’t think the architecture at Brandeis beats Oxford, and I don’t think I will find a school that beats these buildings here.
No Comments