Miniature Pub Crawl

Last Saturday afternoon, some of the girls and I decided to hit up a few pubs from the famous Oxford Pub Crawl map. The weekend before, a bunch of girls went on a real pub crawl, visiting twelve, so we just went to a couple of their favorites. We had planned to walk to four pubs but were satisfied after two and wanted to go to South Park, so I suppose it wasn't even really a pub crawl at all - oops! At the Cape of Good Hope, I tried a half pint of Pride of Oxford, a golden ale, and at Angel and Greyhound I had Thatcher's Gold, a light ale. Both were good but I preferred the latter. The girls tried a variety of Pimm's and cider.

After our pub stops, we walked on to South Park, a large, open park filled with the greenest grass and boasting awesome views of Oxford. I plopped right down on the ground, trying to soak in the wonderful Saturday before I faced my long list of papers to write.

An Oxford Saturday with Em

Today is our last day in Oxford and there is still so much I want to see and do, and I'm okay with that because it just means I have to come back someday. But Emily and I both wanted to make sure we checked off at least a few things from our "Oxford Bucket List," so last Saturday we spent the morning visiting the Natural History Museum and gawking at dinosaur remains, strolling streets we hadn't yet walked, snapping tons of pictures, eating ice cream for brunch, and going up that amazing tower of St. Mary. It was the loveliest.

campus gate

bridge of sighs

white chocolate magnum bar, big yums

pristine campus grounds 

oxford natural history museum

wowzers

dodo bird

em loves dinos

i enjoyed the building itself more than its contents

evolution

rhodes scholars

spot the college seals?

grandure

climbing ivy

afternoon date

Farewell High Table

Well, last night was the last high table and it was sad. I mean, it was fantastically fun, but sad because it meant that our time here at Oxford is over. I was finally on high table this week, sitting between Steve (the professor who guides us around the continent) and Stevens, across from my Greek Literature professor and my Roman History professor, and near a few friends. I know it's egotistical, but I swear they designed the menu for me: goat cheese salad + lamb and fine beans + chocolate soufflé. That's right, the Lincoln chef and his incredible crew managed to prepare about seventy splendid soufflés. It was really fun being up there at "the special table," eating our dinner slowly and sipping on our wine with care, making room for conversation to flow. A professor from the Western track gave a side-splitting speech about taking in all the [often strange] smells and sounds and sights we are about to encounter - I sure plan to! 

Life is pretty stellar.

I regret it now, but I didn't take any pictures while on high table...I was scared of being uncouth!

But, here are some shots from last week's high table: 

trying to be the spice girls

A Bird's-Eye View

Emily and I went up the tower of the University Church of St. Mary. Being at the very center of the city and 127 steps up, the tower is the ideal spot for seeing all of Oxford and even the surrounding countryside. It was breathtaking up there.

Pub Perfection: The Trout Inn

Last week, Stephens led a handful of us Easterners on a "little" trek to the well-known Trout Inn north of Oxford. It took just over an hour on foot to get to the historic, 17th-century pub and the walk was so pleasant, as was the company of friends. After getting through the quaint, city streets, we followed Stephens up a bridge, through a park of wide, open spaces, along the River Thames where we spotted fishermen and docked boats, and through meadows filled with cows (close enough to touch!). I am sure this walk was thoroughly "English countryside," but I sure felt like I was back home. 

The pub was so, so stellar. It was cozy and bright inside, but the outside was the real stunner. We relaxed at picnic tables on the back patio, right next to the flowing water of the river. There were two pretty, stone bridges in sight and ducks to observe. It was neither chilly nor warm, really, but just perfect. Seriously, I'd say it is the most ideal spot for a pub. Stephens bought us a round of Pimm's and crisps and we just let ourselves unwind (as if we haven't done that at all this trip). Trout's Pimm's was quite different than the Pimm's cocktail I've tried at Freud: less mint, more lemonade. But it still had cucumber + strawberry + orange slices, yum! Per usual, the conversation and atmosphere were delightful and my only motivation to leave the Trout Inn was the promise of another delicious dinner back at Lincoln.