Well, I was GOING to post these individually with their pictures but then my computer froze up on me and that plan was kiboshed. Is kiboshed a verbed? Well, I just made it one.
So, on Saturday, we got up at what we thought was a good time to get us to Paddington but the train was delayed and I was starting to get antsy. I raced to grab the tickets and we made it with a few minutes to spare but i was still freaking out a bit. But it didn't matter because we were IN OXFORD! Oh Ox, I've missed you! We started out with a morning at the Ashmoleon. Niki would be back there later to work but wanted to see the exhibit so we got some coffee on Broad Street, sat in front of the Sheldonian to eat our pastries and then headed back to the Ash. Niki spent her time at the ancient section and I went upstairs to see the paintings and then did a sweep of everywhere else. I hadn't been to the Ash in awhile so it was great to see some of those old artifacts and refresh my memory.
From there, we went to the Eagle and Child and to the Oxfam bookstore, and then decided to walk down to Magdalene. On our way, we stopped at the Museum. Oh, the sadness. It's been reduced to two rooms inside the Town Hall- and not even good rooms. I was able to peep into the old Museum and everything's still there. Such a travesty that the Council doesn't want to spend the money. I love that museum so much.
We walked down the high, stopping in some antique stores and the Ballroom, along with a few more bookstores, before coming back up the other side and going into St. Mary's before lunch at the Covered Market. Lunch and Ben's Cookies, of course! Next, we were off to the Pitt Rivers but kind of took the long way- on te plus side, it took us through the beautiful University Parks, which were just stunning on such a sunny day. I always love Uncle Pitt's House of Weird and I think Niki enjoyed it as well.
We met up with Marsaili and Leo outside Costa and after I ordered my coffee, I asked for some ice water for Niki. THe lady had no idea what I was asking. She gave me a soup mug (it was a soup mug because it had two handles) with some ice and maybe an inch of water. I asked for some more and got more confused looks. So bizarre. Later, at Nando's, this girl slammed a Peri-Peri bottle (or jsut placed down SOOOOO forcefully....) onto the table and it broke all over the place. So awkward. What was it about weird experiences that evening? It was so wonderful to see Mars and Leo though and just talk about everything underneath the sun, even on our train ride back out to London.
The next morning, we were back up on teh early side again to take the train out to Whistable. It was another sunny, gorgeous day and so perfect for the beach. We went to the castle first, which was tiny (not as tiny as Yarmouth- lame castle that it is....) but really pretty made of brick, which is unusual. It reminded me of Kilkenny Castle, one that was clearly built for pleasure instead of protection. There was an antiques show going on inside and outside the castle so while the grounds were beautiful, it was hard to see what the rooms were all about and what they were used for. Next time. The grounds were gorgeous, though.
We made out way back down to the beach and just slowly walked up and down the sea-path and the beach. There were definitely some quirky parts and there was that lingering fishy smell that was actually quite nice, not too overwhelming. There were a few more markets and we picked up some cherries and strawberries and sat on the beach snacking. For lunch, we obviously picked up some fish 'n chips adn wandered around to the town center and through the residential areas. Whitstable is such a beautiful little town and I loved lying on the beach reading for a bit. It's definitely going to come highly recommended- although I'm sure a lot of it had to do with how great the beautiful weather was.
MOnday was a Bank Holiday so we took it a little easy. It was another spectacular morning and because I wanted to investigate where the supermarkets were, I went out on a run around Hendon Park. After picking up some groceries at Tescos, Niki and I walked down to the train station in Hendon Central and rode the short trip up to St. Albans, known for its Roman ruins and for its Abbey. After getting a bit turned around, we walked up to City Center and went first to the St. Alban's museum. It was really well done, going through the history of the city from it's Roman beginnings to its transition to Medieval pilgrim town to when Henry VIII dissolved all the monastaries. It was fasciating to read about its relatioship with London- how it was a small haven just north of the big city where people could live simply but go down to the bustling city whenever they wanted.
We popped into St. Peter's, right next to the museum, which was a great, but simple church. We walked along the High Street, popping into different stores, (Niki bought a few pairs of comfy shoes), before walking down to the Abbey. The Abbey was fascinating,. First of all, it just kept going and going and going. There were also some modern art installations inside which was a little off-putting but not too jarring (it reminded me a bit of Liverpool Cathedral). Also, it wasn't made of stone like most cathedrals are but instead made of bricks. It took a long time to figure out why it looked so different but I finally figured it out. It was very unique though and I liked it.
Intent on seeing some of the Roman stuff, we went down to the large park and just walked around enjoying the weather and then sitting on the bank of the river to read and nap a bit. The best thing I saw that afternoon was a father and his two kids starting to play frisbee. "Hugo, be careful to not aim it towards the water!" Dad said. Hugo's first throw sent the frisbee straight into the water. Oh Hugo. Well done. We walked back past the Roman wall on our way back to the train station. It definitely reminded me of parts of Winchester and Salisbury. And the park was so much like Hyde Park.
Tuesday and Wednesday, I've been holed up in the British Library but more on that later...
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