Today Kristen and I strolled half an hour from our Airbnb over to a coffee house near the nearby train station. We began the day by – similar to yesterday – sipping, murmuring to each other our excitements for the day, and reading.
My journal entry:
“What a legendary day yesterday was! And how legendary today will be if everything works out okay. Oxford is the heaven on earth of thinker-intellectuals, and we’re being seen through the crimson-colored gates. We’re sitting in ‘Caffe Nero’ right now before heading for the train station. The suburbs on the outskirts of London has a slowness of pace I compared to Portland, OR. Like a different dimension… Off to Oxford it is! Glory to thee, our God, glory to thee.”
After we ate a delicious English breakfast, we took the train system out to the bustling town of Oxford: a trip which took roughly three hours in total. Along the way, we realized (after a series of trial and error) that we had mastered the art of the city train, and felt proud of ourselves. When we arrived at Oxford, we took a cursory stroll through the town and hit a few photo ops like the Eagle and Child, the pub where the Inklings (the Oxford literary group founded by C.S. Lewis and J.R.R. Tolkien) was first formed.
A few weeks ago, when we decided to spend half our allotted time in England at Oxford, we decided we would spice up our Oxford visit with a Harry Potter tour of the University. Well we did that today, and it was fantastic! Our guide, clad from head-to-toe in Gryffindor gear, took us all across the University campus while spouting off various Harry Potter film facts to the collective group’s awe. At the beginning of the tour, the guide assigned different families and couples to different Hogwarts houses based on their individual preferences, and proceeded throughout the tour to quiz the group on Harry Potter trivia. Hufflepuff not having a ready representative when it came time to choose the houses, Kristen and I decided to sign up and our guide knighted Kristen with a bright yellow Hufflepuff scarf. Though we came in last place (it was only Kristen and I on the team), we put up a good fight and Kristen knew almost every trivia question posed since she just finished the Harry Potter books just a few days ago. It was an epic time!
After our tour, we splurged at the University book shops – one of which, Blackwells, had a humungous selection with both Church History and Systematic Theology shelves, to my glee – and headed for the complex interplay of train rides back home. Tonight, we prepare for our flight to Santorini Greece in the morning, where the cultural and physical atmosphere will take a decidedly happy upturn!
–
–
In front of the legendary Eagle and Child pub. What the heck yo!
–
–
Inside Oxford’s first hall dedicated to the formal study of Theology. I felt seen.
–
–
The Chapel of St. Mary the Virgin on the University campus. C.S. Lewis frequently attended and preached at St. Mary’s when a student and later a professor.
–
–
The lower floor of Blackwells. In the lower half of this floor, right where I am pointing the camera, is the Theology/Systematics section where I spent most of my time while Kristen perused the rest of the store. You know I had to do it!
Off to bed.
Alex Renner's Blog 