True to my flâneur nature, I decided to wander a bit within England. And my footsteps – or should I say a 3-hour bus ride – led me to Oxford.
The “oh, the sun is finally out excited” look.
Christ Church College. #1 of the 38 colleges in Oxford (tour guide lady made us repeat it until we had learned it by heart). In Oxford, unlike the rest of world, the word college stands for a residence hall or – in US English – a dorm, not for an educational institution.
A first glimpse of Radcliffe Camera.
Hertford Bridge, which joins two parts of Hertford College over New College Lane, is often referred to as the Bridge of Sighs because of its supposed similarity to the famous Bridge of Sighs in Venice. Another Bridge of Sighs (what is about bridges and sighing?) that I had the chance to walk though and photograph about two years ago is the one in Cambridge.
Fun Fact: According to our lovely tour guide lady Cambridge locals/ students/ academics call Oxford “the other place.” Oxford locals/ students/ academics call Cambridge “the other place.”
If you find yourself in Oxford, do yourself a favor and visit the beautiful Covered Market, which is located right in the heart of the city. The Covered Market was officially opened in 1774 in an attempt to keep untidy, messy and unsavoury butcher stalls from the main streets of central Oxford. Nowadays it is home to numerous traders including everything from butchers and greengrocers to gift shops, bakeries and cafes.
The Cake Shop: Where Magic Meets Sugar.
Here’s a bubble tea shop covered in post-it notes of gratitude.
Take this one for example.
We decided to spend the last hour of our trip strolling along Thames. Okay, we were initially looking for the Botanic Garden, but we got a bit lost along the way. The view was very rewarding, nevertheless.
It reminded me a bit of Queich, the tributary river of Upper Rhine that flows next to Germersheim, which made me realise that I’ve missed it a little.
Dear Lykke Li,
I followed rivers as you suggested (Thames to be exact) and it brought me to Oxford, where I had a blast. Still prefer Cambridge to Oxford, though. Considering that so many places in Oxford where used as setting for the Harry Potter movies, what does this preference suggest? Do I still deserve to be considered a loyal HP fan, or not?
Sincerely,
F.
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