two days ago sally and i went to st. mary's church - for 3 pounds, you can climb the 124 steps to the top of the tower (the oldest part of the church, and built in the 14th century, i think), with a great view of the city. as we got in line to pay to go up, we saw a teacher from the program we work on - her name is ruth, and she apparently is the church custodian-something-or-another - whatever it is, she helps run the church. she teaches music theory at our program, and is a professional organ player, too. she said "do you want to go up the tower for free?" of course we said yes, and we went around the line and up to the top of the tower, with her telling us all sorts of fun historical things about the church which we never would have known otherwise. she spent about 45 minutes with us and then took us out to the west gate of the church to tell us the c.s. lewis story before sending us on our way. so cool - and so sweet of her to do. I RANDOMLY SEE PEOPLE IN THIS TOWN WHO I KNOW. i feel like a local, even though i clearly am not.
some views from the top...
this is all souls college - beautiful.
this was one of those touristy things that i had put off doing (i am not a tourist - haven't i told you this? tourists take up the whole sidewalk with their massive tour groups, walk slowly, and talk loudly. i am a fast walker with places to go and people to see. don't lump me in with the tourists.), but am so glad i did.
the radcliffe camera - i have no idea what this building is or does (shameful tour guide, i am)...but it is pretty. so there.
i thought this was cool - a sundial of sorts on the side of a building in one of the colleges!
this is the high street - the main street that runs through oxford. in the middle background of the photo you can see a tall building with a dome on the top - that's the entrance to christ church college, and pembroke (where i'm living) is just beyond that. i like this picture because you can see the countryside of oxfordshire beyond the city limits.
this entertained me - an old drainage system that has been outfitted with a modern drain to run more effectively.
this was one of those touristy things that i had put off doing (i am not a tourist - haven't i told you this? tourists take up the whole sidewalk with their massive tour groups, walk slowly, and talk loudly. i am a fast walker with places to go and people to see. don't lump me in with the tourists.), but am so glad i did.
also housed in the church is a delicious little cafe and restaurant called the vault, where sally and i went for lunch today. all the food is organic, and i had a really good dish - lentils, goat cheese, and roasted red peppers baked together in a casserole dish, with roasted potatoes and salad on the side. if you haven't noticed already, i love goat cheese and roasted red peppers, and if you put the two of them together - HEAVEN. we sat outside, by the back entrance to the church. great food, and a great setting to eat it in.
1 comment:
Claire:
Fabulous pictures of Oxford. The city looks like it was built a thousand years ago and has not changed since then (except for adding tacky gutter downspouts). Is there any construction. In a US city, a panarama would show cranes, there would be detour signs everywhere, etc.
As to Ratcliffe Camera, I believe the term "camera" is Latin for "chambers" (as in: the Judge reviewed the documents in camera). Of course, I have no idea who Ratcliffe was.
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