Oxford

Last Saturday Lisa and I headed to Oxford for the day. Oxford is only an hour and a half away from London by train. We planned out our day so we could see all the things we wanted to see. First stop was the Bodleian Library. Three fun facts about this library; 1. It is one of the oldest libraries in Europe opening in 1602. 2. It is the second biggest library in Britain (after the British Library in London) with a collection of over 12 million items 3. The divinity school was used for several scenes in the harry potter films! Because this library is actively in use you can't just walk around. There are several different tour options, but for £1 you can see the divinity school unguided. 

Just outside the Bodleian Library is the Radcliffe Camera, which is not in any way a camera. This building houses a science library. The architect built many buildings, including St. Martin-in-the-fields, the parish church of the Royal family in London. 

The Bridge of Sighs. Quite a fancy bridge. 

What a great face. 

He is unimpressed. 

We then stopped by the History of Science museum. This small museum is full of fun scientific history. 

Some of the medical history items made me grateful for modern medicine. This is an example of 'fever powder'. It was responsible for the death of several people and did not provide any positive benefits. 

This blackboard was kept after Einstein visited Oxford to give a lecture on the theory of relativity. How cool is that! 

By this time we were hungry, so we headed to the oldest pub in Oxford, built 1607, for some lunch.

Our last stop in Oxford was Christ Church College. This college was founded in 1532 by King Henry VIII. 

The dining hall of Christ Church was magnificent. It is what the great hall in Harry Potter was based on, and includes two working fireplaces. This is a working dining hall and students of the college eat their meals here.  

Fire!

I can only assume this is where they make the butter. 

These are the stairs leading to the great hall, and are quite grand. 

The quad of the college was also quite pretty. 

And that was our day trip to Oxford. A charming and very old college town full of history and beauty.