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Raya and Kate, two of my fellow students as well as my new flatmates, arrived from Chicago this afternoon. They seemed in higher spirits than I was when I first got here and I think there is probably something to be said for traveling with a friend. I had some time to kill before they got in from Heathrow, so I spent I little bit of time exploring the central High Street, which is one of the more bustling commercial quarters of Oxford.
First, I paid a visit to The Oxford University Press Bookshop. A few people know me well enough to understand that this was a semi-religious experience for me.
Mecca:
This shop stocks the full catalog of the Press's books in print. Amazing. The following is a sight so wonderful, that in my drab days shelving the literature section as book clerk at Borders, I only dared to imagine something like it in moments of wildest fancy. Behold: a comprehensive and exclusive collection of the Oxford World Classics, perfectly alphabetized. Rapture.
The only thing that was a bit depressing about all this was the prices. Most things here are more expensive than in the States, given the abysmal exchange rate. Books, however, at least at the Press's shop, are more that twice their price at home. I'll need to start buying books for my courses beginning next week, and I'm starting to think it might still be cheaper to have them sent from home. Ugh.
Anyway, all that book browsing made me hungry. Back on the High Street, the place is strewn with tons of neat little cafes, bakeries, soup shops and coffee houses. Oxford, I discovered in my reading this morning (A Traveller's History of Oxford, Tames 2003, mildly sardonic, informative, and not at all a tourist guide--I recommend it), was home to the first coffee house in all England back in 1650. In 1654, the second English coffee serving establishment was opened, also in Oxford, and it remains in operation today. The Queens Lane Coffee House, as it's known, is also where I happened to stop for a snack. I didn't know its story at the time, and while I'd like to think it was my keen eye for historical detail that drew me inside, I have to admit that it was really the giant cookies in the window.
You may note that they added cream to my coffee. I always take it black, however, I have a bad habit, born of a desire to seem obliging and not an American jackass, of simply saying "Yes" when the British ask me questions using words or idioms I'm not immediately familiar with. Admittedly, this is a bad strategy, especially given the fact that often, judging by the looks I get, the questions put to me often don't warrant a "yes" or "no" response. So when the barista (do they call them that here?) asked me if I wanted my coffee white, this brainiac said, of course, "Yes." How hard is it to figure out that "white coffee" means "with milk?" Way to blow it, Iverson. I also inadvertently bought a 7 pound car charger for my new cell phone in a similar fashion, which should work well given that I don't think I'll be in a car once in the next 12 months. Who's a jackass now?
After Kate and Raya decompressed from their flight a little, we went out to a pub in St. Giles street called the Eagle and Child.
The food was really good, not at all the pale, bland fare I was prepared for. I had a brie and cherry tomato (toMAHto, as they say) tart on a bed of fresh spinach and cucumber salad and a pint of local bitters. Easily the best meal I've had since I've been here. I wanted to take a picture because it looked quite nice, too, but I thought maybe Raya and Kate were to tired to be quite up to my camera shenanigans.
Also, the Eagle and Child turns out to have been the favorite drinking spot for J.R.R. Tolkien, C. S. Lewis, and the other Inklings. I can report on no hobbits or suspect wardrobes. Sorry.
I actually managed to get up at 9am, had a quick shower and breakfast at the flat (raspberry yogurt and a banana) then I headed out. I planned a route that took me from my place, which is on the western outskirts of the city, in an eastern direction around the southern ring road of the city. That part of the city is a lot of new construction, mostly flats, an Ice skating rink, and a gas station. My general plan was to head north into the center of the city where a lot of the University's colleges are. I really wanted to see Christ Church, which is one of the larger and more ancient colleges, but since it is also a functioning Cathedral and the seat of the Oxfordshire diocese, it is open to the general public, unlike most of the other colleges. (If I feel up to it, I'll try to explain how the collegiate system here works-- I'm still pretty befuddled by it. Suffice it to say that the University is made up of many independent colleges, membership of which is usually required to enter the inner sanctum of their grounds. Most of the college are cloistered by old mossy stone walls topped with iron fences that make them seem really mysterious and romantic). Like this:
Anyway, here is a picture of Christ Church's central spire as seen from the High Street.
[By the way, I recommend that you click on this and the following pictures. They are big files and you can see alot more detail at their full size]The College is bounded on the east by a meadow that supposedly is used by English long horned cattle. I didn't see any The cool thing about Oxford is that it is bordered by two rivers that are prone to sever flooding (I guess that doesn't sound that cool). But it means that it makes it unfeasible for the city to expanded into the flood plains so surrounding area maintains a really rural quality. Here's the Christ Church Meadow.
It smelled really good. Now I get what Turner and Consatble were up to.
Here are some views of the east side of Christ Church opposite the Meadow.
I should mention that much of the Harry Potter movies were filmed inside Christ Church, giving it a kind of tourist celebrity (notoriety maybe a more apt word.) So when I was waiting in line for entrance and an American family in front of me asked the admissions clerk if this beautiful center of learning and religious devotion commissioned by Henry VIII "is Hogwarts, right?" I got too embarrassed for/by my fellow countrymen to go up and ask for admission in my nasaly Chicago accent. In short, I didn't go in. And I really wanted to see those floating candles. Oh, well. 
I left Christ Church and started wandering (North, I think). I came to the Oxford Botanic Gardens. They happen to be my favorite place in Oxford so far. Here's the entrance.
And the hero of our narrative on the inside. 
Bridge and boats!
Apparently, anything will grow in England; and it will grow better than anywhere else. Oxford is tiny. The whole place is probably the same size as my neighborhood in Chicago, Ravenswood. But the place is so dense and complex, and its streets are so crowded that it can feel as stressful to walk on the High Street as it can to walk down any street in the Loop at 5pm. But the gardens are the most serene place I've ever been. All you hear are the birds and the church bells and all the old flagstones have this really good wet and gritty feel under your feet. Everything was so still and I could have believed I was the only person there (I'm not sure that wasn't the case).
Before I left the house I made a hummus and cheese sandwich. I ate it at a bench with this view.
Another of Oxford's many canals runs through the Garden.
How do you like them apples? Seriously, do you like it? I imagine they frown on picking them--I restrained my self.
English bees are cute.
A lot of the buildings in Oxford have this weird brain-looking facade. I wonder what it's supposed to be. Coral? They're not so brainy here that they actually put brains on their buildings, right?
More plants.
Okay, I'm sick of sitting in front of the computer. It's about 7:30. I'm gonna try to find a pub.
Lots...
I took my camera with me when I headed out to buy food this afternoon, but I didn't realize that I left the memory card in my lap top. I got 2 pictures before the camera filled up and I was too lazy to walk back to the flat to get the card. The result is that the only pictures I have to put up today are from my immediate neighborhood and are a bit dull. Oh, well.
This is an exterior photo of where I'm staying. Mine is the second-floor balcony on the right. Nothing too fancy. 
This next one was taken down the street in my neighborhood.
Pretty English, I guess. This is Criple Road. It leads right to a foot bridge over the Thames. Also, In this part of town, when the wind blows from the west it brings in the smell of leaves burning in the heaths just out side of town. It's nice.I'll have more (exciting) photos Thursday after I've done some more exploring. I've been tasked by other incoming student's with finding a good pub before they get here on Friday.
I arrived safely in in Oxford Monday afternoon after almost 10 hours on a plane from Chicago and another 3 hours wandering Heathrow and riding a bus out from London to Oxfordshire. I've got no pictures from the journey-- sorry. I was just a little too overwhelmed to be a very good tourist.
Things were a bit harrowing for a while. I couldn't find an ATM at the airport that would take my debit card, so I couldn't buy my bus ticket. I had to lug 100 pounds of luggage around for what seemed like miles before I could get some cash. Then when I got to Oxford I couldn't get on the internet or make any phone calls when all I wanted was to hear a familiar voice. Glad I got most of that stuff sorted yesterday. I still have some pretty bad jetlag. I've slept until almost 1pm both days I've been here so far. Also, when I left Chicago it was a warm 90 degrees, but the average here in my part of the UK has been about 55. It's a bit of a tough transition and I can't wait until I'm adjusted and can feel like a human being again.
I've got my self set up in my flat. Its just outside of central Oxford, separated from the city center by one of Oxford's many canals. The flat is small and I'll be sharing it with three other Shimer students. I'm the first to arrive in the entire building, so the place feels a little lonely right now; I'm looking forward to company. I think some people ought to be getting here Friday afternoon. Near as I can tell, most of the people living in my complex are either from the US or Canada-- our own little North American ghetto. Here are some pictures.
Today I need to go out and find a cheap grocery and get my kitchen in order. I've been living off falafel and hummus sandwiches from a kebab shop down my street, and while it's been delicious its also expensive. I've got to start cooking at home. It looks like my kitchen is pretty well stocked with pots and pans and such so I should be okay to cook.
All this is kinda dull, I know. Tomorrow I'm going to force myself to get up at a reasonable hour, have a traditional English breakfast at this little tea shop I keep passing, wander around with the camera, and maybe stop in at the Ashmolean museum.
The food was really good, not at all the pale, bland fare I was prepared for. I had a brie and cherry tomato (toMAHto, as they say) tart on a bed of fresh spinach and cucumber salad and a pint of local bitters. Easily the best meal I've had since I've been here. I wanted to take a picture because it looked quite nice, too, but I thought maybe Raya and Kate were to tired to be quite up to my camera shenanigans.
