Around the Cathedral

  With an hour to spare, Natalie and I decided to mosey around Christ Church Cathedral. Originally a housing a priory in 1522, we were so blown away by the absolute beauty of it that I took a lot of pictures and have attached them to their specific places in the Cathedral map. The pictures don't do it justice but I hope you enjoy!

This is the first area we went, immediately to the left.

Next we went to the "Latin Chapel" which was dedicated to the patron saint of Oxford.

These two chapels were separated by several tombs and a very unique sort of "watch tower" from which someone might keep watch of the relics of Oxford's patron saint.

This area is not officially named, but it was so pretty...I wanted to have this little section pictured.

 From the side chapels, you could enter the chancel by this gate.

The altar of this beautiful place of worship!

 Below is the back of the Cathedral viewed from the altar.

  To the right of the chancel stood the chapel of remembrance.

And these were the side doors we exited from.                        AH! It was so beautiful! I keep using that word over and over, but it was such an exciting exploration! Now I'll go back to sipping my hot tea...

Streets and Scandal

   At the beginning of our second week, I paused to take a look at how our time in Oxford has been. I know, they speak the same language we do. We are college students and we are at a university. How different can it be?

   Well, let me tell you. It is a different culture. And though I personally love it, today…we have been most definitely shocked.

Perhaps a surprising (a.k.a risqué) picture in the Sun which I was reading in a pub in Stratford should’ve been a clue. I brushed it off as a one-time occurrence…but now I’m second-guessing myself.

    Reading in a bookstore this afternoon, my eye caught sight of the Oxford student newspaper. I won’t go into detail, but the contents were shocking to say the least. Pictures, of course, accompanied. I actually don’t feel comfortable even repeating any of the article titles; it went a little farther than I can handle. Okay, more than a little. Obviously censorship is not quite the same in the UK. But hey, after reading it, we all had a great laugh!

   At don’t even get me started about the roads and traffic here. Our tour guide at the beginning of our time here told us, “Yeah, we get a lot of tourists that die crossing the streets.” We kinda laughed it off then, but been careful despite the fact that the British jaywalk as a hobby. Streets are almost made more for sidewalk overflow than vehicular traffic. And bicyclists? Extremely intrepid. Nevertheless, Natalie and I are actually considering joining their ranks. So watch out, Oxford.

   Despite the crazy news topics and traffic and strange pub names (perhaps that could be a blog post in and of itself?), I really do love this place. Really love it. The differences are fun to discover. Oxford is wonderful and I am enjoying this experience so much. Even the leave-nothing-unsaid newspapers. I’ll never forget that afternoon at the bookstore.

Shakespeare and Stratford

This past Thursday our group went to Stratford to spend the day and watch a Shakespearean play. It was As You Like It, performed by the Royal Shakespearean Theatre. Below is a preview of one of the songs that is sung during the play.


They were absolutely magnificent! I got chills...the performance will (hopefully) live forever in my memory as one of the best plays I have ever experienced.

 

We actually had wonderful seats. The entire trip was a bit cold and rainy...we spent most of the time dodging bad weather...but it culminated in the most delightful time at the theater! 

 So here we are. Oxford. England. The United Kingdom. From the very beginning- our arrival on the tarmac at Heathrow- London did not disappoint. The foggy, overcast, grey-looking city was sunshine to my soul; for it was exactly as I always supposed London to be. Of course, the sky cleared a little by the time we left the airport on a bus a few hours later, but I will never forget the exultation of the sight of London precisely as she has usually been portrayed to me.
 Oxford was a bit different. I hardly knew what to expect. Tired from the all-night flight, I dozed off and on to the sight of green meadows and quaint far-off houses nestled in between. I roused myself as we began drawing closer and closer to Oxford, in eager anticipation of the inspiring architecture and lavishly displayed history. Ready to be charmed, even the first section of older town pleased me. But as we drew nearer the city center, the grandeur and splendor of the true Oxford everyone pictures when they think of the town came into sight. I became overwhelmed with the beauty, the history, the spirit of it.

  I have not rambled through the city with my friends as much as we hope soon to do, for a walking-tour is set for tomorrow with a large group of other summer study students; but I have been greatly impressed this first day with Oxford. It has certainly not fallen short. Every little side street or narrow alley-way seems to lead to unfathomable treasures of varying kinds, and it will be my joy and delight to explore this unique and amazing city for the six weeks I am studying here.

  However, as I thought through these things, a challenge was whispered: Do I, as a Christian, endeavor to seek out a better knowledge of my Lord? I certainly intend to devote boundless energy exploring the treasures of Oxford. Can the same be said about my attitude toward my relationship with Him? If the glories of Oxford only become more breathtaking the closer one travels to the city center, then how much more so will the surpassing glory of God be the closer the intimacy is?

London Bound in the morning!

I cant believe that this time tomorrow I will be over the Atlantic and well on my way to the UK! It won't feel completely real until I set foot in London, but printing off my boarding pass made me realize even more- I am actually going to be in Oxford for six amazing weeks this summer! Please keep us in your prayers as my friends and I fly out tomorrow.

      This begins my blog of my time in "that sweet city with her dreaming spires" as Oxford was referred by poet Matthew Arnold.

       I will be studying C.S. Lewis at Oxford, who spoke of his first visit to the city in Surprised By Joy, 
       “My first taste of Oxford was comical enough. I had made no arrangements about quarters and, having no more luggage than I could carry in my hand, I sallied out of the railway station on foot to find either a lodging-house or a cheap hotel; all agog for “dreaming spires” and “last enchantments.” My first disappointment at what I saw could be dealt with. Towns always show their worst face to the railway. But as I walked on and on I became more bewildered. Could this succession of mean shops really be Oxford? But I still went on, always expecting the next turn to reveal the beauties, and reflecting that it was a much larger town than I had been led to suppose.

Only when it became obvious that there was very little town left ahead of me, that I was in fact getting to open country, did I turn round and look. There behind me, far away, never more beautiful since, was the fabled cluster of spires and towers. I had come out of the station on the wrong side and been all this time walking into what was even then the mean and sprawling suburb of Botley. I did not see to what extent this little adventure was an allegory of my whole life."

        I am so excited about this amazing opportunity! More pictures and stories to come...thanks for reading!