Museums, Libraries, and Colleges, Oh My! (Part 2/3)

I started my day off with had tea (my first tea in England) and scones at The Rose, which was suggested by Dickinson's President, Nancy Roseman. 

Delicious! 

My mission for the day was to explore the inside of other colleges. Queens College was the first one I approached. Now I wasn't exactly sure what my status as a student at Oxford University allowed me to see at other colleges, so I put on my brave face and went up to the porter, but all that came out was... "I have a card," as I handed him my Uni ID... Awkwarrrddd... He jokingly mocked me a bit and said in his British accent "Oh you have a card now, do you?" and then smiled and let me in. 

Then I got really nervous, because I had NO clue where I could and could not go, and I may as well have had a sign on that said "I am not a student here and I don't know where I am going," and of course I had my camera glued to my hand which didn't help my case. But the college was gorgeous! The more and more of it I saw, the more and more courageous I got with trying to open doors I may or may not have been allowed in. 

I saw the dining hall...

I saw the secret passageways to tunnels underground where they store bikes...

I saw the JCR...

Obviously my favorite part of the JCR. Fun Fact:  Legend has it that hundreds and hundreds of years ago, a Queen's student was attacked by a wild boar.  He defended himself by jamming a copy of a big book by Aristotle into the boar's mouth, which allowed him to get away.  The college now has an annual feast and party to celebrate the value of his classical education.

 I saw a lecture room...

I saw through the little window into the college bar because the door was locked...

I saw the gardens...

I saw the creepy passageway to the laundry rooms...

I saw the gorgeous chapel...

And then I walked into a guy's bedroom... oops. He took it surprisingly well though! I also walked into an office with a receptionist staring me down (there are no windows on these doors! It's risky opening them!) I just said, "I'm new to the University this year and I'm just looking around. Do you know where the library is?" She thought I went to THAT college. But she was really nice and pointed out where the library was but there was construction (there is ALWAYS construction!) so I couldn't go in. 

When I say construction, I mean serious construction! 

So after that, I was feeling courageous and went to the next college porter I came across (All Souls College) and asked if I could look around... turns out there was a bunch of exams going on, so most of the colleges were closed to all visitors, even Uni students. Strike one...

At some point in the day, I had a Moo Moos milkshake in the covered Market. It seemed like the right thing to do because EVERYONE was carrying a cup from there and the line was so long, seemed worth trying. After it took me about 20 minutes to scan the flavors (SO MANY!) I decided on caramel shortbread. SO GOOD! A lot better than I expected from a place that served "Smoothies, milkshakes, and hot soup." What a combination...

Next I tried University College... the porter was SO nice! I told him I was from Mansfield and he was like, "Have a look around. Many doors you need access codes for, but just go as far as ya can. Make sure you check out the Percy Memorial!" Thanks sir, I think I will. I didn't walk in anyone's bedroom that time, but I was a bit more cautious with my door handling. 

Percy Bysshe Shelley Memorial

Percy Bysshe Shelley Memorial

Dinning Hall

Where the students live

Exeter was next. This one was open to the public, so I didn't even need to deal with porters. I was walking along and an American woman came up to me and asked if I was a student there. Me? No, but thank you for thinking so. We had a nice little chat. She and her husband were from New Jersey and arrived in England 10 days ago... been here longer than me! After that, I looked around a bit more, and ignored the signs that said no visitors past this point (I am still unclear as to whether a Uni student is a visitor by definition, so that was my excuse if I needed one). Then I came across the dining hall. There was a woman in there setting up places for the next meal. I just popped my head in to get a peak and she welcomed me in. Her name is Loulou and she was so incredibly sweet. She told me to stop by their college bar when it's open because she is the only one at the colleges who serves pizza (and at a reasonable price, which is a plus. Food is so expensive because Hall isn't open yet! I asked a British fresher where cheap places to eat are and he ironically said McDonald, Burger King, and KFC... I did not come all the way to the UK for bad american food!). Then LouLou asked if I'd seen the fellows garden and pointed me in the right direction and informed me where to find the best view of the Radcliffe Camera from the Exeter Grounds. Some of the college was blocked off because there was a wedding going on the following day - can you imagine getting married there! In the Chapel, I sort of joined a tour that was going through. It got a little awkward when the guide did a head count. It was clear I was the odd one out, as the average age in the group was probably around 65. 

The tour I made myself an honorary member of

Dining Hall

Can you imagine having to set all those places... 3 times a day!

The beautiful view of the Radcliffe Camera Loulou pointed out 

This was the picture I took as I almost died tripping down flight of stone stairs 

Then I hit the Museum of the History of Science and saw Einstein's blackboard with the equation for the expansion, density, radius, and age of the universe... I didn't quite follow it, but I get the feeling I'm not the only one. 

Next on my list for the day was Christ church meadow. BEAUTIFUL! And the sun was setting which only added a little something extra to the ambiance! There was a man who looked to be homeless cheering on the runners as they passed him. He saw me laughing and started a conversation. He said, "This is Oxford, we are a different kind of people!" As I reached the River,  all the sudden I heard a flock of geese. I turned around and saw probably about 50 geese all flying and honking flying down to land on the river and when they landed, they basically water skiied for a good 30 seconds... all of them... at the same time... as the sun was setting! It was crazy! A great day, but then again, every day I have had thus far has been great!