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

The next day, Grace was arriving! She's a History student from Boston College I met through one of the many, many, many Oxford Facebook groups. She is literally in the exact same boat as me - second year her college has sent students to Mansfield and never met the other student from her college coming. Although her year abroad counts toward her GPA and she already got a reading list from one of her tutors - 34 books!

You remember this photo of my bed from day one, right?

Well it turns out, it's actually supposed to look like this...

Grace pointed out that what I had been using as a sheet for the past 5 days is actually a duvet cover. My lack of common sense scares me sometimes...

Anyway, I showed Grace around Oxford and took her too Boswells, Sainsbury, Christ Church meadow, introduced her to Ben's cookies (I had a triple chocolate... definitely a contender for my favorite). I did pretty good with getting around, but the minute I felt like I was finally getting the hang of it, I needed the map! I took her to the French Panini place my Dickinson adviser told me I absolutely must go to. We both got the special - artichoke, basil, pesto, tomato, and some kind of cheese I had never heard of before on ciabatta - easily the best meal I have had yet!

I told Grace about my adventure into the colleges and we decided to try Magdalen College. The Porters at the door were really nice, but not the one who caught us in an area we probably shouldn't have been in (okay, we definitely shouldn't have been there). Grace likes to check and see if doors are locked too! I absolutely LOVE the black and white stain glass windows in Magdalen's chapel (of course this would be the day that my camera died... I'll just have to go back and get pictures at a later date!) Magdalen is also famous for its deer park. What's a deer park, you ask. It's a piece of land with deer and reindeer (no, like many areas of Oxford, you are not allowed on this grass either... just the deer). There was one who had a stick stuck on his antlers and couldn't get it off! Took him 5 minutes, but he got it! Just before he got his antlers stuck in another tree... poor guy.

We also took a detour to Mansfield and got the porter to show us the dining hall (which is currently in the chapel, yes, we eat in the chapel because of construction on the old dining hall), because it hasn't been open.

Afterwords we tried to find the Renault house, which was the other option for housing (where both Dickinson students lived last year and where the other Dickinson student this year is living). We walked for hours, but i'm not quite sure we ever found it. Perhaps it's because we didn't know the address, or even what street it was on. All we had to go off of was that it was about 15 minutes from where we live at Ablethorpe, also known as Dale. I am starting to really get attached to Ablethorpe, (minus the drunken chanting at 4am). It's a great location - easy access to the city and the ethnic food on Cowley Road. Earlier Katherine showed me around the building a bit more. It's basically like a maze. It's funny I did all this exploring in Oxford but not in the building I live in. Turns out my staircase is the only one that doesn't spiral! Who knew?


The next day, Grace and I started with the Pitt Museum - The strangest Museum I have been too! The set up inside seemed like a display in and of itself. The lighting seemed to be more for aesthetics than for function. I thoroughly enjoyed that Museum, it definitely had character. One of the highlights was in the gift shop when a little British girl, about 7, got so excited about the Egyptian cat earrings When her friend reminded her she didn't have her ears pieced she said, "Damn!" swiftly put down the earrings , and with equal enthusiasm, ran over to the next trinket the shop was selling that caught her eye.

The artifacts were either tagged with writing you needed a microscope to read or the writing was written directly on it! I couldn't believe it! 

I started taking pictures of the empty cases there because it seemed like such a rare anomaly!

There were even drawers under the main displays that you could open and see more things. SO MANY THINGS!

Outside the Pitt Rivers Museum, but in the same building, was the temporary location for some of the displays from the University Museum of Natural History. I believe the sign said there are 12 or 13 different locations spread across Oxford.

In the gift shop, next to the robot that sweeps your floor...

Then we headed to Christ Church. On the way, we saw the making of some kind of film production. There was food for the crew laid out and people in costumes everywhere.

Finally we made it to Christ Church College, and it was open! I had tried 3 other times to see the place where Harry Potter was filmed and it was closed each time!

The line in the picture above is where they make you pay. Luckily, if you have a Uni ID, you are free! And you also get to take one guest in for free as well. Any takers?

Inside the doors

Look familiar?

Inscribed with "The leaves are for the healing of all nations."

This look familiar?

How about now?

I love the ceilings! 

Harry Potter dining hall!

More Harry Potter dining hall!

Did I show you a picture of Harry Potter's dining hall?

Can't walk on this grass either...

After we explored the College and the Church, we came back later for the evening song at 6pm held in Christ Church Chapel. We had seats right next to the choir. I wasn't expecting little kids to be in the choir, but it was fantastic and in such a beautiful setting. I am planning on seeing New College and Magdalen College's Evening Songs at some point at well.

Where we sat during the Evening Song.

Again, I love the ceilings! 

Still part of the College

this too...

and this...

and this... it's where the students live

Still all part of the College... it's huge! 

This is where the porter sits.

We also got into Christ Church picture gallery for free with our Uni IDs!

I got this picture before I realized we weren't allowed to take photos!

Afterwards, we bopped over to Oxford's Modern Art Museum. I didn't understand anything in there (and I'm supposed to be an artist... I just don't get modern art). I still liked the first gallery. The artist was clearly very talented; I just didn't understand the concept. Not a fan of the second gallery... it was a green light and a blue light on opposite corners in a room. That's it.

Again, another illegal picture before I realized I couldn't take pics. The green on the floor is part of the art, for the record.

And this is just a picture because I love the little alleys in Oxford!