Oxford - March 2000

2 March 2000

This morning we had our last breakfast at the Durrants. We checked out of the hotel, and I just closed my eyes as I signed the bill. Oh well.

Then it was a short walk back to Marble Arch, where we caught a bus to Oxford (during which I wrote most of today's entry). We walked around Oxford for a while, mostly running small errands (my map satchel's strap broke suddenly, dumping my camera and journal into a puddle. Fortunately nothing was damaged).

After lunch at the Nosebag (one of my favorite restaurants in Oxford), we came back to the hotel. I fixed the strap on my satchel and left again to go shopping, while Chris slept in the room. We agreed to meet in the hotel's bar at 4pm, but I've been here for hours (5 pm now) and still no sign of Chris. So he must be sleeping.

We're at the Bath Place Hotel in Oxford, a bit pricey (though far less than the Durrants) but in a great location, right next to the Turf Tavern.

Our room at the Bath Place Hotel.

Looking down the alley at the hotel.

[Written 5 Mar 00]

I finally found Chris, and we walked off to an Internet cafe to check emails and all that before heading to M'hamed's for dinner. It was a great dinner--I caught up with M'hamed and Dave (two colleagues from the lab at Oxford).

After dinner, M'hamed drove us back to the center of town (Dave had to catch a bus to Abington), and from there we walked back to our hotel.

3 March 2000

[Written 5 Mar 00]

The next day we woke up, had a small breakfast at the hotel, and then ran off to one of Oxford's sillier attractions: the Oxford Story. It's basically a carnival ride housed in a very proper-looking building, where moving desks carry you through historical scenes and a recorded voice instructs you (through headphones) about how Oxford grew and changed over the centuries.

We walked out of the gift shop at the end of the ride, and found that the blue skies were being invaded by clouds. But on the whole the day remained mostly clear, if very cold.

We checked out of the hotel, and stashed our bags in a closet. Then we took the bus tour of Oxford. It's the third or fourth time I've taken the tour, but the first since I left Oxford four years ago. London was vaguely familiar, but a lot of memories of Oxford came flooding back on Friday and I remembered: oh yes, I lived here for many years. I remember how strange and alien everything felt when I pulled up in a bus in '92, and how I felt as if I knew every nook and cranny when I left in '96.

After the bus tour, we walked up St. Gile's Road for a very solid English lunch at Brown's. I phoned Vasee, and discovered that he'd be able to meet us around 4pm. That gave us plenty of time to walk down to the Thames, and back up town through Christ Church, one of the more scenic (and tourist-friendly) colleges.

I showed chris the college boathouses, but I was unable to find the keys to actually show him inside the Brasenose boathouse. I was disappointed to see that the University's boathouse had been ripped down, it was a beautiful old boathouse sitting across the river from the college boathouses. Hopefully it won't be replaced by a concrete monstrosity.

On the Thames, by the college boathouses.

Stained glass windows in the cathedral at Christ Church college.

We had a quick coffee at Blackwell's (they've installed a nice coffeeshop on the 1st floor, I wish it had been there five years ago), then we walked back up St. Giles to meet Vasee at George + Davis, an ice cream parlor whose decor is identical to Ben + Jerry's in the US.

Looking down an alley towards Mary Magdalen church and High Street.

The Radcliffe Camera and a gargoyle from Mary Magdalen.

Vasee spotted us before we'd even turned on to Little Clarendon Street, so we piled into his car (Chris complained that he was looking forward to some ice cream). We collected Vasee's stuff and our bags, and drove off to York. The drive to York was uneventful, around four hours including a few short breaks.

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