Oxford! Universities and Wizards!

Oxford! Universities and Wizards!

This is it, this is the end of the line. Goodbye! This is the end of the narrowboat adventures. Goodbye, little boy. For now. Welcome to another travel adventure on Love 2 Travel. Our day has changed and gotten more adventurous. You’re joining us on our very British adventure, an adventure that’s come with its very own special and life-changing experiences. We are on an experimental voyage because we intend to retire on a narrowboat. From celebrating my mom’s birthday in the historic city of Bath, to renting a 57-foot narrowboat to cruise the Oxford Canal. We’re really making this a very British adventure, ending at Oxford, the city that put the university into higher education. But we only have two days to take it all in before we fly back to Austin, Texas. And of course, Wendy hurt herself in the last few days. Wendy jumped ashore to hold the center line and hurt her knee and hurt her ankle. If none of this makes any sense, feel free to go back and catch up on this incredible English adventure. Now, let’s explore Oxford and see what we can learn. And don’t worry, there’s no homework or assignments coming your way. Just another travel adventure. It’s mid-morning in Oxford, and as you’ve probably guessed, we just returned the narrowboat to College Cruisers, the company we rented it from. The old Bookbinders pub is the perfect place in this quiet neighborhood for a taxi to pick us up and take us south to our hotel. We’re staying at the small and affordable ethos hotel for the next two days. Didn’t we mention it’s really cute as well? Even better, it’s less than a mile from the heart of Oxford. If you’re coming to Oxford, you should consider the Carfax
Tower. Standing at 74 feet tall, it’s all that remains of the 12th
century St. Martin’s Church. There’s an admission fee for
the view, both in money and effort as you climb the 99 steps to the top. But the view is certainly worth both. But the views from the streets of Oxford aren’t anything to complain about. The The The The There’s just so much history and so much detail everywhere you look. The The The
The The The The So we are at Radcliffe-Cambra. Which I said we had to come here. So the reason we’re here is because when you want to come here. But it’s the only unattached building in Oxford University. And because it’s in the center, this is considered the center of Oxford University. Now, it’s nothing to do with cameras. We thought so too. It’s actually camera is the Latin word for room. So it’s a circular room. Yeah. Didn’t know that. Yeah, so it’s a circular room and it’s not open to tourists. So we’re going to try to go break in. No, I’m just kidding. We’re hoping to actually sign up for a tour that would actually take us through it. Unfortunately, there are no tours of the Radcliffe-Cambra today. But not to worry. Just like Bath, you’re only ever a few steps away from incredible sights and the amazing history of this city. Like the University Church of St. Mary the Virgin. Some church historians claim the University’s church spire is the most beautiful in all of England. We think the inside isn’t too bad either. And look at this. All Souls College is located right next to Radcliffe-Cambra. Its striking features and bold architecture makes it a popular spot for photos. The college itself is known for having the hardest exam in the world for its fellowships. Easily the building with the most intricate architecture is the Sheldonian Theatre. Located in Oxford’s Medieval City Centre, the Sheldonian Theatre is the principal assembly room of the University, where all public ceremonies of the University are performed. As we mentioned before, all the University’s buildings are connected by walls or buildings, creating little courtyards surrounded by incredible and ornate architecture. [Music] In this particular area, the scholarly statues gaze down on some pretty impressive and life-changing ceremonies. I can see that. Just a few steps away from all this excitement, and we think we’re standing in front of Venice’s very own Bridge of Sighs. This very popular tourist attraction is the Hartford Bridge, joining two parts of the Hartford College over New College Lane. And Wendy proves, if you wait long enough, you can get a picture free of tourists. But wait, where does this alley lead? Hmm… This, my friend, is Turf Tavern. And supposedly the oldest pub in Oxford. Cheers, baby. Cheers! So, we’re Wendy, and we don’t normally drink a lot of beer. So, I’m sure we impressed the Ale Master bartender when we asked for his lightest and most local beer. Lightest, most local. That’s all we need. So, I got the 1381, which I think is the year this tavern was supposedly founded. It was. You win a prize? Oh, yeah! Ding, ding, ding, ding. Good guess. And then you got the Turf… Something with a dog. Reggie’s Turf, I believe. They say Turf Tavern is Oxford’s best-kept secret. But judging by the number of tourists here, we don’t think that’s completely true. So, a lot of famous people drank here. Former American presidents and celebrities aside, the Turf Tavern and the city of Oxford was featured in a very famous British TV crime drama. Morse. You can also see Oxford in the show’s sequel, Endeavor. There’s even been a movie or two filmed in Oxford. Some of which you may have seen. The Turf Tavern can boast being the only pub with a walled garden that’s connected to the original city wall. It is a fun stop and it is well worth a visit. Yeah, so we’ll order you a pint the next time we go up there. We’re going to see where the great literary giants came to meet as Oxford’s writers group called the Inklings. So how you doing, Hopalong? Uh, yeah. Ready for another ankle break. First, we have to walk through the ancient high streets. Past the college our rented narrowboat was named for… Now where would the likes of Tolkien and C.S. Lewis swap story ideas? A college? Nope. This pub, the Eagle and Child. Seriously, C.S. Lewis handed out proofs for the lion, the witch and the wardrobe in this very pub. But unfortunately, after a long walk on Wendy’s Bad Knee, it’s closed. It’s the second and our final day in Oxford and our first stop is the Bodleian Library. Of course, it’s right next to the Radcliffe camera. But first, we need to get our tour tickets from the West End Library. Don’t let the modern look of the Western Library fool you. It’s actually part of the Bodleian Library. It’s a working library and research center with some of the original history on full display. With our tickets in hand, we’ll walk past the Sheldonian Theatre to get to the Bodleian Library. Because tourists have been so loud in the past and they’ve made such a noise, they’ve restricted them to certain areas of universities when they have student functions going on. All those functions are done. It’s unbelievable to see a lot of the universities. And right now, it looks like there’s another graduation going on today because they’re already here taking pictures of people graduating, which has to be a huge feat to graduate from. Very impressive. So you can take as many pictures as you like. Absolutely. Darn those tourists for getting in the way. The Bodleian Library is one of the oldest libraries in Europe and sits in this magnificent square. Even if you’re not doing the tour, setting some time aside to come here and marvel at the building’s architecture and stunning views is a must-do. This is oddly interesting. This bold statue isn’t the founder of the library or even Thomas Bodle, who would make the Bodleian Library what it would become. This is William Herbert, 3rd Earl of Pembroke, a chancellor at the university. Once inside, if you don’t recognize the famous hall, its history and famous appearances and films are all detailed for you. But don’t get too excited. We have to remain quiet. But how can you have a guided tour quietly? The tour guide whispers into her microphone and through the individual headsets we’re all wearing. You have to remind yourself, this isn’t a film set, but a working library that dates back to the 1600s with shelves full of old and rare books. Really not sure how that Harry Potter fellow was allowed to sneak around in here. And before we know it, the tour is over. We’re going to finish our day in a really big way. First, we’re going to go past the Sheldonian Theater, across the busy street and to this bookstore. Blackwell’s isn’t just any bookstore. It’s sold books to aspiring scholars since the start of the 1900s. They also happen to have a cute cafe that is perfect for stopping for a quick rest and a cup of tea. It’s time to head south, past the Radcliffe Camera, of course, through some narrow alleyways, past some beautiful buildings, across cobbled streets, past rugby pictures, through gardens and even skirting the Oxford countryside. All to make our way to Christchurch. Believe it or not, Christchurch has always been a famous college and cathedral in Oxford. After all, it was founded by Henry VIII. But thanks to the worldwide phenomenon known as Harry Potter, Christchurch attracts almost half a million visitors every year. That’s right. If this is looking familiar to you, the college was the inspiration for much of Harry Potter’s on-screen world. Not going to lie, it’s sort of why we’re here. If all of this is giving you the Harry Potter vibe, wait until you see this. You are correct. These are the stairs you see in the movie. And now it’s time to head into the famous dining hall. They filmed the Harry Potter dining scenes in a studio. You can definitely see where the inspiration came from. We waited in here as long as we could, and not one of the paintings spoke to us. Back down the stairs and out to the Tom Quad, the largest college quad or college courtyard in Oxford. I’ve never seen Wendy so into an audio tour. These are high-tech virtual tours, so I get it. Christchurch is unique. Its chapel is also the Cathedral of the Anglican Diocese of Oxford. This dual role as cathedral and college chapel is unique to the Church of England. I guess it helps to have your college created by the most famous King of England. It’s absolutely stunning. And just like that, we leave the magical world of Harry Potter and the historic higher education
behind. Here’s my baby. Welcome to the English summer, finally. Our
day has changed and gotten more adventurous. So we started off with the Bodleian Library, which was awesome. It was amazing. I had read about it in one of my favorite
books, so I was extremely excited to see it. But the history is crazy and it’s amazing. We got to see
where a lot of the historic books are housed. And we even got to see librarians come and check them out for people who are requesting them because it’s a special
request. They’re handled with care. They’re extremely old. It was
pretty amazing. It was very cool. The two things we’ve just done, every person should do when they come to Oxford. And that was the whole. And then the Christ Church. Yes. College stroke Abbey. And it was again, lots of Harry
Potter stuff of your Harry Potter fans. It’s like you walk in, you’re like, wait a minute. But it
was just steeped in history. And then to top it off, besides a bunch of school kids, we have a bunch of cows. And because it’s raining now, they’re all under the trees
getting some cover. So it’s just gone from wandering to adventurous. Very
adventurous. As with all the other tours, if you come here, make sure to explore the grounds afterwards. The gardens are really nice, even in the rain. To be fair,
this is what we thought the whole trip was going to be like.
So being a little bit of rain on the last day is not a bad
thing. It would be easy to say this is a perfect place to leave this adventure, but we never leave our adventures. They just keep going on. Don’t unpack your bags, but instead grab some more snacks for the next incredible travel adventure on our Love to Travel YouTube channel. You never know where we’ll go next. We even have more English canals and narrowboat adventures for you. Make sure you don’t miss a thing by subscribing to our channel. If you have subscribed, thank you very much. Just make sure you click the bell icon so you’re alerted when we post another travel adventure. So, where do you want to go next?

We’re wrapping up our Very British Adventure with two days in Oxford, exploring it the only way Wendy and Laurence can! We wander the same halls as Harry Potter and the scholars of Oxford University.

Links!
Our Narrowboat Adventure
Ep. 1 – It started with a Bath – https://youtu.be/JuVUVA6gHbo
Ep. 2 – Narrowboat Novices take on the Oxford Canal – https://youtu.be/2frT5SnSiTM
Ep. 3 – Cute Couple Cruise the Oxford Canal – https://youtu.be/XFsYz9HEH9E
Ep. 4 – Dangerous Deep Lock on the Oxford Canal – https://youtu.be/ZTFtprJdLWk
Ep. 5 – Big Trouble on a Long Cruise – https://youtu.be/j5YTgJZU4M8
Ep. 6 – Narrowboat Endings OR New Beginnings? https://youtu.be/7Hpktyh4h3Q
Ep. 7 HELP! Can you answer our Narrowboat Questions? https://youtu.be/g7HmzFIrC8Q
Ep. 8- Oxford on a limp and a prayer -https://youtu.be/IC86iRx2xhs

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00:00 Overview -Where have you been?
01:50 Into Oxford
03:50 Radcliffe Camera – nothing to do with Cameras
04:47 University Church
05:15 All Souls College
05:50 Sheldonian Theater
07:16 Turf Tavern
09:50 The Eagle and Child
11:30 Bodleian Library
15:40 Christ Church-Going to school with Harry Potter

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