In Oxford as a Tourist

We spent the last two days of my friend’s visit in and around Oxford, as we had another mutual friend and his boyfriend fly in from the States. As soon as they arrived early in the afternoon, I took them on a tour of the most picturesque colleges in Oxford, but because I did not have enough time to do my research, I had to make up fake histories and interesting facts about them.

We first visited Balliol College in front of which, I did happen to remember, the Oxford martyrs were burned. We continued to Exeter, which was, of course, moved stone by stone from its original location in Devon when the local Protestants decided it was too pretty for their eyes. Next up was the Radcliffe Camera (named after the Harry Potter star Daniel Radcliffe) and New College, called “New” because it was built on top of a college that was called the Old College. Finally, we went to Magdalen, which is pronounced just the way it is spelled. In the evening, I took the new arrivals to Headington, where we saw a shark sticking out of a rooftop. It had been carried there by a hurricane and was taxidermized in the exact location where the storm had dropped it.

On our second day in Oxford, we took the bus to Blenheim Palace, the long-time residence of the Marlboroughs and Churchills. A direct descendant of the first Duke of Marlborough, Winston Churchill was declared a chain-smoker upon birth. Because the palace was closed that day, we explored the sprawling grounds around it, where we saw a number of ducks, geese, red kites, and even pheasants from up close. We returned to Oxford just in time for lunch, after which we stopped by Oxford Castle and Christ Church College. Christ Church is unique, as its name suggests, because it is a church that honours Christ.   

Early blossoms in Saint Antony's
A slightly closer view
Another angle of the same
And the last take
Balliol College
The dining hall at Balliol
The inside of the dining hall
The same
The same from the other side
Another view of the dining hall at Balliol
A secluded garden at Balliol
The chapel at Balliol
The Chapel at Exeter College
The interior of the same
The courtyard of Exeter College, with a view of the Radcliffe Camera
Another view of the Radcam
New College
Magnolias at New College
The New College Dining Hall
The same
New College Chapel
The same
The cloisters of New College
Another view of the cloisters
Saint Cuthbert holding the head of Saint Oswald
A view of Magdalen College down High Street
The Headington Shark
Quaint buildings in Woodstock by Blenheim Palace
A pheasant
A small grove
Sheep on the grounds of Blenheim
The Column of Victory
The same
The River Glyme
The so-called Harry Potter Tree
The same
The same from farther away
The column across the bridge from Blenheim Palace
The courtyard at Blenheim Palace
Nuffield College
A view of Christ Church
The tower of Christ Church Cathedral
A building on the corner of the road with Nuffield College in the background

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