Oxford in the Summer

Towards the end of my summer days at Oxford, I realised I had not taken any pictures or even visited any of the places I had intended to see. I was so engrossed in my thesis that every minute spent doing something else seemed like a waste. Towards the end of the third week, though, the weather became really nice, so I spent one morning and another afternoon simply sightseeing. Maddeningly, perhaps half of the colleges I tried to visit were closed either for graduation or summer school, both of which seem to last the entire season. I had thought summer would be a good time to explore them in peace, but when Oxford is not turning unholy profits on its regular student body, I suppose it must make up for the shortfall somehow.

Among the places I could finally take off my to-see list were Hertford (where I slipped in behind a cleaner), Saint Hugh’s (where I slipped in behind a maintenance worker), Wolfson (where nobody polices who comes in and out), Saint Anne’s (ditto), Saint John’s (where I was let in during their regular visiting hours), Queen’s (where I was let in with much reluctance), Keble (where I was welcomed with much enthusiasm and even received a map), and the Church of Saint Aloysius. I also finally had the chance to make a summer photoshoot at Merton and Magdalene, though the withered grass made some of the photos look like they had been taken in a post-apocalyptic prairieland.

It also occurred to me that barring any seismic shifts in my living arrangements for next year, I would not be around Headington much and would not regularly pass by Cowley. This meant two things. Firstly, I had to go see CS Lewis’s house and the church he used to visit, which are a short bike ride from my friend’s apartment. The former requires an advance booking, which I did not make, but the house is nicely visible from the outside. Secondly, I had to try all the restaurants in the neighbourhood. Thus, after spending my first two and a half weeks rather frugally, I began a manic mission that entailed riding down to the city in the afternoon, eating lunch, working on my thesis at Saint Antony’s, and then grabbing dinner from another place on my way back. In this way, I tried a total of 18 restaurants in Headington and Cowley.

Now, it would be unfair to rank all these restaurants based on a single meal, so what I will do is sort these single meals into tiers. That being said, I liked every place that I went to and would not mind going again.

In the “will not disappoint” tier, I would include the kale sambol at Coconut Tree, the Khoresht Bademjan at Shiraz, the vegan burger at Rick’s Diner, the tofu Szechuan style at Jin Jin, the three taster curries at Delhish Vegan Kitchen, and the selection of vegetarian antipasti at La Cucina.

My “positively enjoyed this meal” list comprises the pizza vulcano at Adria Pizzeria, the coconut sambol and cashew nuts at Coconut Tree, the halloumi wrap at the Greek Takeaway, the vegetarian sushi set at Sushi Corner, the beyaz peynirli pide at Antep Kitchen, the vegetarian ramen at Taberu, the Malaysian-style curry at Pan Pan, and the shichimi spicy peanut tofu at Grounded Kitchen.

Finally, my “unambiguously recommended” tier is the following: the bamih at Beirut Oxford (which gives very generous portions), the escalivada, bread, and tarta de Santiago at Kazbar (served with delicious olive oil and eaten on a nice patio), the vegetable chettinad and nimbu rice at Tribe (the waitress came to ask if it was too spicy, but it was just right), the bread served before the meal and Turkish delight served after the meal at Antep Kitchen (the garlic sauce was delicious), the poleko paneer mix at Yeti Fine Dining (served on a sizzling plate), and the imam bayildi at NEF Istanbul (once again, served with a basket of warm bread and delicious sauces).

The crepes at Crepes O Mania in University Parks also deserve an honourable mention for their airy softness, and I should mention that I have already been to Zhang Ji (an absolute classic) and Café Coco (they serve good vegetarian burgers) during my first year at Oxford.  

A withered tree at South Park

The view of Oxford from South Park

A closer view

The Great Tower at Magdalen

The entrance to the chapel at Hertford College, with William Tyndale peeping through the curtains

The organ at Hertford College

The Hertford College Chapel

Hertford's spiral staircase

The same

The Bridge of Sighs at Hertford

A view of Trinity College from Parks Road

Lamb and Flag Passage

The Taylorian

The Bridge of Sighs again

And from closer up

The University Church of Saint Mary

The rose garden in front of the Oxford Botanic Garden

A pond at Oxford Botanic Garden

Wildflowers from around the world at the botanic garden

Globe thistles

Magdalen Tower behind a greenhouse

An ornate gate between two greenhouses

Possibly a jaborosa integrifolia

Some kind of aeonium

A gate at Magdalen College

The Great Tower at Magdalen as seen from the cloister

The Founder's Tower at Magdalen

Angels holding the Magdalen crest

More Magdalen symbolism

The coat of arms of Henry IV and the Lancaster Rose

Magdalen's coat of arms again

Saint Swithun's Tower at Magdalen

A balcony

The interior of the University Church of Saint Mary

A nice resting place at Saint Hugh's

The main building at Saint Hugh's

More views of Saint Hugh's

The front of Saint Hugh's again

Wolfson College

The post-apocalyptic dried up arm of the Cherwell in front of Wolfson

Saint Anne's College

A chapel dedicated to Mary at the Oxford Oratory Church of Saint Aloysius Gonzaga

The altar at the Oratory Church

Saint John's College

The Front Quadrangle at Saint John's

Grotesques at Saint John's

The Main Gate at Saint John's

Student accommodation at Saint John's

The chapel at Saint John's

Trumpet creepers

Holy Trinity Church in Headington Quarry

A message left on the grave of CS Lewis

More messages

The grave of CS Lewis

The "CS Lewis window" at Holy Trinity Church

The interior of Holy Trinity Church

The same

A view of CS Lewis' former house, known as "The Kilns"

The Great Tower at Magdalen towards noon

The Examination Schools at Oxford

Another view of the courtyard at the Examination Schools

A local sign

Another view of Merton

The church tower at Merton

Merton College Chapel

An extravagant baptismal font at Merton

Another view of the Merton's college chapel

A gargoyle at Merton

The lodge at Merton

The Front Quad at Oriel College

Buildings along Merton Road

The same

Another building with a very lavish gate

Logic Lane

The Front Quad at Queen's College

Arcades at Queen's College

The library at Saint Edmund Hall

The chapel of Keble College

The interior of the chapel

One of the buildings at Keble

Lady Margaret Hall

The Hilda Besse building at Saint Antony's