Today I went on a tour of Oxford, particularly focusing on the actual university and the city center. It is a lovely town, with vibrant history and fascinating architecture. Here are a few pictures I took, though remember, I'm not the biggest fan of taking pictures, so these don't truly capture the beauty or the personality of Oxford.
The above picture captures a bit of life in Oxford, the feeling of walking in history. But it doesn't convey the constant feeling of bustling people walking, biking, busing, and driving throughout the city. There are so many different types of people and they are all very intent on getting to their destinations. But sometimes you find a corner like this one, which is peaceful and captures the reason why people travel to Oxford.
This is the Radcliffe dome, looking quite deary on this grey day. But the inside is filled with books upon books about science-y things. So, obviously, I will not be spending much time in it. However, the building next to it, which I don't have a picture of, is the main building of the Bodleian Library. I will be living in this place as I do my research for essays. The Radcliffe Dome is a part of this, just a specialized reading room. There will be more pictures and information on libraries coming as I learn to navigate the 100+ libraries that make up the Oxford system.
Finally, one other tidbit. This is the Bridge of Sighs, supposedly modeled after a bridge in Venice with the same name. However, the Venetian bridge is actually a rather ugly little thing, not romantic at all. In fact, it was the bridge prisoners crossed to go to their cells. The Bridge of Sighs in Oxford is actually copying a larger, grander bridge elsewhere in Venice that the builders liked more. However, they also approved of the name, so they took it and turned it into a romantic notion instead of a depressing one. Oh, the power of the Victorian imagination.
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