Sept 12 Weathering Oxford
There were no locusts today. We are at least grateful for that.
It was a day that produced every possible weather condition short of snow, and conveniently stuffed them all into the two hour time window that was our guided walking tour of Oxford. Hail, thunder and lightening, torrential rain, bright sunshine…. we got all of it, along with temperatures that seem better suited to November.
Luckily, our tour guide, Alex, was extremely knowledgeable and engaging, and so we were willing to persevere despite the conditions. Alex was willing to persevere because he had an umbrella.
We learned that Oxford is not one school but actually 39 different colleges. We learned of the origins of Alice in Wonderland, Narnia, Harry Potter, and Lord of the Rings, all conjured by denizens of Oxford. We learned that every one hundred years the students of Oxford have too much to drink and then march around searching for a nonexistent duck. It all seems a bit inglorious and undignified. It’s unfortunate that the next duck hunt is not scheduled until 77 years from now, because if it had happened today they would likely have found a bunch of ducks.
We learned a lot about the religious history of Oxford, and the Reformation of the Church brought about by the Tudor crankypants, Henry VIII. We were regaled with tales of Bloody Mary and burnings at the stake and bloodshed and dismemberments and suchlike. It all leads me to wonder why it is that Brits seem to be so cheery these days.
Once the tour ended, naturally, the sun came out and we bused back to our hotel to try to dry off. We’ve traded in our five hundred year old Cotswold hotel for a Holiday Inn in Oxford. Not quite the same charm but at least if I fall out of bed I won’t roll to the corner of the room.
Tomorrow marks the end of our time in Britain as we are taking the train to Paris, where I must be careful not to imply that French Canadian is a language.
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