Travel Spot: Oxford

I have had the privilege and opportunity to go on some amazing travel adventures over the last several years, and I thought I would share a few things from some of my favourite cities. I will spotlight each city in a post and the challenge is to share my favourites as follows:
1. The Eatery 2. The Touristy 3. The Non-touristy


Here we go to Oxford, England!

The Eatery- The Eagle and Child Pub
Where else would you want to eat but the pub where C.S. Lewis, J.R.R. Tolkien, and their friends gathered regularly? How would I not want to experience a piece of literary history, and a piece of the delicious beef pastry stew? This place is locked in history, especially in the front section of the pub (the back section is a newer installment, which Lewis and Tolkien did not approve of). Wood paneled walls, wood floors, rich atmosphere. I walked in for the first time and could immediately visualize the literary group lingering late into the evening with pints of beer on the table and deep conversation in the air.

The Touristy- Touring the Bodleian Library

When I say touristy here, I mean the small group who buys tickets to tour the Bodleian Library. That includes me, a book worm who dreams about places such as the "Bod" (as the locals affectionately call it). Others than my Mom and me, there were a handful of other foreign tourists. This library houses every book published, and has several buildings to house them, including across the street underground, and the famous round building called the Radcliffe Camera, which has a classical style architecture different from the main building in this photo, complete with dreaming spires and columns. The tour goes through the oldest and most beautiful rooms of books, including the Duke Humphrey's Library, which is the oldest section dating from 1488. Read more about the "Bod" here.

The Non-touristy- Taking a one-day class on Jane Austen 
It was here in this building that my Mom and I took a class on Jane Austen. This was a pre-meditated planned class we participated in, so it's definitely not touristy. My Mom and I were the only Americans in the class, and it was full of scholarly people who were interested in great literature. I loved every minute of sitting in the seminar room, listening to Oxford professors (who had all published works about Jane Austen), taking notes and reading the professors' handouts, enjoying the several coffee breaks, and chatting with some Brits during those breaks. Read more about this class in my post here.

To visit San Francisco, click here.
To visit London, click here.