Magdalen at a Glance

Magdalen Tower, Oxford University

Courtyard at the Bodleian Library

I want to be back in Oxford. I was there for four days this time and still missed seeing some of my favorite spots. I want to stroll Addison's Walk alongside Magdalen College, where C.S. Lewis lived and taught. He walked this path almost everyday, and I have yet to do that. This photo was as close to Magdalen I got on this trip. But still, in four days I did get to wander through town everyday. Walking through the Bodleian Library courtyards on the way to another place always made me smile. We always found ourselves walking by the Radcliffe Camera and St. Mary's. The dreaming spires surrounding us. The history practically oozing from all the buildings. Weathered stonework creates a glow in the courtyards as the sun lowers in the sky. Sounds echo off the buildings and the gravel crunches under our feet.
I could walk these streets and courtyards forever.
What is it about the old university buildings, history, and being in England that captures me so? Frequently, while walking around Oxford, I wanted to just sit on a bench and write about what I was seeing. I wanted to capture in my journal all that my senses were experiencing.
I realized that it's not necessarily a big city that always grabs my attention and inspiration, but a place that has much to offer in its history, buildings, people, stories, culture, &c. A small town can do all that. The small towns I have experienced in England have charmed me. And I want to go back.