Oxford

Wednesday June 21, 2017

I think everyone slept really well last night, we were all so tired from our adventures the day before. Lisa and I woke up early so I could tag along on her runs through the beautiful oxford countryside.

Later that morning we took off again with John and the kids for a little walk along a canal to feed the ducks.

These ducks totally know what's up and before long we were completely surrounded by 15-20 of them. We decided to move on and find some other mouths to feed. Good thing we did because 200 (ish) yards up the canal we came across the cutest little duckling family. The girls were totally enthralled and at one point Jane announced to the whole world, "I LOVE THEM!" hahah it was adorable.

Once we ran out of bread we continued down the path (with the ducks in tow) and cut across Port Meadow to meet up with the Thames river and make our way back to the apartment via the same route Lisa and I had run that morning. It was a nice little walk, but very hot, so we only lasted about thirty minutes. Oxford is lovely though.

Once we arrived home Max was finished with his work for the day and we all relaxed for a bit before going out again to see the city this time. Oxford is very fun to walk around because it's basically all "old town."

It was hot and busy but we we found a neat "hidden" alley way that took us right down into the heart of the city bypassing a lot of the crowds and traffic.

Max was able to get us in to see the college campuses for free since he's a student and they took us to one of their favorites, Merton College. Dang it was gorgeous in there.

The lawns are immaculate, the quadrangles are the first ever built, and the cathedral was spectacular.

We lucked out and happened to go inside while a student was playing/practicing the organ. Which just added to the whole experience.

The girls had a fun time running around and hiding in the pews (i know... so reverent haha) while the adults to a break and enjoyed the views.

After getting our fill of Merton's the Ogles then took us to their favorite view in Oxford at Christ's Church College. I definitely see why it's the best.

Walking to the "best view" we passed a few other spectacular ones. Phot credit to Lisa for this one as we passed by Tom's Tower outside of Christ Church.

Christ Church meadow

So pretty!

Jane wanted to be in our picture but didn't want to get any closer to us haha

What's funny though is that it's in a place where most people don't really think to look up and see it. It's right at the entrance to a beautiful garden area (Christ's Church Meadow), so I'm sure most of the tourists are more focused on what's directly in front of them rather than taking in the whole view. Luckily we had some "locals" to show us the ropes haha.

We walked through the garden for a bit before continuing on.

By this point all of us were hot and tired so we decided to grab some lunch at The Bear; the oldest pub in Oxford, built in the 1200's! It was much too hot to sit inside, so we opted for a shady table outdoors. I can't say it was any better out there, but at least we got a breeze every now and then. I think all of us ordered fish and chips and they didn't disappoint. Honestly it's not my favorite meal, but the Brits definitely know how to do it right.

After lunch we continued walking for a bit but it was getting so hot none of us felt like staying out. Lisa and Max wanted to show us a few other colleges but they were (conveniently) closed haha. We did pop into a little candy shop and the girls went nutso when Max told them they could all choose one treat. It was just too hard! Alice picked some rainbow sour strips and shared them with Jane on the walk home and they both got completely covered in sugar crystals haha.

Poor kids were so hot and sweaty, they just don't know how to take it easy!

We made a final visit to the Sheldonian Theater where Max, John, and I took a quick trip to the top cupola for some awesome 360 degree views of the city. Lisa was kind enough to stay down with the kids so it didn't take too long.

Then we made a last pit stop at the grocery store so they could load up on a few things. Lisa also thought to grab some popsicles which came in clutch on the final walk home.

The rest of the afternoon was spent relaxing and catching up with them in their apartment. I think Lisa kind of felt bad that we weren't out and about exploring the city all day, but it was just so dang hot! In fact, she later told us that they had record setting heat that day! We were more than happy to stay indoors and chill with them though, so we did.