As I have mentioned before, while studying in London I took a module called British Life and Culture.  In this class we learned a lot about our temporary home. In addition to learning all about the British monarchy, government, schools, and overall cultural characteristics, the class went on a series of field trips.  In an earlier post I wrote about our trip to historical Brighton Pier and Beach.  Our next trip was to another historical English landmark, and world- renowned educational institution, Oxford University.

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If Oxford’s name alone did not stir enough interest in our group, finding out that certain scenes of Harry Potter were filmed on the campus, and the “Hogwarts Great Hall” was modeled after the Oxford dining room, definitely caught our attention.  Oxford is also the birthplace of Alice in Wonderland.  The stained- glass windows of the dining hall feature the main characters of Lewis Carroll’s beloved story poking around in the corners of the glass.  The beautiful old buildings were larger than life, and had the most interesting architectural style.  Not only was the university’s campus an interesting atmosphere, but the entire town of Oxford had a really unique feel.  There were contemporary retail stores, old antique shops, and an incredible covered market.  The covered market was the first of its kind that I had seen in Europe.  It had everything from hats and dresses to skinned goats and rabbits hanging from meat hooks.  Oxford was a beautiful town, and it had some really interesting elements.  It was great to see, but it’s definitely just a day trip, as there wasn’t too much around to do.  Maybe someone else has some other suggestions for things to do in and around Oxford?