We arrived early at the palace, a little too early actually. We weren't able to start the tour for something like an hour and so we were instructed to walk around the grounds while we waited. I have loved walking around the grounds everywhere that we went but today I didn't find it as enjoyable. Just imagine a coach full of 40 students (severely underdressed for bad weather) unloading into icy cold winds and a steady, chilling rain. I don't know why the weather even surprises us anymore but it always finds some way to do so. None of us wore our rain boots, brought sufficient rain jackets (or any jackets), or usefully umbrellas. The wind was blowing so forcefully that our umbrellas turned inside-out repeatedly and became useless. We huddled together as closely as we could and headed straight for the gift shop. After we warmed up a little in there, we braved the outdoors and rain quickly around the grounds. I remember seeing fountains and shrubbery shaped like ducks and feeling like my fingers were going to fall off before heading back into the gift shop. I think the grounds were much more expansive than what I saw and I wish we could have explored them more but a girls gotta do what a girls gotta do to stay warm!
We all quickly rushed back onto the coach and headed for Oxford. I didn't know much about Oxford but I knew it was a college town which meant college gear which meant sweatshirts which meant I would be warm soon... perfect! I also learned that the original Ben's Cookies was located here. When we first arrived we had about an hour before our tour of the town started so we grabbed some pasties for lunch. I love those things, even if they are considered "blue collar food." They're warm, cheap, and filling- I don't know what else you could ask for! Our next stop was to the tourist shops. We each got our own sweatshirt and were quite happy after putting them on. I think almost everyone in the entire group bought a sweatshirt and so I'm sure the vendors were very happy we came to town. Fortunately for us, the original Ben's Cookies was close to to the tourist shop and so we headed there next. We got there right as they pulled out a fresh, hot batch of triple chocolate cookies. Oh. My. Heavens. They were so gooey and delicious that I had to lick it out of the wrapper. I couldn't even pick it up with my hands! When we got some food in us and some warm clothing we all became much happier and ready to start our tour of the campus.
Our tour guide explained a lot about how the university worked during the tour. It was slightly confusing and yet really interesting at the same time. There are different, separate colleges all under the title of Oxford University. Each college is a separate building and they usually have their own lecture hall/banquet hall, dormitories, and church. There's also usually a large grassy area in the middle of the building. Here are some of the things I learned on the tour:
-The oldest college started in 1249.
-J.R.R. Tolkein got his undergraduate degree there.
-Final exams at the end of your degree are the only thing that determine how well you did there.
-You where special robes during your final exams and wear a carnation. A white carnation means you are the beginning, pink is the middle, and red means you’ve finished.
-During application interviews the professors ask you trick questions such as, “Do you think you’re clever?” or “How would you weigh your head?”
-There are 38 colleges with 550 students in each.
-Each college has their own bar.
-Harry Potter fact- in one of the colleges is the tree where Malfoy was turned into a ferret during one of the movies.
-Haley who discovered Haley’s comet lived in one of the university buildings.
- When athletes apply only their academic abilities are considered, no matter their playing ability.
Something that I really enjoyed seeing was the students on campus. They are in the same situation in life we are in. It was final exam time as we were visiting (which is appropriate as we are also about to take our final exams). They were all dressed up in their special robes which made the experience even MORE special! It literally felt like we were watching a movie. I guess when a student is done with their last final of their last year their friends bombard them. There was a term for it but I forget what it's called. Anyway, there were lots of people with glitter and confetti and silly string all over them that their friends had dumped on them to help them celebrate. I wish that happened to me when I walked out of the testing center! We got to walk around the town and see (not visit) a couple of bars, some Harry Potter inspired sites, and many prominent buildings on the campus- including the library. It had such a different feel than anywhere else we had been.
We finished our tour at Oxford and loaded the coach. We thought we were on our way to Stonehenge. Unfortunately the storm was so bad that several trees had been uprooted and blocked the only highway leading to the site. So instead we had to return to London. We did pass by Stonehenge on the day we visited Jane Austen's house so I saw it but we just didn't get to walk around it or take pictures. The Mason's felt really bad but there was just nothing we could do about it.
Heading back to London was hard. Finals are on Monday and Tuesday and so everyone knew they needed to study and finish the History vs. Memory paper but we all really just wanted to go OUT and spend more time in London. I was still tired and cold and starting to get a little bit stressed so I chose the homework route. I just have to keep telling myself that I also came here to learn and that I need to focus on that too. Guess it's time to buckle down and get to work with the time I have left!
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