University Days

As if three weekends away in a row with Lauren wasn't enough (Brighton, Budapest and York) we had another one planned. This time it was just a day trip to Oxford and we were joined by the rest of our girls Ainsley, Emily and Jen (a visitor from NZ). After missing the tube and making the train by the skin of our teeth our trip to Oxford started off as a stressful one. Once we were on the train we all sat back and relaxed and chatted.

The tickets were only £6 and just another reason I love travel within the UK. Trains are so quick, clean and cheap and such a comfortable way to travel. Well we thought so - the middle aged guy stuck at a table with us and having to listen to all our gossiping probably disagreed.

We arrived at Oxford to a sunny day so we made our way into the town centre to see what was going on. We had planned to catch up with an acquaintance who was studying there but unfortunately she wasn't around so we thought we would get a walking tour by a Oxford resident thinking it would be the best way to see the city and get into some of the famous colleges. Turns out we probably chose the wrong tour for us. Our guide was a very very posh lady who was terribly boring and we spent most of the tour at the back chatting away and taking photos. The benefits of having her around was she did get to take us into a couple of colleges and we got to see their quads and courtyards as well as dining hall or chapel.

The buildings are so gorgeous and even though our tour guide droned on slightly it was interesting to hear about the history of the world famous university. On the other hand I would have loved to hear a few funny storys about student antics and life in Oxford.

Oxford is a photographers dream as all of the building are gorgeous and so are the little windy cobbled streets, endless bikes, gorgeous gardens and picturesque little town. We were all snapping photos like no bodies business while we lost interest in our tour. We were lucky to spot some Oxford Students done up in their formal exam wear with white shirts, black bottoms and capes.

After the tour we were lucky enough to snag a table right next to the river at a gorgeous pub where we spent time drinking Pimms in the sun and eating fish and chips. With a leisurely lunch under our belts it was time to continue our exploration of Oxford. We wandered up to the Magdalene Bridge to see how much the punting would be. As it turns out it poured with rain as we were walking up there so that plan failed pretty miserably.

We wandered through the city and checked out a few shops before heading back to the train so we didn't have the panic attack of missing it again. It was a great day out with my weekend away partner in crime Lauren and the rest of our girls and another smaller town in the UK that I have fallen in love it. There are so many places in the UK that I haven't visited and after visiting York and Oxford I am keen to start exploring further afield. Maybe Manchester or Liverpool? We'll see!