Oxford Day.1

After a late night for the both of us, and a chilly one, Zora and I decided on a slightly later start to our day. We're getting to be pros at Victoria Station, so we didn't feel like we needed to leave ourselves all day to buy our tickets and find our bus. It turned out we were right. We completed our business at the ticket office quickly and knew right where our bus would arrive. The busses to Oxford arrive regularly, and make the trip in less than two hours. The schedule left us enough time for a leisurely breakfast and an easy walk back to the bus. We got on just in time to avoid the rain, and despite taking awhile to get out of London traffic before very long we were piling in to Russel's work van at a carpool station outside of Oxford.

The weather was a bit cold and wet at this point. The van's heater could barely punch a hole in the wet on the windshield. I wiped the passenger side off a bit to try to help. It felt a bit like I'd stumbled back in to a central New York winter.

The rest of our day moved surprisingly quickly. We dropped our bags and introduced ourselves properly to the family. They wanted to know all about us, but we were eager to get a map of Oxford and go see the town (after I'd finished my really really good cup of tea that is!).

A quick word on Russel's family: while their cartographic skills left just a bit to be desired they can only be described as kind, warm, just plain nice people. It was also nice to be in a home for awhile, someplace that felt lived in. The house shows evidence of Russel's carpentry all over. It doesn't quite fit together perfectly, but that isn't to say that it seems anything less than meant to be or well built. It's all the better that way, it gives it beauty and character. Russel is a sustainable carpenter, meaning he works with sustainable stocks of, or reclaimed timber.

It was late in the day and getting cold, so our time in town would be a bit short. We managed to sneak in to the sub building of the Ashmolean Museam. It seemed like it was in the old chemistry/ anatomy hall of one of the universities (they're more common than gas stations, McDonalds, or Starbucks in Oxford. More schools than fast food places, probably a good sign). It was full of all manner of chemical, medical, and astronomic devices. Everything from compasses that only pointed to Mecca to telescopes, to old acid drips and anesthesia machines.

Afterwards we got ice cream bars and enjoyed them outside. Things started getting a bit cold so we decided to head home.

Back at the house we were introduced to Theo's (Theo is Russel's son) girlfriend Gemma, and conversed and snacked with the family while dinner was prepared. They loved hearing about Zora's theater experience, my work in EMS, and about how expensive college is in the USA. The questioning continued over a delicious dinner (a thick and cheesy kind of pizza thing with salad). We compared Cardiff and Colgate with Theo and Gemma's schools, and fielded an endless amount of questions about fraternities and sororities. These are the things only of myth and pop culture in the UK.

Before we knew it it was late and time for bed. Zora and I were to our rooms first of all, tired out after all our travels. We wanted to make an early start for the next day so we could make the most of the little time we'd have left in Oxford.

In a later post I plan on adding to this a bit, if for no other reason than to post a link to Russel's website.