Jason had to go into Oxford this morning to run an errand, so I decided to go too. Since he hardly ever has the chance to venture into Oxford and since I feel like I have a good handle on the town, I thought it would be fun to show him around. Unfortunately, he got called in to work and had to leave before we even got into town. He dropped me off so I could enjoy the town one last time (and since I still had my bus pass to get home). I walked over to Exeter and ran right into Erin! Since her cab didn’t leave the college for another hour, we went to lunch. On Erin’s recommendation, I ordered a ham & pickle sandwich, which is actually ham on buttered bread with pickled relish (it’s dark red, though… not sure WHAT they pickled!). It was delicious! Erin has been a great insider here – her father is British, and she speaks with a light accent since she was raised all over the place. We got to say our goodbyes again – although it was really “see you soon!” because we’re meeting for lunch in London on Monday. Erin will be there with her family and I’m meeting Heather there for 2 days. It will be a lovely reunion. =)
After Erin left for her train, I visited the Fellow’s Garden at Exeter one last time and then began wandering around the city. There was a new set of street musicians playing on Cornmarket Street – one group played a great mixture of Irish, bluegrass, and folk. I liked them so much I bought their CD! I did a little bit of shopping around the city, walked by Oxford Castle, and then caught my bus back towards Bicester.
On the way back, I exited the bus at Wolvercote Cemetery. I had seen the sign for it every day on my commute, and someone told me it is where J. R. R. Tolkien is buried. Since I had nothing else to do other than have a little adventure, I decided to see what I could find. It was drizzling, but I walked around the cemetery until I found the grave. I passed by it once because the flowers planted on it were so overgrown that I couldn’t see the names on the gravestone. Tolkien’s wife is listed first and he is listed below it. On top of the grave, rose bushes, plants, and flowers grow. People had left letters and cards on the grave, and one person had even left a silver ring on a branch of the rose bush. I stood back at the bus stop and waited for another #27 to pass by. Since I wasn’t sure it would stop, I actually hailed the bus like I had seen so many people do. I felt so urban when the bus stopped for me, though it would have been more of an adventure if Mr. Speedy had been driving and had whizzed right by me! (See Day 12 if you’re curious about the bus stories).Jason got back from work eventually, so we went to the Brackley Antique Market and I bought my official souvenir for the trip: a teacup. I started collecting teacups when I went to Austria a few years ago, and I’ve purchased one in each country I have visited since then. Jason and I met Sean and Janine for dinner. We ate at the Greyhound Inn, an old pub where they serve Thai food. It is the most interesting ambiance for a Thai restaurant! There is something just not quite right about eating a plate of Pad Thai at an old pub table with dark wooden beams running through the ceiling. =)
Date: 21 July 2007
Location: Oxford and Bicester
Highlights:
- one last lunch in Oxford
- saying goodbye to Tony the porter at Exeter (he was always a friendly face when I would come in the door each day)
- finding a confectionary in Bicester and trying a delightful little sponge cake with homemade icing
Cultural Lesson for the Day:
Eat In or Take Away: At all sandwich shops, coffee and tea houses, and little cafés, there is a charge if you eat your food in the restaurant. Each food and drink item is labeled with the take-away price and then the eat-in price (usually about 30-50p more). Even the Starbucks here has the same procedure. I suppose it makes sense that one would pay to take up space, but it is quite different from how things operate in the States.
