Time in Oxford

Will and I are now heading towards the end of our second day in Oxford. This is strange, mind you, to realize that it's just after 4:00 in the afternoon over here, but I know that for some of you on the West Coast of the US, it's still only 8:00 in the morning, and 9:00 in the morning for those of you I know in Logan. So while most people I know are either still in bed or waking up with coffee, I am sitting in a pub in central Oxford drinking beer.

Let me say that our time in Oxford has been amazing. Yesterday when we arrived, we checked into our room (we're staying at Wadham College, courtesy of Will's sister, Sophie), and then Will showed me around the various Colleges of Oxford University. My particular favorites were New College (where Will will be writing his phd dissertation), Trinity College, and Christ Church College -- all of them were just so beautiful. Will and I fell into a sort of game, in which he pointed out everything which was older than my country -- which, turns out, is basically the entire city. The university itself has been there since the thirteenth century, and has expanded since.

I then got to meet a few Oxford professors, and Will and I went to the pub with them to drink some beer and discuss our work. (By the way, one thing I've learned about England is that drinking beer is a favorite past time -- whether you're finishing dinner, finishing shopping, out for a walk, or whatever, the common response is, "We should go get a pint.") After drinks with the professors, we met Will's sister, Sophie, for more drinks and dinner.

Today, we got up and had a nice breakfast in the covered market, walked down by the river in Oxford (an extension of the Thames) and then went to see a few museums (really wonderful museums, too) and found a bookstore where I was able to find a copy of Victor Hugo's Les Miserables in it's original French. Now we're out for drinks with Sophie again, and the pub happens to have free Wifi, which was great for me as it meant I could update my blog and hopefully upload the pictures I've taken thus far.

Before I close, here are some interesting things I've learned about England:

1) The bathrooms don't have paper towels. It's always, always those air-blowers you have to use.

2) In Oxford, there are parking lots right in the middle of the street.

3) British girls really like to wear tights -- not the leggings that we like to wear in the US, but real, full-length tights.

4) British beer is warmer and more flat than American beer. That isn't to say it's not good beer, because it is -- but it's different.

5) Oxford undergraduates party much harder than any American student I've ever known. Ever.

Anyway, our time here has been absolutely wonderful so far. Tonight Will and I are planning on going to the theatre tonight, maybe to see Dracula . Tomorrow we're off to Norfolk.

Have a wonderful day, everyone, seeing as how most of you still have the whole day ahead of you!