Magdalen College

 

Now we come to one of my favorite places in all of Oxford--Magdalen College (pronounced Maudlin). Founded in 1458, alumni include Oscar Wilde, Wesley Clark, Lawrence of Arabia, and Dudley Moore. But what made me most excited about visiting this college was seeing where my favorite author, C.S. Lewis, once taught.

  

This inviting gate took me into a world as beautiful and magical as Narnia.

  

Hello, English rose!

  

The gate led to Addison's Walk, a picturesque path along the River Cherwell. The walk was named after Joseph Addison, a British poet, essayist, and politician who was once a fellow at Magdalen. Notice Magdalen Tower peeking out from behind the college buildings.

  

I wanted to take punts, the River Cherwell, and Addison's Walk home with me after seeing gorgeous scenes like this one! Addison's Walk was a relaxing, peaceful place to reflect and count your blessings--such as the fact that you could come upon such a beautiful place!

 

The Grove, where the deer graze.

 

J.R.R. Tolkien and C.S. Lewis once walked this path, carrying on a deep theological discussion that changed Lewis's life. You can read about it here. I know this place also inspired Lewis in his writing, as this tablet testifies. This particular poem is entitled, "What the Bird Said Early in the Year."

  

  

  

  

Look at those deep purples!

  

I think I could sit here and read a book all day.

  

Fellows' Garden.

 

After sharing all of these photos, I bet you can now understand why this was one of the greatest highlights of my trip.

Keep Reading

I've now returned home from my trip to Oxford, but I have plenty more stories and photos to share. Please stay tuned to this blog for the second half of my overseas adventures.

Botanic Garden

 Magdalen Tower peeks out from behind the Botanic Garden greenhouse

Following our punting expedition, we walked through the University of Oxford Botanic Garden. The oldest botanic garden in Great Britain, it contains more than 8,000 different plant species used for the university's research.

 

  

  

Dahlias

 

  

Cactus garden 

Authors such as Lewis Carroll, J.R.R. Tolkien, and Philip Pullman found inspiration for their stories in this peaceful place. Here are a couple of photos of Tolkien's favorite tree. When I saw this Austrian pine, I couldn't help but think of the Ents--the animated trees of Middle Earth.

  

Herky Goes Punting

We had the whole day free on Sunday, so Louise and I decided to go punting. In England, this has nothing to do with football. Punting means boating on a shallow river using a pole to propel forward.

We hired someone to do the punting for us. We started near Magdalen College and took the River Cherwell around the playing fields by Christ Church. The Iowa and Michigan State mascots (Herky and Sparty) came along for the ride.

Here's Herky and Sparty enjoying the ride in true Big Ten fellowship.

 

Herky and Sparty pass the Botanic Garden.

  

 

This swan flew ahead of us at first, but then swam up to the punt to see if we had any food. Traditionally, people pack a picnic basket of strawberries and Pimm's for the punt ride. We were the first customers our punter had that day, so I think it was a little too early for such a picnic!

 

 

  

  

Our strong and courageous punter. He asked us to put these pictures on Flickr. Guess he doesn't get too many American university mascots for customers!

Punting was one of the greatest highlights of my trip. It's a distinctly English tradition that you have to experience for yourself to truly appreciate. It's SOOOOO relaxing. There's nothing like it back home--which is why I want to bring all of my family and friends over to Oxford to partake in the fun!

Arundel Castle

It may look like a fairy tale castle, but mainly soap operas took place there. On Saturday, we visited Arundel Castle, home of the Dukes of Norfolk.

The Duke of Norfolk is considered the premier duke in a peerage system that also includes barons, viscounts, earls, and marquees. The castle dates back to the 11th century and the same family has lived there ever since.

The family has traditionally been Roman Catholic in a Protestant England. Philip Howard, the 20th Earl of Arundel (during the time when the family lost its duke title), was beheaded by Queen Elizabeth I because of his faith. One of the most interesting pieces in the castle were some gold rosary beads that the Catholic Mary Queen of Scots carried to her execution. Today, the family often represents England in Catholic affairs.

The 18th Duke of Norfolk and his family presently live in this castle, although in a wing that's closed off to visitors. They maintain the castle by opening their family history to tourists and holding events on their grounds throughout the year. The British Shakespeare Company was rehearsing for A Midnight Summer's Dream in the Collector Earl's Garden while we were there.

Queen Victoria and Prince Albert once stayed at the castle, and the staff had to be alerted to their visit two years in advance! They have a special Victoria bedroom there that features a rare portrait of Victoria as a young woman. Like at Hughenden Manor, Arundel Castle has a shovel that the Queen used to plant a tree on the property. Bet you didn't know one of the Queen's duties is to save the world...one tree at a time!

My favorite part of Arundel Castle was the library. I liked it better than the one at the Bodleian. Look it up and you'll see what I mean!

 

I got a kick out of these three! They were roaming the castle grounds, and a guy in a suit was chasing them around and trying to herd them to no avail. 

 

 Here are some of the beautiful gardens on the premises. They own an awful lot of land!

 

Some flowers growing out of the castle walls.

New College and the Bodleian Library

Bridge of Sighs over New College Lane

 

My class watched Kingdom of Heaven on Friday, and I'm looking forward to seeing what our tutor says about how the movie compares to real life. The film, which stars Orlando Bloom, includes historical figures such as Balian of Ibelin, Guy de Lusignan, Sibylla, Reynald de Chatillon, Baldwin IV (the leper king of Jerusalem), and Saladin, but obviously takes great liberties in the storyline. Only Hollywood would think the Crusades needed Balian not only to have a long-lost father, but also an affair with the Queen of Jerusalem to sell movie tickets.

After class, several travelers and I visited New College, which is actually one of the older colleges in Oxford. Founded in 1379, its graduates include Virginia Woolf, Kate Beckinsale, and Hugh Grant. The college was also featured in Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire and Tomorrow Never Dies.

One of the most impressive features of New College is its gardens. When the college's founder purchased the land, he had to promise to maintain his section of Oxford's medieval city wall. New College is now one of the only places in Oxford where you can still see the city wall.

 

  

  

One of Oxford's many perfect places to read a book 

The college's garden area also includes a mound that was once a burial ground for victims of the Black Death. Supposedly, if you stand in front of the mound and clap your hands, the souls of the dead squeal at you. Here are some of our Iowa and Michigan State travelers trying to wake up the dead. The dead stayed asleep.

 

Sir Thomas Bodley reminds everyone of his great contribution to the university with this statue and plaque.

An American showed us around the Bodleian Library. We saw Duke Humfrey's Library, which was built in 1489 above the Divinity School.  Back in those days, books were uber-expensive, since you had to use the skin of an animal just to make one. The library's modest collection suffered greatly when Edward VI tried to get rid of any traces of Roman Catholicism in England, including what he termed "superstitious books and images." Although the library didn't contain many religious books, it was ransacked. Some of the books were burnt, others stolen, and a few were used to make gloves.

 

Thankfully, Thomas Bodley had some money to spare to spruce up the poor library. He even signed an agreement in 1610 with presses across England, so that a copy of every book published in the country would be housed in the library (the world's first Library of Congress). The agreement is still honored today. To accommodate just the books published last year, the library used two miles of shelf space. That's why so many books are housed underneath the city.

Nobody can check anything out of the library. In fact, some of the books are chained to the shelf. Most of the books we saw were in Latin, and they were so old, the place smelt like it was burning.

The Bodleian has been featured in the Harry Potter movies as the Hogwarts Library, and I was surprised by how much our guide talked about it on the tour. The guide also showed us the alternate parliament and the place where students would take grueling oral exams--complete with a heckling audience.

The Sheldonian Theatre, where Oxford University students graduate

 After the Bodleian, we visited the famous Blackwell's Bookstore, which has just about every book you can imagine in a multi-floor site. I thought it was neat that Iowa Writers' Workshop professor Marilynne Robinson's book was prominently featured in a window display. Of course, you can't escape the bookstore without purchasing something: I bought Oxford: Gargoyles, Grotesques and Architectural Detail and Watching the English: The Hidden Rules of English Behaviour. 

 

We are well-fed here, but decided to skip dinner at the Rewley House to eat at the Head of the River (near Folly Bridge). The pub has both indoor and outdoor seating by the River Isis (Thames). To get fed, you must go up to the bar and order, but they bring out your food.

I ate the ploughman's share lunch, which consisted of a ham and cheddar sandwich, pickle, salad (with no dressing), meat pie, mango chutney, onions, celery, and brie cheese. Let me say this again--we are not going hungry here!