Oxford.

Almost all of the buildings around had some type of plant growth on them. This reminded me of a Chia Pet.

The view walking towards Christ Church college.

The oldest building in Oxford. Some of the buildings are from the 1400s and 1500s.

Where President Clinton used to go smoke weed during his college days. The oldest tavern in Oxford.

Cool spiral staircase in the middle of an alley.

I guess they have the blue information dots in Oxford too.

The Bridge of Sighs.

The hospital wing and library of Harry Potter were both filmed in this building.

A few Oxford students in their final exam attire; they wear these uniforms to take their exams in.

Some of these won't have captions because I don't remember what they are or the history or I just thought they were a lovely building worthy of a picture (for shame, I know).

The Canola plants seen all over the English country side. They are where we get our Canola cooking oil from.

Some of the gorgeous English countryside.

Trees and various other plants grow along all of the walls around Oxford.

Spooky little graveyard.

The detail put into every building here is unbelievable. Keep in mind that these were done in the 1500s!

A sun dial outside of Christ Church exit.

A cute little Oxford director/guide.

A fountain in a small courtyard outside of Christ Church College. It has Psalm 105 around it, I believe.

An intricate stained glass piece inside of the hall in Christ Church.

A fountain in the Christ Church courtyard.

The Tom tower. The 7 ton bell rings in curfew every night at 9:05 PM (because of the 5 minute time difference between Oxford and London) 101 times (for each of the 101 students).

Walking down the stairs that Professor Magonigal walked down in Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone to meet Harry and Ron for the first time (they stood at the bottom of these stairs).

Stained glass in the dining hall.

The place settings.

The dining hall in Christ Church that was recreated in the Harry Potter movies.

Another view of the staircase Professor Magonigal walked down.

An olive tree with a scripture around it in the courtyard.

The tower at Christ Church.

The outside of Christ Church college.

Another view.

The sign for "Chi Chi" as the Oxford students call it. You're not aloud to call it that unless you're a student at Oxford.

The group meeting place.

For you, Grandpa Tom. Haha.

A neat little tavern on Oxfords Broad Street.

The oldest building at Oxford. The statue had her head shot off by parliament during the civil war in Oxford and when they put a head back on here they made the facial expression frightened.

The Radcliffe Camera.

After I took this picture she started blowing me kisses.

I found him on the streets of England, of course.

The Thames River's feminine part, called Isis. The 210 mile long river starts out called Thames River (masculine) at it's head in Whales and when it reaches Oxford it becomes Isis (feminine) and by the time it gets to England it is back to Thames River again. I don't know the logic behind it.

Yes, cowboy boots in England, and to top it off, some ridiculous over-the-top belt buckles.

A cute little bridge across Isis.

Only in England could the sound of hooves wake me up in the morning and when I look out of my window I see the police force walking thier horses down the street.

Good morning!

I'm sorry about not posting last night, I was "shattered" (as the Brits call it) when I got from from Oxford; being on my feet from 8 AM to 6 PM exploring Oxford was pretty tiring. Anyway, I got a great night's sleep and I am off to the Premiership match of Fulham v. Everton (in case you didn't know, the underlined words are clickable links for you all to check out) at the Fulham football club in a couple of hours. Well, yesterday we all met outside this little breakfast shop called "Med Kitchen" at 8:30 AM and caught two large charter buses to head to our day trip to Oxford, England. It was about an hour to get there from London. The drive itself was extraordinary. Most of it was lush green field after lush green field and rolling hills often covered with Canola plants (the yellow flowers where we get our Canola cooking oil from) and various livestock including cattle and sheep. There were small ponds and streams running through bits of the countryside as well. Overall, it was just picturesque. We arrived at Oxford around 10 AM and started right in on a walking tour of the city as well as the many presitgious colleges that make up Oxford University. The pictures above should really capture everything I got to see and learn about. I took a plethera of pictures that day...around 300 I think. The architecture and minute detial of every facet of every building was beyond words. I can't begin to describe to you how blown away I was with the history and the feel of Oxford. The main streets (Broad street and High street) were packed with people all afternoon. There were a lot of nice shops, delis, pubs, and Oxford clothing stores dotted alond the main paths. I even saw a Burger King and a KFC, along with a few strange characters. I got to tour Christ Church College, the best out of the long list of Oxford's colleges along with it's Cathedral and see a few Harry Potter sites within the school. :) After a long trip around Oxford, I came home and crashed out. My apologies for this not being the most elaborate blog, but I let the pictures above tell my journey better then I could with just words. I am off to get ready for the big football match (which I should have pictures up of tonight). I hope everyone is doing well. I really, really, really miss you all. I love you.

Always,

Mattie