11:34 p.m. Oxford timeDay 2 at Oxford -- Lots to see and do today as we acclimated ourselves a bit more to the town of Oxford. We took a walking tour of the city this morning, taking note of several of the 39 separate colleges that make up the university and their personal libraries and chapels. There were plenty of references to celebrities that attended different colleges and even some Harry Potter locations! Scenes from the hospital wing, the library, and the courtyard where Malfoy was turned into a ferret all reside within New College, University College, and the Bodleian Library. My new friend Michelle and I plan to set aside a day sometime this weekend to fully explore said locations.
Take the building in this first picture for instance -- our tour guide Andrew told us that Hugh Grant and Kate Beckinsale both attended New College, pictured here (more pictures of this building to come later...this was the only part of New College we saw on the walk). This college is also interesting because it's dedicated to the Virgin Mary...that's her in the middle with the Archangel Gabriel on her left and William of Wykeham on the right, who founded the college. Added bonus: behind the left wall is where the Malfoy scene was shot in the Goblet of Fire. As I said, I will be checking that out later.
Our next trip (after Michelle and I stopped in a sandwich shop for lunch) was to the Bodleian Library. Now, I'm going to bore you for a minute with some details about it, so feel free to skip a paragraph or two if you don't care too much about libraries. This one is one of Oxford's 34 libraries and it contains over 12 million books! After the Reformation took its toll on the library (most books with any associations to the Catholic Church were burned), a man called Bodley reinstated it and turned it into a reference-only library and made a deal with the government so that it became a legal deposit library -- it's "entitled to claim a copy of every book and periodical part published in the United Kingdom or the Republic of Ireland," according to our information packet.
Other cool facts about it:
- The scenes from the hospital wing and the library in the Harry Potter movies were filmed in it!
- The 12 million books are stored in the main building (pictured here) as well as another building across the street and one around the corner. The building across the street has more floors below the street level than above the street, where there are MILES of stacks of books.
- When looking for a place to study and to find books, you choose the room that best suits your studies. There are reading rooms designated for different subjects, and if your book isn't located in it, you request it online. But this is the best part: once you order it, it's put in a crate in the underground floor, then put on a conveyor belt underground that sends it to a lift in the main building and a librarian takes it to the proper room. How cool is that?!
- When being admitted to use the library, you must recite and sign an oath saying that you will not take a book, set the place on fire, and abide by the rest of the rules. After this, you get a reader's card with your picture on it that must be shown to the porter to get in. Only Oxford students and graduate students with specific needs ("...who need access in order to undertake serious study which they cannot easily do elsewhere") can go in.
- 1/2 Ogen Melon with Earl Grey Sorbet
- Poached Barramundi Supreme with Chive Mash, Pea Puree and Asparagus Veloute
- Iced Strawberry Souffle
Okay, I think I've said enough. And you're probably bored reading all this. So I'm off!
EDIT 1: If you want to see more pictures, just click this link and enjoy!
No comments:
Post a Comment