July 3rd - Open Day Part 2

Hi again!

Today I woke up at the same time as yesterday and got ready for class. Breakfast this morning was Coco Pops, a cinnamon roll, and orange juice. Then it was off to class.

Since today was the last day of the college open days here in Oxford, I decided to pack in as many more visits as I could while I still had the chance.

My first stop was Hertford College, often called “the college with the bridge” because the Bridge of Sighs is part of their campus. I walked out onto the bridge and looked down at the street below; pretty cool to stand there in such a recognizable spot. 

View from the Bridge of Sighs

Inside the Bridge of Sighs

Next was New College, founded in 1379, so quite a loose interpretation of the word “new.” This college is famous for its cloisters, which you might recognize from Harry Potter. The most well-known scene filmed there was when Mad-Eye Moody turned Draco Malfoy into a ferret. 

 

The tree that Draco Malfoy was under

Another angle

This thing is kinda freaking me out

Known as "the mound" (just a staircase with a bench on top)

Harry Potter walked these halls!

After that, I visited St. Edmund Hall, also known as Teddy Hall. The unique thing here is that one of their libraries is built into an old chapel, and you actually have to walk through a small cemetery to reach it. The path is even paved with old tombstones! 

Tombstones built into the walkway, with tombs on the right

"Old Library" (not built into a chapel)

"New Library" (built into a chapel)

Then it was on to the Examination Halls, where all Oxford students take their exams. Fun fact: students have to dress in formal attire to sit their exams. This is the same outfit they’d wear to a formal dinner. 

Next up was The Queen’s College.

Then, University College (often called “Univ”), which claims to be the oldest college in Oxford, dating back to 1249.

After that, I stopped by Brasenose College, which happens to be where my technical communications professor is from. I accidentally got pulled into a tour there and nearly ended up late for class!

I made it just in time for my world religions course, where we talked about how religion and society have evolved together over time. During class, I also had lunch: a calzone stuffed with mozzarella, tomato sauce, roasted aubergine, and basil. Absolutely delicious.

While I was eating, I wandered by Merton College and checked out their beautiful gardens.

In the evening, I met up with some people from my college, and we went out to a nice Italian restaurant called Gusto (guess today was my unofficial Italian food day). We ordered cocktails before dinner and I had a limoncello spritz. With the meal, I enjoyed some red wine. For my main course, I had a three-meat ragu lasagne with a garlic tomato cream sauce, pesto, and parmesan. It was easily one of the best lasagnes I’ve ever had and paired perfectly with the wine. Still, nothing quite beats the lasagne I make at home with my dad.

After dinner, we weren’t done yet; we decided to grab dessert at Endorphins Dessert Café. I ordered a dark chocolate mousse, which was rich and tasty. This place is famous for their giant shaved ice bowls, and most of my group got different flavors like cookies and cream, brown sugar, and taro. A lot of people underestimated the size, so I helped finish them off. They were super refreshing, but there’s no way I could handle one by myself.

To wrap up the night, we headed over to the King’s Arms pub and hung out for a bit (I even tried a sip of my friend’s cider). Then we made our way down to the River Thames to admire the boats.

And that’s the end of another full day!