Sunday, December 19, 2010

The Oxford Adventure

Yesterday morning, my friend Romy and I got up earlier than normal on a typical Saturday and set out. Our plan was a day trip to Oxford city, to visit some famous sights and enjoy each other's company. The day didn't go exactly as we'd planned, but we made the most of it and ended up having an incredibly time!

Not ten minutes after our bus had left London, snow began coming down heavily. I was a little concerned, because of my background with snow, but for the first time in my life, I wasn't panicked or stressed in the face of failed plans. It goes to show just how much work God has done in my life. It soon became apparent that the day wasn't going to go as planned. We crawled along at a snail's pace, watching lesser vehicles slide around on the snow, get stuck and the many accidents. I was so grateful for our quite capable driver. The journey should have taken an hour and a half, but ended up taking five and a half hours. Several hours into it, the driver announced that all buses had been canceled, which meant our ride home was now out of the question. When we arrived in Oxford, it was over an hour after our ride home should have left and it was dark. We found out that the bus services were still not running and trains were incredibly iffy. We decided to find something to eat and contemplate our options.

We found The Eagle and Child, a pub that my favorite author, C.S. Lewis frequented in his life and settled in at a booth in the very room he had spent so many hours. We ordered food and talked about the day thus far. Let me mention now that I had the best pie I've ever had at this pub. It was mushroom and chicken with puff pastry on top. So incredibly good. I thought about my sister, because it was something she would have enjoyed as well. I have a friend, who's moving to Oxford in two weeks, so Romy and I were talking about how Jody would be in this very place in only a few weeks. Suddenly the idea dawned to write a note and leave it here for Jody. I joked, "If only I had some cello tape." And what do you know, but Romy just happened to have some. Hopefully that hidden note will stay there until Jody comes to retrieve it. :)

After dinner, we headed back to Gloucester Green, to find out further information about buses and possible lodging. God was good and a man directed us to the last available (and affordable!) room in Oxford. We stopped off at one hotel to ask directions and found out that their last room was for for 198 pounds, which is equal to about 300 dollars! We got to the Rewley House and got a room. Our room was nice and the two things that excited me most was the bathtub and the tv! After a warming soak, Romy and I watched a movie on tv and then headed to bed.

This morning, we got up and headed to the train station. The buses were up and running again, but we decided that the train was a more reliable mode of transportation. After purchasing tickets on the next train leaving, we trudged through the snow to Oxford Castle to have breakfast.






We enjoyed a lovely cup o' tea and biscuit, as well as lovely conversation and a good thawing out of our extremities. As we were leaving, the proprietors asked if we would like a tour of the castle. Knowing that we still had a long wait til our train, we jumped at the opportunity. I love history! We had an exclusive tour as it was just Romy, myself and the tour guide. From the top of the tour, we could see all of Oxford and what a wonderful sight!

When we arrived back at the train station, we found out our train had been canceled and we had to wait another hour. We made it on the next train and with little hassle made it home at a quarter to four, twenty-three hours and thirty-five minutes AFTER we were supposed to head home. But it was such a Grand Adventure!! I commented to Romy this morning that it felt as though we were in some Christmas story, in a lovely little village that was warm and welcoming. It was a good weekend. :)

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