Arriving at Oxford, we were soon greeted by our “Harry Potter Walk” tour guide...Mrs. WhosnameIcantpronounceorspell. She was a thin, older lady, with curly, but more so messy hair, with a very charismatically aged face. Coincidentally, she looked as though she could have been casted as a school teacher in the Harry Potter films, and her out-dated dialect helped her fit the part even more. At the beginning of the tour she started off as a rather intriguing, quirky personality. For example, a member of our group voiced that they needed to use the washroom and inquired where they could find one. Mrs. WhosnameIcantpronounceorspell replied, “hmmm yes, that is interesting, very interesting.” However, as the tour progressed, I soon found her manner of guiding grow dull and misleading. It became dull in the sense that she became less animated and engaging, and misleading in the sense that the walk had very little to do with Harry Potter; only two of our stops were directly related to the films. The majority of the tour was dedicated to Oxford University and the history of the school itself.
The history of Oxford University was undoubtedly remarkable and fascinating. However, my appreciation for the educational value of the tour kept getting clouded with a feeling of awkwardness, and even a bit of jealousy. It felt slightly strange being a university class, touring and learning about the greatness and magnificence of another university. Standing behind “do not cross” lines taking photos while there were students on the other side was even more unsettling...almost as if we were tourists at a zoo for brain-masters. I’ve always been a fan of old schools; I find it motivating to study in an environment where great minds have been before you. My tour of Oxford University, taking in its incredibly rich history, reassured my plan to pursue a historically rooted grad-school after obtaining my BA at HPU.
After the tour concluded, we were given free time to explore the Oxford town on our own. I was starving, so I went to a meat-pastry shop and purchased a piping hot miniature meat pie. Being in England, I really developed a taste for the country's abundant selection of meat-filled pastries. They are affordable, almost always delicious, and easy to eat and walk with, making them the perfect meal for my budgeted, constantly on the go, England trip.
After the meat pastry, I went and sat along the town canal and enjoyed a pint of a pub's house brew. The atmosphere was very charming and pleasurable. More than I enjoy experiencing the sights and artifacts of a culture, I tend to more so enjoy experiencing the people. Even if I am not necessarily engaged in a deep conversation, I still like being in a social atmosphere and “taking it all in”. One occurrence which caught my attention at the canal was that there appeared to be some sort of brides-maid party going on. There were about a dozen young women dressed in the most ridiculously coloured and outrageously fashioned dresses I have ever seen, getting completely inebriated; I will admit though, I still thought they looked pretty good.
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