Chapter 4: Pictures

The Folly Bridge Sign

The Isis River, from Folly Bridge

A long boat on the Isis
(for all of you who have read The Golden Compass)

Crew Houses of Oxford University's various colleges

Kayaking in the Isis

Bridge Crossing the Isis

The Mathematical Bridge

St. Mary the Virgin Church, Iffly

Two rows of beak heads and one row of chevrons

on the entrance way into St. Mary's

St. Mary's Plaque of Parsons

Stained Glass Window in St. Mary's

Stained Glass Window in St. Mary's

The Graveyard outside St. Mary's

Unique Circular doorway design on Cowly Road

Oxford Building

Periodic Table Car - Advertising Oxford's Science Park

Chapter 4: The Iffly Walk, Part II

Monday was the Iffly Walk. The Iffly Walk has become somewhat of a tradition for the Alabama at Oxford program. This “5 mile” walk began at Worcester College. We walked to Folly Bridge, which is the bridge over the Isis River. The Isis River is the Thames River; however, the residents of Oxford prefer to call it the Isis. At Folly Bridge, the walk mimics the run of Jude the Obscure’s wife.

We turned off to the left and walked along the River. It soon began to rain and we all stood beneath the trees on the side of the river till it stopped. We continued with the Isis on our left and fields of green grass, occasional paths and gardens, a few horses and many trees on our right. Colleges of Oxford University come to practice with their crew teams. Brick and cement houses line the opposite side of the river. Each is designated with the crest of the college. Finally we come to a bridge where we cross over to the other side of the River. To our right is the Mathematical Bridge. It is said that this bridge was constructed in such a way after the principles of gravity that no nails nor glue were used to secure the bridge, only the force of gravity. Whether or not that is true, the bridge still stands, though too unstable to hold weight. And is now kept standing by various ropes and nails.

We continued walking with the Isis on our right and a wall of tress on our left. The path opened up into a road that led up to St. Mary’s Church. This church was built in 1170 as the parish church of Iffly and remains so till this day. Immediately inside the church on the left is a plaque listing all the parsons of the church from 1170 to present. The west front of the building is said to be perhaps the best example of Norman architecture in England. Norman architecture is marked by the beak heads and the chevrons (triangular shapes) that outline the frame of the doorway. To the right of the church there is an Eww tree that is suppoed to be as old as the church. Inside the church is a stained glass window, immediately on the right, that is also in Magdalen (pronounced Maudlen) College. Looking up there is the organ. Rows of pews line the inside of the stone building. Then there is a step up into another section of the church where the pews face toward the center. There is a supporting column on either side of the building at that point. On the base of one column a mason carved a small lion. On the base of the other column another mason carved a small bird. Outside the church, is an old graveyard like something you would expect to see in a section of the graveyard in Gaiman’s The Graveyard Book. There is no rhyme or reason to the placement of the headstones. Grass grows high between each marker and no two markers are the same.

From the church we proceeded to Cowly road. It was a long walk, much longer than five miles from Iffly to the Cowly Road. Cowly Road was an interesting sight to behold. The ethnic diversity of this section of Oxford provides for a handful of shops advertising the tradional dress of different countries. The aroma from the Greek, Pakistani, Indian, and Chinese food saturates the air, especially when one has had no lunch and it is almost dinner time.

At last we crossed a bridge and found ourselves near the Botanic Gardens and back in familiar territory.

Chapter 4: The Iffly Walk, Part I

An Impression of Cowly Road: Walking up the Cowly Road from Iffly, the close set homes with their circular doorways change into two walls of shops and restaurants. Spices and the scents of food cooking waft out of the restaurants and fill my senses with their delicious aroma. My stomach growls with anticipation. The streets are crowded as residents go about their daily lives, their footsteps pounding out the pulse of the street. Women in colorful Indian dress carry groceries home, swaying to the beat. Men call out to restaurant owners, giving verse to the song. Bicycles weave in and out of the tune with a whirring buzz and the cars hum along. My eyes are fed with the curiosity of the shops and murals painted on the brick buildings. Then it ends, almost as abruptly as it began. The streets once again have the familiar look of Academia.

Chapter 3: London Calling

Sunday was my first whole day in Oxford. After my morning worship in my room, since there is no New Testament church in Oxford, I went to the dining hall for breakfast. They served fruit, eggs, sausage, beans, and tomatoes, to name a few things, for breakfast. Breakfast was delicious, but also made me realize that for the past two days all I had done was eat and try to sleep. I was ready to get out and explore. So at 11 a.m. I took the Rail into London with Dr. Halli, Ms. Jones, Dr. Selesky and about ten other students. The Rail took us to Paddington station, where we split into two groups. My group took the tube to Westminster. I walked up out of the subway and the first thing I saw was Big Ben, towering above the city. Behind it in the distance was the London Eye. We walked around the square to see Westminster Abbey. Because it was Sunday, the Abbey was closed to visitors except for services. We were able to stare at its incredible yellow and white edifice, the ornate windows, and its spires. We rounded the other side of the square and came up to the gates of Parliament, which is next to Big Ben. The ornate design of the fence included the Tudor rose.

From there we walked toward Trafalgar Square. Throughout our excursion, Dr. Selesky narrated what we were seeing and gave us brief histories and anecdotes about the buildings and monuments. On our way to Trafalgar Square we passed Downing Street, where the Prime Minister lives at #10 Downing Street. Downing Street is gated and guarded by three armed guards. The view from the front is not particularly lovely, however from the back it overlooks St. James's Park, where the Queen’s Official Birthday is celebrated every year. At Trafalgar Square I saw Nelson’s Column, the four lions and the fountain, with the National Gallery as the backdrop.

The group again split at Trafalgar Square. I and two others took the tube to the British Museum. Far be it from me to be able to describe the wonders held in that museum. I only had time to visit one side of the museum. We began at the top with Grecian artifacts. I was enthralled over the case of about ten large urns depicting the trials of Heracles. Then, I proceeded to the Egyptian artifacts. The magnificence of the King Tut exhibit in Ft. Lauderdale can only be seconded by the numerous sarcophagi, mummies, and other unique objects in this exhibit. One of the life size sculptures brought back by Giovanni Belzoni was a part of the collection. I was in such rapture over the room at that moment that I nearly cried. If not for the urge to see the other Egyptian statues, the Elgin Marbles, and the Rosetta Stone, I could not have been persuaded to leave without looking at every piece and reading every plaque.

Proceeding downstairs, large mosaics covered every inch of the walls. The next room contained two tall Egyptian pillars and the giant head and shoulders of Ramses II. Placed against the walls were several black statues of Sekhmet.

A gathering of people stood where the room opened into more passages. And there stood, encased in glass, the Rosetta Stone. Plaques about the stone and the race between Champollion and Young to decipher the Egyptian hieroglyphs were placed inside the case also. And there I stood, separated by only four inches of air and a layer of glass, from one of the greatest discoveries for the understanding of the Egyptian language. It was a moment that passed all too quickly.

Then wandering into the next room, I came upon the Nereid Monument. I was stunned by the sheer size of the temple like structure and the fact that it was still all in one piece. Then I entered the room with the Elgin Marbles, massive pieces of expertly carved marble up on a dais and hung along the walls. I passed a larger than lifesize statue of Apollo and explored the the Assyrian artifacts which included two giant Iamassu which were winged lions with the face of a man. They were to guard the palace from demonic forces. Their size, like the Nereid Monument was impressive.

Of course this was not all I saw in the museum, and certainly not all of the displayed artifacts of the museum. But that was all we had time to see. We made a quick stop at the gift shop and headed outside for dinner. Once outside I realized that the museum itself was not air conditioned, just like most of England. We ate fish and chips outside at a little shop. The fish is not like American fish. It has less of a “fishy” taste and more of a buttery land meat taste. Needless to say, it is delicious and a definite “must try”.

A quick tube ride and we were back at Paddington station. I solved the slight inconvenience of having not brought a hair dryer and forgetting a few other things by stopping in at the Boots store at Paddington station. Boots is like a CVS or Rite Aid in the States. Another rail ride and we were back in Oxford. Hungry again, we went to a neat Italian restaurant called Jamie’s Italian. It was Jamie Oliver’s restaurant! I was quite excited upon discovering this bit of information. The food was delicious and I highly recommend the pumpkin and ricotta ravioli.

I returned to my room after dinner to prepare for the first day of class. More about my classes, the Iffly walk, and my tour of Christ Church to come!

London calling to the faraway towns
London calling at the top of the dial
After all this, won’t you give me a smile?