We made the short walk to the bus stop in light drizzle, but as we waited for the bus the drizzle turned to rain and the rain to a downpour and by the time the bus arrived 20 minutes late we were soaked from the knees down and very cold. So first thing upon arrival in the centre of Oxford was a reviving coffee in a little coffee shop. And we steamed away, fogging up the windows, as we planned our day.
First stop was Baliol college, established in 1263 and which claims to be the University's oldest college.
Walking under the arched entrance, past the porters office this is the sight that first greets you
The other end of the quadrangle
For Dorothy Sayers fans, Baliol College is a must see as Lord Peter Wimsey was a Baliol man.
The chapel, i thought it would be larger, perhaps attending chapel is not compulsory.
One section of the College gardens
And the very Harry potter like dining hall
Then it was off to the Museum of Natural History. Very interesting and we had an enjoyable few hours there.
Quiz Question.
What is this bird that Lawrence is looking at?
The first person to answer correctly will receive a prize. And if you are good little bunnies and have a go, I'll have another 'what is it?' For you tomorrow.
This is the roof of the main exhibition space in the museum. The roof is glass and so much light floods in very few of the exhibits need artificial lighting.
You can see how much light comes in
Also housed in a separate part of the museum is the collection of General Pitt Rivers, a noted ethnologist of the 19thc
Whose very eclectic collection was not only huge, some 20,000+ objects, but also fascinating. It ranged for the bizarre, e.g. The collection of shrunken heads from those tribes around the world that were into that sort of thing, to the different types of weaving undertaken by non Europeans, to the different ways ethnographic groups had for making fire, to a display of the evolution of saddles in different parts of the world.
It was when we went for another reviving coffee, in the museum cafe, that I discovered that my handbag had also got completely soaked in the downpour while waiting for the bus. Upon further investigation I discovered that my phone had not coped well with being left in a soggy handbag :(
Faced with a black screen, I pulled off the back in there were drops of water inside - not a good sign.
Lawrence took it to the men's loo and gave it a good blast under the hand dryer and still nothing. Bummer. So we curtailed our visit to the Museum of Natural History and left to find someone to look at the phone. We were directed to a very dodgy looking young man in the back of a cheap souvenir shop, who looked at the phone and pronounced it cactus. By this time it was 5.15pm and the race was on to find another phone.
Anyway I don't know if I have done the right thing, but I purchased the cheapest smart phone, that could also work as our 4g hotspot, I could find. It is a Nokia Lumia 635 windows driven phone. No one seems to know if it will work back in Australia and I have to take it back to the dodgy Benny if I want to get it unlocked from EE. George, your advice on this would be appreciated. It is working fine as our hotspot tonight, and I'm a bit worried that Benny might stuff it up trying to unlock it.
By the time we got the phone sorted we had to run up the street to catch the bus back to Thrupp which was just pulling out as we arrived but running alongside and rapping on the window worked and the bus driver stopped for us, for which we were very grateful.
We've had a most enjoyable dinner at the Jolly Boatman, I had the pulled duck and wild mushroom pasta - delicious. So now it is off to bed and tomorrow morning we go back to Oxford for. Ore sightseeing and lunch with Diana and Tony. At some stage I have to work out how to get Viber on the new phone.
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