yk's London/Oxford Trip Report - 6 days of art, music, historic houses - a journey through English history
Nov 6th, 2008, 08:01 AM
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yk's London/Oxford Trip Report - 6 days of art, music, historic houses - a journey through English history
Hi everybody -
I came back 2 nights ago (election night) after a 6-day trip to London, with a day trip to Oxford. As usual, I had a great time, though the weather was rather dreadful most of my stay.
The 6 days flew by very quickly. Just as I was getting comfortable of looking RIGHT when I stepped out on the curb, it was time to leave.
Before I begin, I want to thank so many people here... it is the collective knowledge and information provided by Fodorites which help shape my trip and my itinerary. So many of you have either directly or indirectly helped me plan this. Here's a list of Fodorites (in no particular order) whom I specifically want to thank:
janisj, flanneruk, PatrickLondon, Cholmondley_Warner, PalenQ, crckwc1, MademoiselleFifi, Apres_Londee, carolyn, rickmav, Mimar, wombat7, kenderina, noe847, texasbookworm, PWAbbott. I'm sure I'm forgetting some...
To start, I want to mention a few housekeeping issues.
<b>Who?</b>
Me, a mid-30s married woman who likes London a lot. I traveled solo this time because my husband can't take time off. This is my 3rd trip to London in just a little over a year (Sept 07, May 08). I have visited London more than a dozen times in the last 15 years.
<b>When?</b>
6 days during end of October & beginning of November
<b>Why London and Why this time period?</b>
1) Tempted by American Airline's Winter fare sale. The earliest travel date of the winter sale was October 28 (I think). I wanted to go as early as the sale allows for longer daylight and milder weather.
2) Despite multiple trips to London, I still find plenty of sights and activities which I haven't done before.
3) I found out that Juan Diego Florez, one of the best bel canto tenor these days, will be singing at the Royal Opera House.
<b>My Itinerary</b>
Instead of trying to group the attractions geographically, I was forced to group them mostly by opening times and opening days. Several historic houses I visited had very limited opening hours, which make scheduling my itin a bit challenging. As a result, I ended up going to the South Bank on four separate days.
I jam-packed my itin as much as possible, as I tend to move at a faster speed when I travel by myself. I also am very flexible when it comes to meal times: sometimes it's lunch at 3:30pm, or dinner at 5pm or at 10:30pm, depending on the day.
<b>Preparation</b>
Since my schedule is tight, I spent an enormous amount of time checking the opening days and times of every single attraction. I also wrote down times of guided tour.
I spent an enormous amount of time on tfl website mapping out my transportation routes, as several places I visited are far out.
Things I had pre-booked in advance include:
Hotel x 5 nights
2 opera tickets
Megabus ticket to Oxford r/t
Red House guided tour
<b>Budget</b>
I don't usually have a set budget, but I am normally a budget traveler. Although the pound is cheaper than it was, I didn't want to spend too much money due to the economy. The only ways I could see myself saving money was by eating cheaper than I'm used to. I set a goal of keeping food expenses to £20 a day (including all meals, coffee and snacks). At first I wasn't sure if I could stick to it, but in the end, I think I came under budget! Moreover, majority of my meals were taken at proper sit-down restaurants with table service. I think I actually ate very well with my budget.
<b>Oyster... PAYG or Travelcard?</b>
I ended up just using Oyster PAYG. I should have done some more research before I left, because I think I would have saved a few pounds if I had gotten the 7-day Zones 1-3 Travelcard (£28.40). I spent £32 on the PAYG.
<b>Weather</b>
It was dreadful. The first 2 days there was some periods of sun, but very cold (low 40s) with strong winds from the North sea. Day 3 was pouring rain the entire day. Days 4-6 were just damp, grey and dull. As the UK already turned its clock back, sunset was 5pm.
I came back 2 nights ago (election night) after a 6-day trip to London, with a day trip to Oxford. As usual, I had a great time, though the weather was rather dreadful most of my stay.
The 6 days flew by very quickly. Just as I was getting comfortable of looking RIGHT when I stepped out on the curb, it was time to leave.
Before I begin, I want to thank so many people here... it is the collective knowledge and information provided by Fodorites which help shape my trip and my itinerary. So many of you have either directly or indirectly helped me plan this. Here's a list of Fodorites (in no particular order) whom I specifically want to thank:
janisj, flanneruk, PatrickLondon, Cholmondley_Warner, PalenQ, crckwc1, MademoiselleFifi, Apres_Londee, carolyn, rickmav, Mimar, wombat7, kenderina, noe847, texasbookworm, PWAbbott. I'm sure I'm forgetting some...
To start, I want to mention a few housekeeping issues.
<b>Who?</b>
Me, a mid-30s married woman who likes London a lot. I traveled solo this time because my husband can't take time off. This is my 3rd trip to London in just a little over a year (Sept 07, May 08). I have visited London more than a dozen times in the last 15 years.
<b>When?</b>
6 days during end of October & beginning of November
<b>Why London and Why this time period?</b>
1) Tempted by American Airline's Winter fare sale. The earliest travel date of the winter sale was October 28 (I think). I wanted to go as early as the sale allows for longer daylight and milder weather.
2) Despite multiple trips to London, I still find plenty of sights and activities which I haven't done before.
3) I found out that Juan Diego Florez, one of the best bel canto tenor these days, will be singing at the Royal Opera House.
<b>My Itinerary</b>
Instead of trying to group the attractions geographically, I was forced to group them mostly by opening times and opening days. Several historic houses I visited had very limited opening hours, which make scheduling my itin a bit challenging. As a result, I ended up going to the South Bank on four separate days.
I jam-packed my itin as much as possible, as I tend to move at a faster speed when I travel by myself. I also am very flexible when it comes to meal times: sometimes it's lunch at 3:30pm, or dinner at 5pm or at 10:30pm, depending on the day.
<b>Preparation</b>
Since my schedule is tight, I spent an enormous amount of time checking the opening days and times of every single attraction. I also wrote down times of guided tour.
I spent an enormous amount of time on tfl website mapping out my transportation routes, as several places I visited are far out.
Things I had pre-booked in advance include:
Hotel x 5 nights
2 opera tickets
Megabus ticket to Oxford r/t
Red House guided tour
<b>Budget</b>
I don't usually have a set budget, but I am normally a budget traveler. Although the pound is cheaper than it was, I didn't want to spend too much money due to the economy. The only ways I could see myself saving money was by eating cheaper than I'm used to. I set a goal of keeping food expenses to £20 a day (including all meals, coffee and snacks). At first I wasn't sure if I could stick to it, but in the end, I think I came under budget! Moreover, majority of my meals were taken at proper sit-down restaurants with table service. I think I actually ate very well with my budget.
<b>Oyster... PAYG or Travelcard?</b>
I ended up just using Oyster PAYG. I should have done some more research before I left, because I think I would have saved a few pounds if I had gotten the 7-day Zones 1-3 Travelcard (£28.40). I spent £32 on the PAYG.
<b>Weather</b>
It was dreadful. The first 2 days there was some periods of sun, but very cold (low 40s) with strong winds from the North sea. Day 3 was pouring rain the entire day. Days 4-6 were just damp, grey and dull. As the UK already turned its clock back, sunset was 5pm.
Nov 6th, 2008, 09:39 AM
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<b>Day 0 - getting there</b>
There are 2 daily nonstop flights from Boston to LHR on American Airlines. I prefer the day flight, which is much easier on my body clock. However, being cheap, I didn't want to pay for an extra night of hotel, so I opted for the overnight flight.
The flight was full in economy, but fortunately I was able to reserve seat 31H on this 777, which is the bulkhead exit row seat with unlimited legroom.
I was only able to sleep for 2-3 hours on this short flight (6hrs). I chatted with my neighbor in the last 20 minutes of the flight. When I mentioned I was going to the opera to see JD Florez, it turns out that he is a lawyer who used to work with the Three Tenors organization. It was fun chatting with him, though I felt sorry for him having to fly in economy and attend a meeting 2 hours after the plane landed.
We landed at around 7am, immigration was very fast. I was at the Heathrow tube station by 7:30am.
<b>Day 1 - Kensington Gardens, V&A, Leighton House, Royal Festival Hall</b>
I got the Holiday Inn Kensington Forum via Priceline, for $108/night all-in. Naturally, the room was not ready when I arrived to check in.
After I dropped off my luggage, I asked myself, Where to go now? As it was only 8:30am, nothing (I mean attractions-wise) was open. So I decided to head to Kensington Gardens.
The sun was out and the fall foliage was quite beautiful there. I had a close-up look of <b>Albert Memorial</b> - what a huge, gaudy thing. I had read that Prince Albert actually did NOT want any kind of monument, but I guess Queen Victoria disregarded his wish.
From there, I walked along the Serpentine and found the <b>Peter Pan statue</b>. I continued northward until I reached the Italian Garden and fountains. I sat on a bench and rested for some time, but as it was quite chilly, I had to get up and move. By then it was 9:45am, so I made my way to the <b>Serpentine Gallery</b> which opens at 10am.
The current exhibition there is <i>4900 colors</i> by Gerhard Richter. I was familiar with his earlier works, but this was quite a shock to me. I don't "get it".
This work has the same concept as the stained glass he designed for the Cologne Cathedral, which I haven't been. I'm interested to see the similarites/differences.
It only took me 10 minutes at this show, and as I left, I had a look of the Gehry Paviliion next door which is now closed and being dismantled.
Next I hurried to the <b>V&A</b> in order to join the 10:30am guided Highlights tour. The V&A has guided tours every hour and they are free. Despite having been to London so many times before, this is the first time I set foot inside the V&A. I'm so glad I took the tour, as the sheer size and volume of the museum would have completely overwhelmed me.
Our tour only had 3 people, and the docent is extremely knowledgable. One of our first stops is the cast room, which is quite a WOW factor for someone like me who's never been. We spent most of our time in the Asian galleries, specifically in the Middle East section as those galleries were re-done not too long ago. The star of the show is the beautiful <i>Ardabil carpet</i>, now displayed on the floor inside a special glass case. It is only lit twice an hour, so our guide had to carefully time the tour so that we could see it when it's lit.
http://www.vam.ac.uk/collections/asi...bil/index.html
We also passed through the Costume section, the Raphael cartoons, and finally ended in the British Galleries next to the Great Bed of Ware.
http://www.vam.ac.uk/collections/bri...lls/index.html
At the end of the tour (1 hour), I found out the same guide will be doing the British galleries guided tour (1500-1760) at 12:30pm, so I decided to join that as well.
Between 11:30 and 12:30, I quickly rushed to the upstairs British Galleries to check out the Arts & Crafts Movement section, then over to the Dining Rooms.
The Dining Rooms (Morris, Gamble, and Paynter) at the V&A are not to be missed - even if you don't want to eat there. I had a soup, bread & butter, a side order of vegetables. Total was £7.45.
The 12:30pm British Galleries tour group was much bigger in size - perhaps 20 people? At that point, I was so exhausted that I didn't quite absorb much. At the end of the tour, I returned to the hotel and collapsed in my bed.
An hour later, I reluctantly got up so that I could visit <b>Leighton House</b> near Holland Park. I had hoped to make it to their 2:30pm guided tour, but I really needed my nap. This was the home of painter Fred Leighton. The most impressive room is the Arab Hall - simply amazing.
http://www.rbkc.gov.uk/LHLeightonHou.../arabhall2.asp
Throughout the house are paintings by Leighton, which I admit I'm not a fan.
For those of you who want to visit Leighton House, unfortunately you'll have to wait 1 year, as it closed on Oct 31 (the day after my visit) for renovations.
When I came out of the house, which was 5pm, I was rather shocked to see that it was dark already. I really wish I had visited London before the end of daylight savings time. I found it depressing when it gets dark so early.
I made my way across town to <b>Royal Festival Hall</b> in the South Bank. Why? Because I found out online there would be a free chamber music concert there at 6pm. You must think I'm crazy to go to a concert on arrival day. But why not? It's free, so even if I slept through the whole concert, what do I have to lose?
The chamber concert was held by soloists of the Philharmonia orchestra. They performed Bruckner's String Quintet in F major. It lasted 45 minutes.
I returned back to the hotel and ate dinner at Delhi Brasserie nearby. This place was mentioned by Fodorite carolyn. As I was browsing its website before I left, I noticed they offer a 20% off voucher which I could print out. All the better!
The restaurant is fancier than I expected - complete with white table cloth and candles. I ordered an entree of lamb curry, a side of steamed rice, plus a soda. With the discount, my dinner was £11.20.
http://www.delhibrasserie.com/about_us.htm
The food there is quite good, though I'm no expert on Indian food. My only complaint was that all my clothes smelled like Indian food for the next few days (my jacket, wool hat, wool scarf etc).
There are 2 daily nonstop flights from Boston to LHR on American Airlines. I prefer the day flight, which is much easier on my body clock. However, being cheap, I didn't want to pay for an extra night of hotel, so I opted for the overnight flight.
The flight was full in economy, but fortunately I was able to reserve seat 31H on this 777, which is the bulkhead exit row seat with unlimited legroom.
I was only able to sleep for 2-3 hours on this short flight (6hrs). I chatted with my neighbor in the last 20 minutes of the flight. When I mentioned I was going to the opera to see JD Florez, it turns out that he is a lawyer who used to work with the Three Tenors organization. It was fun chatting with him, though I felt sorry for him having to fly in economy and attend a meeting 2 hours after the plane landed.
We landed at around 7am, immigration was very fast. I was at the Heathrow tube station by 7:30am.
<b>Day 1 - Kensington Gardens, V&A, Leighton House, Royal Festival Hall</b>
I got the Holiday Inn Kensington Forum via Priceline, for $108/night all-in. Naturally, the room was not ready when I arrived to check in.
After I dropped off my luggage, I asked myself, Where to go now? As it was only 8:30am, nothing (I mean attractions-wise) was open. So I decided to head to Kensington Gardens.
The sun was out and the fall foliage was quite beautiful there. I had a close-up look of <b>Albert Memorial</b> - what a huge, gaudy thing. I had read that Prince Albert actually did NOT want any kind of monument, but I guess Queen Victoria disregarded his wish.
From there, I walked along the Serpentine and found the <b>Peter Pan statue</b>. I continued northward until I reached the Italian Garden and fountains. I sat on a bench and rested for some time, but as it was quite chilly, I had to get up and move. By then it was 9:45am, so I made my way to the <b>Serpentine Gallery</b> which opens at 10am.
The current exhibition there is <i>4900 colors</i> by Gerhard Richter. I was familiar with his earlier works, but this was quite a shock to me. I don't "get it".
This work has the same concept as the stained glass he designed for the Cologne Cathedral, which I haven't been. I'm interested to see the similarites/differences.It only took me 10 minutes at this show, and as I left, I had a look of the Gehry Paviliion next door which is now closed and being dismantled.
Next I hurried to the <b>V&A</b> in order to join the 10:30am guided Highlights tour. The V&A has guided tours every hour and they are free. Despite having been to London so many times before, this is the first time I set foot inside the V&A. I'm so glad I took the tour, as the sheer size and volume of the museum would have completely overwhelmed me.
Our tour only had 3 people, and the docent is extremely knowledgable. One of our first stops is the cast room, which is quite a WOW factor for someone like me who's never been. We spent most of our time in the Asian galleries, specifically in the Middle East section as those galleries were re-done not too long ago. The star of the show is the beautiful <i>Ardabil carpet</i>, now displayed on the floor inside a special glass case. It is only lit twice an hour, so our guide had to carefully time the tour so that we could see it when it's lit.
http://www.vam.ac.uk/collections/asi...bil/index.html
We also passed through the Costume section, the Raphael cartoons, and finally ended in the British Galleries next to the Great Bed of Ware.
http://www.vam.ac.uk/collections/bri...lls/index.html
At the end of the tour (1 hour), I found out the same guide will be doing the British galleries guided tour (1500-1760) at 12:30pm, so I decided to join that as well.
Between 11:30 and 12:30, I quickly rushed to the upstairs British Galleries to check out the Arts & Crafts Movement section, then over to the Dining Rooms.
The Dining Rooms (Morris, Gamble, and Paynter) at the V&A are not to be missed - even if you don't want to eat there. I had a soup, bread & butter, a side order of vegetables. Total was £7.45.
The 12:30pm British Galleries tour group was much bigger in size - perhaps 20 people? At that point, I was so exhausted that I didn't quite absorb much. At the end of the tour, I returned to the hotel and collapsed in my bed.
An hour later, I reluctantly got up so that I could visit <b>Leighton House</b> near Holland Park. I had hoped to make it to their 2:30pm guided tour, but I really needed my nap. This was the home of painter Fred Leighton. The most impressive room is the Arab Hall - simply amazing.
http://www.rbkc.gov.uk/LHLeightonHou.../arabhall2.asp
Throughout the house are paintings by Leighton, which I admit I'm not a fan.
For those of you who want to visit Leighton House, unfortunately you'll have to wait 1 year, as it closed on Oct 31 (the day after my visit) for renovations.
When I came out of the house, which was 5pm, I was rather shocked to see that it was dark already. I really wish I had visited London before the end of daylight savings time. I found it depressing when it gets dark so early.
I made my way across town to <b>Royal Festival Hall</b> in the South Bank. Why? Because I found out online there would be a free chamber music concert there at 6pm. You must think I'm crazy to go to a concert on arrival day. But why not? It's free, so even if I slept through the whole concert, what do I have to lose?
The chamber concert was held by soloists of the Philharmonia orchestra. They performed Bruckner's String Quintet in F major. It lasted 45 minutes.
I returned back to the hotel and ate dinner at Delhi Brasserie nearby. This place was mentioned by Fodorite carolyn. As I was browsing its website before I left, I noticed they offer a 20% off voucher which I could print out. All the better!
The restaurant is fancier than I expected - complete with white table cloth and candles. I ordered an entree of lamb curry, a side of steamed rice, plus a soda. With the discount, my dinner was £11.20.
http://www.delhibrasserie.com/about_us.htm
The food there is quite good, though I'm no expert on Indian food. My only complaint was that all my clothes smelled like Indian food for the next few days (my jacket, wool hat, wool scarf etc).
Nov 6th, 2008, 11:38 AM
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<b>Day 2 - Oxford
Part I</b>
Thanks to Fodorites, I found out that I could save some money by buying my Oxford bus tickets through Megabus. Megabus acts as a 3rd-party discount outlet for Oxford Tube (not Oxford espress), and tickets can be as low as £1 each way, but I waited until last minute (48hrs) so I paid £5 each way for a grand total of £10.50 (50p booking fee). This is compared to the regular price of £16 same-day r/t ticket.
The downside of Megabus ticket is that you are stuck with taking the exact bus you booked and you lose the flexibility. Most of you probably don't think it's worth the savings, but it was fine with me.
I got up at 5:15am in order to catch the 7am Oxford Tube bus from Victoria. On its website, it wasn't clear to me where the bus stop is, so I arrived a bit early to find it (along Buckingham Palace Road between Victoria rail station and Victoria coach station). I was a bit nervous as I was the only person waiting, but eventually another woman came and confirmed I was at the right spot.
We chatted for quite some time on the bus. She is Romanian but moved to the UK 3 years ago. She used to live in Oxford but now she lives in London. Of course I took this advantage to get some travel tips for Romania (even though I had no immediate plans to visit).
The bus made numerous stops on the way, and went past Shepard's Bush where I saw the brand-new Westfield shopping mall which had just opened the day before. From the outside, it doesn't look that interesting from an architecture point of view.
As the bus got on to M40, there was some nice autumn foliage alongside the highway.
We arrived in Oxford at 8:45am. Since nothing is open until 9, I stopped at Starbucks for some coffee.
At 9am sharp, I arrived at the entrance to Christ Church. Although the website says it opens at 9, it turns out that only the Cathedral is open at 9, while the Great Hall doesn't open until 10:30. The guards told me to return at 10:15.
Because of that, I had to completely rearrange my whole itinerary that day. As not much else is open at 9, I strolled along the Christ Church Meadow for a bit, then headed back towards High Street to visit <b>St Mary's Church</b> (which opens at 9).
I climbed the tower (£3) which has a magnificent view of Radcliffe Camera and All Souls College (thanks flanner for the info). The best thing is I was the only person on the tower to enjoy this view.
Afterwards, I went to Bodleian Library to book a guided tour for 11:30, and to the tourist office to book the walking tour for 1pm. Then I made my way back to Christ Church.
<b>Christ Church</b> was started by Cardinal Wolsey, on the site of the Priory of St Frideswide, who is the patron saint of Oxford. Unfortunately, Wolsey never finished the college as he fell out of favor of Henry VIII. Later, Henry VIII restarted the construction of the college.
After you enter the college (£4.90), there is a room on the right showing a 15-min video on the history of Christ Church college. Very informative.
The cathedral has plenty of stained glass windows by Burne-Jones (who studied at Oxford and was a close friend of William Morris).
Most people visit Christ Church because of Harry Potter fame, as the Great Hall was used as the dining hall at Hogwarts. On the far side of the wall hangs a portrait of Henry VIII, next to him, a profile portrait of Cardinal Wolsey.
To exit Christ Church, one walks past the Tom Quad with Tom Tower on the opposite side, designed by Wren.
I made my way to <b>Bodleian Library</b> for the 11:30 tour. Within the quad, just in front of the entrance, is a statue of 3rd Earl of Pembroke. The building has an interesting facade.
The Library tour (£6) is a must-see for any visitor, IMO. First, we wait inside the <b>Divinity School</b>, which is a magnificent hall of Medieval architecture. It was originally built as the examination hall for students. There is a Drake chair - made from timber from the Golden Hind. [The Divinity School was also featured in a few of the Harry Potter movies.]
From the Divinity School, we entered into the Convocation House which is now used for university meetings. During the civil war, this was where Charles I held his royalist parliament. (Oxford was a royalist stronghold and Charles I stayed at Christ Church.)
Then we headed upstairs to <b>Duke Humfrey's Library</b>. Duke Humfrey was brother of Henry V, and he had a magnificent collection of manuscripts. This library was built to house those. It is absolutely beautiful, and one would not be able to visit it without the guided tour.
http://shop.bodley.ox.ac.uk/acatalog/Tours.html
At the end of the tour, our knowledgable guide mentioned the list of movies and TV shows that were filmed at the Bodleian Library, including Inspector Lewis series. In fact, he mentioned, they are filming Inspector Lewis <b>today</b> at the Randolph Hotel.
My heart almost stopped when I heard this, as I am a fan of this new series (Series One just premiered on PBS this past summer). I must admit I am quite taken by Lewis' sidekick Hathaway, played by actor Laurence Fox. For those of you not familiar with him, you must know his more-famous wife, Billie Piper. Anyway, how great would it be if I can meet Laurence Fox in person???
As I exited the Bodleian Library, I walked as quickly as I could towards the Randolph Hotel.
To be continued...
Part I</b>
Thanks to Fodorites, I found out that I could save some money by buying my Oxford bus tickets through Megabus. Megabus acts as a 3rd-party discount outlet for Oxford Tube (not Oxford espress), and tickets can be as low as £1 each way, but I waited until last minute (48hrs) so I paid £5 each way for a grand total of £10.50 (50p booking fee). This is compared to the regular price of £16 same-day r/t ticket.
The downside of Megabus ticket is that you are stuck with taking the exact bus you booked and you lose the flexibility. Most of you probably don't think it's worth the savings, but it was fine with me.
I got up at 5:15am in order to catch the 7am Oxford Tube bus from Victoria. On its website, it wasn't clear to me where the bus stop is, so I arrived a bit early to find it (along Buckingham Palace Road between Victoria rail station and Victoria coach station). I was a bit nervous as I was the only person waiting, but eventually another woman came and confirmed I was at the right spot.
We chatted for quite some time on the bus. She is Romanian but moved to the UK 3 years ago. She used to live in Oxford but now she lives in London. Of course I took this advantage to get some travel tips for Romania (even though I had no immediate plans to visit).
The bus made numerous stops on the way, and went past Shepard's Bush where I saw the brand-new Westfield shopping mall which had just opened the day before. From the outside, it doesn't look that interesting from an architecture point of view.
As the bus got on to M40, there was some nice autumn foliage alongside the highway.
We arrived in Oxford at 8:45am. Since nothing is open until 9, I stopped at Starbucks for some coffee.
At 9am sharp, I arrived at the entrance to Christ Church. Although the website says it opens at 9, it turns out that only the Cathedral is open at 9, while the Great Hall doesn't open until 10:30. The guards told me to return at 10:15.
Because of that, I had to completely rearrange my whole itinerary that day. As not much else is open at 9, I strolled along the Christ Church Meadow for a bit, then headed back towards High Street to visit <b>St Mary's Church</b> (which opens at 9).
I climbed the tower (£3) which has a magnificent view of Radcliffe Camera and All Souls College (thanks flanner for the info). The best thing is I was the only person on the tower to enjoy this view.
Afterwards, I went to Bodleian Library to book a guided tour for 11:30, and to the tourist office to book the walking tour for 1pm. Then I made my way back to Christ Church.
<b>Christ Church</b> was started by Cardinal Wolsey, on the site of the Priory of St Frideswide, who is the patron saint of Oxford. Unfortunately, Wolsey never finished the college as he fell out of favor of Henry VIII. Later, Henry VIII restarted the construction of the college.
After you enter the college (£4.90), there is a room on the right showing a 15-min video on the history of Christ Church college. Very informative.
The cathedral has plenty of stained glass windows by Burne-Jones (who studied at Oxford and was a close friend of William Morris).
Most people visit Christ Church because of Harry Potter fame, as the Great Hall was used as the dining hall at Hogwarts. On the far side of the wall hangs a portrait of Henry VIII, next to him, a profile portrait of Cardinal Wolsey.
To exit Christ Church, one walks past the Tom Quad with Tom Tower on the opposite side, designed by Wren.
I made my way to <b>Bodleian Library</b> for the 11:30 tour. Within the quad, just in front of the entrance, is a statue of 3rd Earl of Pembroke. The building has an interesting facade.
The Library tour (£6) is a must-see for any visitor, IMO. First, we wait inside the <b>Divinity School</b>, which is a magnificent hall of Medieval architecture. It was originally built as the examination hall for students. There is a Drake chair - made from timber from the Golden Hind. [The Divinity School was also featured in a few of the Harry Potter movies.]
From the Divinity School, we entered into the Convocation House which is now used for university meetings. During the civil war, this was where Charles I held his royalist parliament. (Oxford was a royalist stronghold and Charles I stayed at Christ Church.)
Then we headed upstairs to <b>Duke Humfrey's Library</b>. Duke Humfrey was brother of Henry V, and he had a magnificent collection of manuscripts. This library was built to house those. It is absolutely beautiful, and one would not be able to visit it without the guided tour.
http://shop.bodley.ox.ac.uk/acatalog/Tours.html
At the end of the tour, our knowledgable guide mentioned the list of movies and TV shows that were filmed at the Bodleian Library, including Inspector Lewis series. In fact, he mentioned, they are filming Inspector Lewis <b>today</b> at the Randolph Hotel.
My heart almost stopped when I heard this, as I am a fan of this new series (Series One just premiered on PBS this past summer). I must admit I am quite taken by Lewis' sidekick Hathaway, played by actor Laurence Fox. For those of you not familiar with him, you must know his more-famous wife, Billie Piper. Anyway, how great would it be if I can meet Laurence Fox in person???
As I exited the Bodleian Library, I walked as quickly as I could towards the Randolph Hotel.
To be continued...
Nov 6th, 2008, 03:23 PM
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I'm so glad to hear that you liked the Dehli Brasserie. I'm a budget traveler, too, and am always hesitant to recommend stuff unless people specifically ask for budget.
It certainly sounds like you made great use of your time. I'm another London lover (nine trips so far) but had to forfeit this year's visit since my daughter and I are planning to go to New Zealand in February and are saving our travel money. So, anyway, I'm enjoying your trip report and pretending I'm there with you.
It certainly sounds like you made great use of your time. I'm another London lover (nine trips so far) but had to forfeit this year's visit since my daughter and I are planning to go to New Zealand in February and are saving our travel money. So, anyway, I'm enjoying your trip report and pretending I'm there with you.
Nov 6th, 2008, 03:33 PM
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Welcome back, yk!
Really enjoying your report so far. I am in awe at your stamina- what an amazing amount of things you did on your arrival day!
Sorry to hear the weather wasn't so great. Apparently it's been pretty cold this year. I was extremely lucky to have hit sunny days earlier in October.
I just googled Laurence Fox and he's really cute. I hope you got to meet to him, or at least see in him person...(don't tell us you ended up having dinner with him!)
Really enjoying your report so far. I am in awe at your stamina- what an amazing amount of things you did on your arrival day!
Sorry to hear the weather wasn't so great. Apparently it's been pretty cold this year. I was extremely lucky to have hit sunny days earlier in October.
I just googled Laurence Fox and he's really cute. I hope you got to meet to him, or at least see in him person...(don't tell us you ended up having dinner with him!)
Nov 6th, 2008, 05:09 PM
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yk,
Always enjoyed your previous trip reports, and this one is no different! I've never had a very strict budget, but I'm really curious about your food budget, especially since you mentioned they were mostly at sit down restaurants. Were both lunch & dinner at restaurants, or just one? To stick to such a budget, I'm guessing you did loads of research for budget style places.
Isn't the cafe areas at the V&A lovely? We didn't have a full meal their(by the way, what did you think of your meal?), but we really enjoyed being in those rooms - I loved how certain aspects had a more middle eastern look to them.
Urgh, but to leave us on a cliffhanger!
Always enjoyed your previous trip reports, and this one is no different! I've never had a very strict budget, but I'm really curious about your food budget, especially since you mentioned they were mostly at sit down restaurants. Were both lunch & dinner at restaurants, or just one? To stick to such a budget, I'm guessing you did loads of research for budget style places.
Isn't the cafe areas at the V&A lovely? We didn't have a full meal their(by the way, what did you think of your meal?), but we really enjoyed being in those rooms - I loved how certain aspects had a more middle eastern look to them.
Urgh, but to leave us on a cliffhanger!
Nov 6th, 2008, 07:30 PM
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Yes love your trip reports yk and thought your report on Spain outstanding. When are you going to Italy? I would love to read that. Perhaps you should put them all together and give the dreaded Rick Steves a bit of competition!!!!
Nov 7th, 2008, 03:46 AM
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Waiting for more! Reading this makes me want to go back to London now.
I'm amazed by the amount of wonderful details you notice and remember even when rushing between so many places in such a short time. Do you keep a journal during the trip?
I'm amazed by the amount of wonderful details you notice and remember even when rushing between so many places in such a short time. Do you keep a journal during the trip?
Nov 7th, 2008, 04:42 AM
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Can't wait for more - I've been to Oxford but I was disappointed by a lot of it. Granted, I was only 19 then and on a forced tour - BUT, Christ Church is gorgeous! Thank you for providing tips for budget travellers as we appreciate them!
Nov 7th, 2008, 06:05 AM
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First of all, thank you for all your comments.
lennyba - I'm glad I could be of help. Your trip is not until next March!? I would have died waiting for it to come.
carolyn - I think in reality, majority of us here are "budget" travelers. There are plenty of more expensive options at Delhi Brasserie, and I'd have to say the waiters can be somewhat "pushy" to encourage one to order more. I have learned to be firm and stick with what I had in mind.
Apres_Londee - Yes, I'm quite disappointed with the weather. Esp since both you and rickmav had just returned from London and reported good weather!
MademoiselleFifi - Yes, I have a small moleskin journal and I jotted down stuff when I have a break. Also, looking at photos I took helps me remember things I might not have written down. I also have a very detailed printed itin which have all the bus #s, train schedules, opening hours listed. So that when I'm rushing, I can just peek at my "cheat sheet" and know what I'm supposed to do next.
DownUnder - I posted a trip report on Venice and Veneto here back in 2005. If you find the thread with the title "Post your Italy trip reports here", you'll be able to find the link to my TR.
pointofnoreturn - Oxford definitiely deserves a revisit. I had been there once before, when I was also 19. I visited someone there, and really had no recollection of what I saw then. So I'm just glad I finally went back, and now that I'm older (hopefully wiser) and know a tinsy bit more about English history, looking at these old buildings actually mean something to me now.
-----------------------------
Just a word about my meals and food budget (to answer Anna's question as well):
1) On average, I ate 2 meals each day. At least 1 meal per day was at a sit-down restaurant, some days both were.
2) I am not a big eater, so I mainly ordered just one main dish, +/- a non-alcoholic drink. No appetizers, no desserts.
3) On my arrival day, I bought a bag of apples from Waitrose, plus a package of (don't laugh) McVities Penguin Biscuits. This is a package of 18 individually wrapped chocolate-covered biscuits in 3 different flavors. They served as snacks during the day and sometimes dessert at night or even breakfast. I consumed all 18 biscuits in 6 days.
4) Re lunch at the V&A: My soup (I think it was leek and potato) was lovely. The vegetable side dish was a bit bland. There was free tap water available.
If my husband had come along with me, I highly doubt we could stick with this £20pp/day budget for food, as he is a big eater and needs at least 3 meals a day.
lennyba - I'm glad I could be of help. Your trip is not until next March!? I would have died waiting for it to come.
carolyn - I think in reality, majority of us here are "budget" travelers. There are plenty of more expensive options at Delhi Brasserie, and I'd have to say the waiters can be somewhat "pushy" to encourage one to order more. I have learned to be firm and stick with what I had in mind.
Apres_Londee - Yes, I'm quite disappointed with the weather. Esp since both you and rickmav had just returned from London and reported good weather!
MademoiselleFifi - Yes, I have a small moleskin journal and I jotted down stuff when I have a break. Also, looking at photos I took helps me remember things I might not have written down. I also have a very detailed printed itin which have all the bus #s, train schedules, opening hours listed. So that when I'm rushing, I can just peek at my "cheat sheet" and know what I'm supposed to do next.
DownUnder - I posted a trip report on Venice and Veneto here back in 2005. If you find the thread with the title "Post your Italy trip reports here", you'll be able to find the link to my TR.
pointofnoreturn - Oxford definitiely deserves a revisit. I had been there once before, when I was also 19. I visited someone there, and really had no recollection of what I saw then. So I'm just glad I finally went back, and now that I'm older (hopefully wiser) and know a tinsy bit more about English history, looking at these old buildings actually mean something to me now.
-----------------------------
Just a word about my meals and food budget (to answer Anna's question as well):
1) On average, I ate 2 meals each day. At least 1 meal per day was at a sit-down restaurant, some days both were.
2) I am not a big eater, so I mainly ordered just one main dish, +/- a non-alcoholic drink. No appetizers, no desserts.
3) On my arrival day, I bought a bag of apples from Waitrose, plus a package of (don't laugh) McVities Penguin Biscuits. This is a package of 18 individually wrapped chocolate-covered biscuits in 3 different flavors. They served as snacks during the day and sometimes dessert at night or even breakfast. I consumed all 18 biscuits in 6 days.
4) Re lunch at the V&A: My soup (I think it was leek and potato) was lovely. The vegetable side dish was a bit bland. There was free tap water available.
If my husband had come along with me, I highly doubt we could stick with this £20pp/day budget for food, as he is a big eater and needs at least 3 meals a day.
Nov 7th, 2008, 06:51 AM
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Look, forget all this stuff about how many leeks in her soup.
She's - well possessed of a Scottish attitude to money. But she's left us, after banging on about cheapo food, to sprint off to a poncey gaff that charges eighteen quid for a cup of tea and a few cucumber sandwiches. Were the loos in the Bodleian too cold for her?
Or is there an assignation about to happen?
Whatever it is:
<b> Get on with it, woman </b>
She's - well possessed of a Scottish attitude to money. But she's left us, after banging on about cheapo food, to sprint off to a poncey gaff that charges eighteen quid for a cup of tea and a few cucumber sandwiches. Were the loos in the Bodleian too cold for her?
Or is there an assignation about to happen?
Whatever it is:
<b> Get on with it, woman </b>
