Great Halls & Gorgeous Parks (Oxford Part II)

   Our second day in Oxford (Tuesday, July 16th) was extremely full, but we saw so many beautiful places. In the morning we went to just one lecture at the C. S. Lewis conference & it was quite fascinating. Then we went traipsing around Oxford (again).

   First we went to Christ Church College.

   This hall was the inspiration for the Great Hall in the Harry Potter films! Nothing was actually filmed in here, but a set was built based on this hall.

Photo Credit: Dad

   These stairs are right outside the hall, & they were used for some of the filming. I was like, "I'm in Hogwarts!" =) But all the tourists walking around kind of diminished the magical effect.

   Then we stumbled upon a gem of an exhibit. We wandered into a stuffy hot room . . . & saw a map of Narnia drawn by C. S. Lewis himself. And a map of Middle Earth drawn by J. R. R. Tolkien. And a sketch of dufflepuds & beautiful illustrations of epic adventures drawn by the men who created them! And there were book cover design ideas, by both men for their books. It was so incredible! Unfortunately, we weren't allowed to take pictures, but I'll remember it for years.

   After that we went to refresh ourselves with tea & scones at St. Mary's. You might be asking, "But Anna, haven't you been saying how hot it's been over there? Did you get hot tea?" Yes & yes. You always get hot tea, no matter what the weather is. You can always depend on tea. =)

Photo Credit: Mom

   After tea dad & I climbed up a narrow winding staircase to the top of St. Mary's. The view from the top was spectacular, & you could go around three sides of the tower to take pictures. 

   Then we headed over to Magdelene College. We all agree that Magdelene was our favorite part of Oxford. It's the most beautiful college ever. The buildings, the grounds, the gardens! Pictures can't capture the grand beauty of it all, but here's a taste.

   P.S. Dad's camera died right when we got to Magdelene, so I let him use mine. All the following pictures were taken by him. 

Mom has decided this is where she's going to live (although she's chosen several houses on this trip already).

 

   What is your favorite picture from my second day in Oxford?