Day 7 - Getting to Oxford

Distance walked: 11km (I really don't believe this FitBit), Alcohol consumed: 1 large glass wine

Woke to an overcast and drizzly sky - again.  We left the flat early and decided to have breakfast at a cafe on the way to the station.  In fact, we left so early the only cafe we came across wasn't actually open for another 10 minutes but they served us anyway.  I've found the service here in Yorkshire to be very good.  Not fawning, "hello my name is xxx and I am your waiter today" service but just helpful and friendly.  We've been served cheerfully in cafes 15 minutes before closing and now, in one 10 minutes before opening.

After breakfast we made our way to the railway station to catch a train to Oxford.  I guess this is the last time I will visit York - unless I go on a hiking trip in Yorkshire (which is entirely possible).

It rained off and on all through the journey, with occasional patches of blue sky just to tease. However, it was overcast and drizzly when we finally made it to Oxford. I'm sensing a theme with English weather.

We are staying at Oriel College as it is still the university holidays and it is just fabulous. Imagine every film or photo of an Oxford college you've seen and it is just like that.  We are on staircase 15. We booked late so only Mary got a room with an ensuite. I share my bathroom with my neighbour. Each room on this staircase is a different size and shape.  I seem to have got the smallest but it is entirely functional. The bathroom is cosy. Clearly only slim people need to be able to fit in the shower.

After checking in we headed out to do a two hour walking tour of Oxford run by Footprint Tours. All the guides are university students. Our guide, Luke, had just finished his law degree but claimed to miss doing the tours so he comes up to Oxford from London on weekends to keep doing them. I'm not sure if he is a solicitor or (training to be) a barrister but he certainly has the gift of the gab. He was very engaging and knew how to entertain a crowd.

After the tour we just wandered around on our own for a bit and also visited the Weston Library (a branch of the Bodleian apparently) and looked at their exhibition of rare books - including a page from the Magna Carta, and also an exhibition on Jane Austen until they threw us out at closing time.

We went back to the college for a rest and then headed out for  dinner. It appears that the vast majority of places to eat in Oxford are pubs. There aren't many restaurants - at least we couldn't find them. A pub would suit me but Mary wasn't keen so we settled on a place called Zizzi which is a chain of Italian restaurants. It was better than I expected. To start with I had Toscana soup - basically a vegetable soup but with quinoa rather than the more traditional pasta. For main I had pizza with wild (?) boar meatballs and smoked chorizo. Again, hardly traditional but tasty.

Back to the college and through the sally port in the main door. Such fun.