Welcome to Oxford!

Earlier this year Delta advertised a great Skymiles deal to London. Our good friends Peter and Janice (we've been on many many adventures with them!) recently moved from London to Oxford, so Paul decided to take advantage of the Delta deal and go for a long weekend in Oxford.

The trip was short - I took an overnight flight on a Wednesday and came back Sunday, which only gave me about 3 days total. With the flight time to Europe (8 hours there, 9 back) I wasn't sure about such a short trip (ugh, jetlag), but it worked out really well. Would do again!

I landed at Heathrow on a Thursday morning, and took a bus direct from the airport to Oxford. It was easy and comfortable, and I saw a lot of sheep and took a little nap. Janice and Peter greeted me in Oxford, and I dropped my bag off at their apartment before heading out for the day. We started at Hinksey Park right next to their apartment, and walked towards downtown via the new Westgate mall. We had lunch at the atmospheric Vaults and Garden, a cafe/restaurant in a 1320 addition to the University Church of St. Mary the Virgin.

After lunch we climbed up to the top of the church, pretty much right above the restaurant. There was a great view of all of Oxford, especially the Radcliffe camera which is one of the most photographed sites in the city. Highly recommended.

The three amigos in Oxford.

A small pond in the park next to the apartment.

Janice and Peter being casual in downtown Oxford.

There are historic buildings all over the city. But the most important thing in this picture is FUNGRY.

The Vaults and Garden restaurant.

Climbing up the spiral staircase at the church. Not a lot of room for two-way traffic.

Narrow doorways up at the top.

The postcard view of the Radcliffe Camera.

Oxford is a quaint historic town.

A bunch of University-related buildings.

Old graffiti at the top of the church.

Inside the chapel.

There are family crests like this all over Oxford.

We spent some time walking around the center of Oxford, passing the "Bridge of Sighs" (which is actually similar to the Rialto Bridge in Venice, not the namesake Bridge of Sighs), and walking down a little alley for a drink at the historic Turf Tavern before visiting Blackwell's bookshop.

The bridge.

Narrow little alley.

Having a proper pint at the Turf Tavern.

Blackwell's looks small from the outside, but is a huge multi-level bookstore. This part is the basement.

Our next stop, the Bodleian Library, is one of the most famous and impressive sights in Oxford. You have to sign up for a tour, and it's worth it. The oldest part of the building is from 1487, and thousands of priceless historic books line the shelves. We also visited the adjacent history of science museum, a free museum with a variety of scientific items on display.

The outside of the library.

The ground floor. A lot of movies are filmed in this room. No pictures are allowed in the main library room.

The outside of the history of science museum. There's a unicorn!

Some of the historic objects on display in the museum.

Neat vines on a building.

After leaving the library and museum, we walked by Balliol College and decided to take a look inside. Oxford University has a number of separate colleges, many of which can be visited with a small entry fee. They typically have an atmospheric central courtyard, a Harry Potter-esque dining hall, and a chapel. Balliol was founded in 1263, and is worth a gander if you're passing by. Next we walked through the covered market in downtown Oxford, which was closing up for the day, but there was a new microbrewery (nano-pub) called Teardrop that was still open. It's run by the folks at Church Hanbrewery, and featured some beers that were a step above the typically bland beers that are served at pubs around town.

Dining hall in Balliol College.

A scene that just screams Oxford.

There were a lot of weird little guys on the walls.

Balliol College.

A typical Oxford street scene. Lots of bikes; cute little shops.

An old cemetery right in the middle of town.

A busy pedestrian street. Janice likes the old building on the left.

Some beers in the covered market.

It was a bit too cold and cloudy for boating.

Our last stop of the day was dinner and drinks along Cowley Road, which is lined with a variety of restaurants and funky shops. It's a short walk from downtown. We had a great Turkish meal at Antep kitchen followed by a pint at the Library Pub. Pro-tip: try the "turnib" juice at Antep. ;)

So much meat!

Peter with his giant delicious dinner.

The Libary Pub.

Janice and Peter in the Library pub.

After a successful but exhausting day exploring Oxford, we took a taxi home. I still had two full days to explore Oxford - coming up in the next post!

Last Day in Athens

For the last full day in Athens, Janice, Peter and I got up a bit earlier and strolled over to the Acropolis museum. This museum was not completed the last time I visited Athens. The museum, a striking building just south of the Acropolis, houses historical information about the history of the city as well as many of the sculptures and friezes from the monuments on the acropolis. One floor is completely committed to the Parthenon and you can walk around a structure and see what was originally a part of the monument. Parts of this display are unfortunately reproductions or casts of the original work. Between the passage of time, quarrying for materials, a canon blast, and the British, a lot of the original Parthenon is no longer on site.

The museum also hosts the restored caryatids. These statue columns were originally a part of the Erechteion, but were removed to restore and preserve them. These are one of my favorite components of the Acropolis. Overall, the museum is very impressive and offers stunning views up towards the Acropolis and the Parthenon.

Fun final fact; the Parthenon was converted into a church and then a mosque before being destroyed by a cannon blast in the middle 17th century. It's a pity it didn't limp over the finish line to the modern era when people would have preserved it in its original(ish) splendor.

Atrium of the Acropolis Museum.

View out of the museum towards the Acropolis

The museum itself is over ruins. They're working to creating an exhibit below as well.

After visiting the museum, we strolled around Plaka a bit more on our way to the Roman and Greek Agoras to visit the Temple of Hephaestus and the small museum in the Stoa of Attalos. This temple is one of the better preserved ancient monuments in Athens. The site is pretty cheap to visit, and there are some random ruins with good signage explaining what used to be here, both before and after the Roman conquest of Greece. The stoa was restored in the early 20th century by American business tycoon Rockefeller. A small museum is attached with artifacts from the site.

Temple of Hephaestus.

Looking back to the Acropolis from the Agora.

Peeking inside the Temple of Hephaestus.

Temple of Hephaestus money shot.

Panoramic view from the Temple of Hephaestus.

Stoa of Attolos.

Peek a Boo!

After visiting the Stoa museum, we decided it was time for a goodbye lunch, since Janice and Peter needed to return to the airport in the early afternoon. We found a nice row of restaurants across from the Agora and settled on a place called Antica. Fearing a situation like the dinner before, we were pleasantly surprised by the quality of the food along with the nice ambiance on the busy pedestrian alley. After lunch, we returned to the AirBnB, chilled for a few minutes and I bid Janice and Peter adio!

Throwback Tuesday to me in 2009 in Greece...

...and the recreation in 2019. I'm aging...ok.

Mmm...pastitio!

After a brief siesta, I decided to recreate one more memory from my 2009 trip. I waited until near sunset and climbed up the Lycabettus Hill. This hill, higher than the Acropolis, affords great views over the entire city, from the mountain to the sea. The sunset was really spectacular! Afterwards, I climbed back down the hill and strolled through the city a while before heading back to the AirBnB for some relaxation. 

Overall, a great return trip to Greece! I got to try some new things, like visiting Delphi and the Acropolis Museum along with some classic favorites like the Acropolis and the Lycabettus Hill. Having a smartphone and google really improved my ability to wonder around and see more of the city. It also helped to find better food and more interesting bars. It's really hard to imagine what life was like before smartphones! I really do like Greece and it will always have a special place in my heart...but now it's on to Cairo to meet up with Paul and do something totally different!

Kalispera Athens!

The path up the Lycabettus Hill is really cute.

City as far as the eye can see.

Sunset explosion of color.

Adio Athens! Until we meet again. 2029?