36 Hours in Oxford and London

After a long week of studying and research I took the weekend to travel to Oxford and London. I had the better part of the day in both places, not near enough time to see one of the great centers for learning in all the world and one of the greatest cities in all Europe, the emerald of the United Kingdom.

Nevertheless, it was fantastic to see a part of each of them. In Oxford I saw a smattering of the 38 colleges, a handful of churches, the Bodleian library, a cross as well as a monument that commemorated figures in history that were martyred because they would not renounce their faith, and I did a mini-walking tour to see some of the places that CS Lewis frequented (Magdalen College, Magdalen Church, the Eagle and Child pub where the "Inklings" which included J.R.R. Tolkein and others met and discussed what they were writing among a few other places).

In London I saw the Westminster Abbey, the Parliament buildings, Big Ben, the changing of the guard at Buckingham palace (picture of me above), St James Park, the British Museum, the British Library, the Thames River, the riverfront with all the street shows, the Sherlock Holmes museum, Regency Park, and sunset among the beautiful flowers at Queen Mary's botanical garden which provided for a great end to the day. It was a gorgeous day with clear blue skies and lots of sun that made the trip all the more pleasant. Thank you Lord! Clearly, the only thing missing was that I went to see all these places by myself. It would have been much better to have some my wife and family along (though I probably wouldn't have gone to so many museums and churches!) Hopefully, some day....

Below are some more pictures and details of my 36 hours in Oxford and London!