Hogwarts and Beers

Day 3 was an early rise and London to Oxford by double-decker bus was an easy ride.

We started out climbing a spiral staircase up the Carfax Tower to get a view of the town, and next headed to Christ Church College, where various Harry Potter scenes were filmed. Again, we were amazed by the history of the place and laughed that the school, founded in 1546 is far older than America.  Next, we toured Magdalan College for some similarly impressive architecture and a nice collection of deer.  Lindsey walked around whispering, in a sixth-sense voice, "I see smart people." We saw a few others places including Bodleian Library (also in Harry Potter), but began to get bored at the various collections of stacked rocks.

Thus, we began the pub tour.  The day had again been bitterly cold, and we headed to the only pub with a fireplace for our first beverage.  Sipping away, we were befriended by Joe Williams, a slow-speaking, but friendly Englishman.  Lindsey and Steve laughed about the pace and manner of the English and were reminded of a favorite Eddie Izzard skit, that contrasts American and British movies.

After a slow chat, Joe volunteered to walk us to our next bar, a favorite of his, which proved to be our favorite.  The bar, Eagle and Child, was once frequented by CS Lewis and JRR Tolkein, who spent hours drinking beers and discussing their writings.  Lewis taught at nearby Magdalan.  We enjoyed having drinks in the seats the authors of Narnia and Lord of the Rings once sat in, and reading the note they once left the owner; a toast to his health.  We also acknowledged our complete lack of creativity relative to the old regulars.

From here, we hopped to another of Joe's recommendations: The White Horse, so named for a policeman's horse who held back the crowds after a rambunctious 1923 championship match at Wembley.

Finally, the time had come to return to London, again by bus and we got in a good nap and an iPod episode Faulty Towers (really sticking with the English thing).

Back in London we ate in Chinatown, for a meal that started out great and ended pretty poorly, before returning home.  On the walk back I snapped a few pictures of the London Eye and parliament.