Finals, High Table and the Ashmolean Museum!

      So this week has been a wild dash to finish with our first set of classes! The western group, including myself, has had two papers, a project (see last post) and a final exam in the past 48 hours! It has been hectic, but I stayed pretty much on top of it and survived! Today I turned in my history paper on the Lollard (a work of pure genius...yeah right) and took our art history final. It was a little intimidating, with 10 slides and 3 minutes to look at each one and then two essays, but I'm still here! We'll see how I do.
     After work was done for the day, Alex and I took our assignment sheet from Sally and headed over to explore the famous Ashmolean museum, Oxford's most important art and artefacts collection. The facilities have been recently renovated and it is a really spiffy place. As Alex put it: "I don't feel like i'm going to suffocate in history" It is very light and airy with many levels and highly organized galleries. The best gallery--in my opinion--was the English Art from 400-1500, which had a work I have been anticipating seeing for about a year: The Alfred Jewel! My other favorite thing was a case full of artifacts and art works associated with the cult of Thomas Becket, including a champleve enameled reliquary and the little medals the pilgrims would have bought upon arrival in Canterbury.

Alfred Jewel 

 Becket Stuff

Some really neat English craftsmanship (carvings, enamels, etc) 

     Downstairs in the museum I got really excited because I thought the famous probably-fake mycenaen Mask of Agamemnon was there but then I went home and found out it was a copy! I was skeptical because there is no reason for it to be in Oxford but the plaque was totally deceptive and made it seem like the real fake Mask... so this was the fake fake mask of Agamemnon. Also mummies.

     After the museum Alex and I went shopping and I ate a delicious nutella crepe. I also bought a book at Blackwell's for way too much money but I really wanted it so there! It is about art....

     Finally, I thought this post would be a good time to talk about Formal Dinners! Every Thursday we all dress us and have an Oxford Formal Dinner with High Table. Different students sit with the faculty at the High Table each week with a table cloth and silver and fancy wine and seating chart. Sally says the traditional latin prayer and then we eat fancy food (tonight was rainbow trout, duck, and pavolove (sp?)) last week we had guinea foul and the week before that was steak. It is really great fun and the wine flows pretty freely haha... Tonight I borrowed a really pretty blue dress from Emily but as of yet have no pictures--hopefully will come later!
       In the meantime, DUBLIN TOMORROW!!

The Bachelorette: Camelot

The Bachelorette: Camelot    (<---- click on this link to watch it)

Alright so here is the project my group made for our final in the Arthur literature class. We didn't win the big prize, but the professor said it was the best year of projects ever and I am really happy with how it turned out :)

Bath tub and Stone house

      Yesterday we had our big excursion to the city of Bath and, of course, the obligatory Stonehenge. We rose early and all piled onto two buses for the 2 hour drive over to Bath. It was a really beautiful city that really make you feel like you had been transported to Italy (which we will be eventually...) The surrounding area is very hilly, so it also felt a little like being up in the Ozarks. We got the full scope of Bath history by going to see the Roman Baths, the late medieval Abbey, and finally the 18th century townhouses in the circus and Royal Crescent for England's beautiful people who came for the healing effects of the hot spring. I also had a really good malteser milkshake and a not-so-good cornish pasty! 

       The baths were really interesting! I loved the smell and the steamy, ancient air. Probably the coolest thing for me were the ancient Roman drains, deep underground the modern city which we got to see. I had to fight the urge to leap into the Great Pool--do you think I would've gotten in trouble for that? 

       Sally took us inside the Abbey to see the fanned vaulting, a beautiful feature of the Perpendicular Gothic style. My favorite outside detail, though, were Jacob's ladders which ran up the westfront of the Church. There were little angels climbing on them! Random aside: There was also two people who had painted themselves gold and were pretending to be statues of John and Yoko outside the Abbey. I did not take a picture because honestly I found it a little inappropriate. I'm not sure whether John would have laughed or been angry, actually. 

        After our afternoon in Bath, we headed on down the road to Stonehenge. I was not actually disappointed because my expectations had already been so low. I'd heard the horror stories about how long it took to get there and how underwhelming it was, so I was not underwhelmed! The small-ish circle of ancient rocks is literally about a hundred yards from the interstate, which you can see quite clearly as you are walking around (not through) the stones. Still, the weather was very nice and I had a nice stroll!

         When we got back there was a pizza party which was especially fun because it was the first pizza I'd had since we left the US! I had missed it! 

         Today (the saturday after the friday excursion), I have plans to exclusively write my English paper. I wish I could say that this paper was the only on due next Thursday, but this week's workload is pretty overwhelming... so i better get started! :) 

Punting

We had a really fun adventure learning to punt, a favorite oxford pastime where you push the boat with a long pole, gondolier style!

I'm really good at being a passenger!

And Afterwards, ice cream!!

Cream Tea

         The big event today was our group's trip to Brown's for cream tea! It was a really nice place. Everyone got to choose what sort of tea they wanted, and then we each got two scones with clotted cream and strawberry jam. It was so much fun! Wonderful food and conversation :)

        Of course then we stayed so long that it was dinner time when we got back to college! Tonight it was tomato soup, turkey and a British version of dressing and chocolate cake.
        I'm in the midst of reading Sir Gawain and the Green Knight for our Arthur class. Before this it was the Knight with the Lion (Yvain) which I really enjoyed.

"Whether fate be foul or fair, Why falter I, or fear? 
What should man do but dare?"

        

I love Saturdays!

       Yesterday was our first real, free day in Oxford! In the proceeding days I think i'd been feeling a little bogged down by class and cooped up, so it was just really nice to be out in a city that I have loved for a long time! I finally got my bearings again, and much of the day was devoted to exploring. Alex and I watched the punters on the Cherwell in the Christ Church meadow (and we are actually going to go punting on Wednesday!)
        We had a delicious brunch of fried eggs on toast and hot chocolate at the Queen's Lane Cafe, which was first founded in 1625! I can't say that's an unusual thing here, either.. The Bear Pub down the street was founded in the 13th century!

        After our adventures around town, we came back for a little bit of homework with tea in the Junior Common Room (there is always tea and coffee in there) and later another Ben's Cookie! This time I had milk chocolate which was really good too, haha. So far I haven't encountered a Ben's Cookie I didn't like!
         Later in the evening, a group of us went down to The Eagle and Child, the famous pub frequented by the Inklings including Tolkien and C.S. Lewis. It is a very fun environment and we had a really nice time!

        All in all it was a really great Saturday in Oxford!

The Covered Market

     Today after class (we got out at noon because we only have Arthur on Tues/Thurs) a group of us went over to the covered market, a miraculous underground series of shops I remembered vaguely from the last time I was here with my family. We shopped around for scarfs and dresses--Alex and I finally got each other our birthday gifts!--and just had a really fun time looking around. They have a really beautiful cake shop, but our fancy today were the famous BENS COOKIES, which I must say, live up to the hype. Dinner was salmon which isn't my favorite but it was accompanied by a really nice pasta dish and then finished with a really delicious cheesecake, so today was a sweets day overall!

First day of School! First day of School!

      Well it was our first day of Oxford classes today! The first day of classes anywhere requires a good bit of adjusting to routine and learning the way things are. Every time at Rhodes is like that and this was not much different! The only big difference was that in two of my classes I was sitting in a gorgeous Baroque room that looked out on the Radcliffe camera and in between our first two classes we had a coffee/tea/hot chocolate break.
       My first class today was my Medieval Art class with Sally, our adorable/wonderful/can-I-please-just-be-this-woman-when-I-grow-up Dean. This class I already knew would be mostly review and I found that to definitely be the case. Still, I know that every professor brings something new to the table and I look forward to going back tomorrow! I was a little disappointed to hear that Sally thinks all we do in American art history classes is memorize--this is far from my experience, anyway--so i look forward to doing my best on the exams, etc to let her know that Americans can think and write analytically about art just as well as Europeans! I didn't get the impression she would accept anything less anyway, which is what I like :)
      Next (after our tea break) we had our Late Medieval History class with Professor Catto, an older and quite distinguished gentleman who opened class by inviting us over to "his college" of Oriel for drinks before the next formal dinner we have--that was different from Rhodes anyway! We all swiftly agreed and then jumped right into the Plague and peasant revolts.
      After lunch (which today was make you own sandwich day with really nice ingrediants like roast beef and coronation chicken) we had a short break and then our last class of the day, our Arthurian Legends class. Professor McClune is very young, stylish and Scottish. She graduated from Oxford and then taught here for ten years so she clearly knows her stuff! It was fun to break into groups and talk about different versions of Arthur from the various periods and she specifically brought up Game of Thrones. The only problem was that this class actually lasted TWO HOURS AND FIFTEEN MINUTES. Don't get me wrong--it was an awesome class! But after that long I was pretty exhausted and had to take a lengthy nap to recover.
        Dinner tonight was french onion soup, chicken with pasta and strawberries and cream. Afterwards, I sat in my window and did my Art History reading while looking out at one of the spires with a little crescent moon hanging over it in a still day-time blue sky.
         I'm not sure if I'll be updating everyday the next few weeks during classes but whenever an especially good adventure comes up I'll be sure to note it! We will be having several weekend excursions and no doubt i'll be running around exploring Oxford itself, so I"m sure this blog won't be bereft of good material :) ta for now!

Settling In

       Alright so it is pretty late and I have to get up for class in the morning, but I hate to miss a day so this is just going to be a really quick little post about our settling in day in Oxford! It was a wonderful day with lovely weather and was chock full of activities! We took a very extensive tour of the city, had a talk about security and the history of the university, saw the library we'll be using and then topped off the day with a special formal welcome dinner! The dinner was delicious and full of good company. Dr Streete opened and closed the evening with the two-part latin prayer that has been said in that Great Hall for over 600 years! Then the man in charge of the logistics of European Studies since 1988 stood up and told a few assorted stories about his own study abroad experience. The best thing about him besides his cheekiness were his yellow pinstripes and tie. Some highlights from the sight-seeing today included the infirmary from Harry Potter and the courtyard where they shot the Malfoy ferret scene. 

       Anyways, really great day and hoping for an exciting first day of Oxford classes tomorrow! 

       As I write this, I am sitting in my very own dorm room at Oxford! Alex and I are on our own little floor and my room is directly above the office of John Wesley (the founder of the Methodists and most famous Lincoln College alumnus). I can sit in my window and look out over the dreaming spires at last. 

       Today we got up and said goodbye to St John's College and I had to leave my cute little Durham room. Since I never posted a picture of it before, here is my room as it was when I left it for the last time this morning. 

        After a quick breakfast, the "wheels were rolling" at 8 am...except it was really 8:20--but nobody got left behind! Yay! We drove south for about 2 hours before stopping at Hardwick Hall, the 16th century manor home of Elizabeth of Shrewesbury (nicknamed Bess of Hardwick) who was a contemporary and friend of Queen Elizabeth I. 

          There were two houses there, the "Old Hall" which is a gutted ruin--the family sold the stone in the 19th century during a period of booming industry--and the "New Hall" which is the home built by Elizabeth. 

From the Top of Old Hall

Front of New Hall--See the ES initials? :)

Malfoy Manor in the Film

        I would have enjoyed a guided tour or simply having more knowledge beforehand, but it was a splendid house and ENORMOUS. Its main feature were the huge tapestries that seemed to cover every wall. The problem with tapestries is that they deteriorate pretty badly over time, so these masterpieces of weaving--one awe-inspiring--looked only a shine better than gray, dirty rags. The National Trust is trying to have them restored by the cost is terrible. 

Detail from one of the Gideon Tapestries (look at the holes and the color!) 

 Bess' receiving area in the Grand Hall

 The Long Hall full of portraits 

Portrait of Elizabeth I in Hardwick (Bess gave her the dress)

        I was overwhelmed by the grandeur of the house and by the sheer will of such an independent 16th century woman! After a nice long break at the estate, we reboarded the bus for about another 2 hours of travel. I was able to sleep most of the way and the trip went very fast! Before I knew it we were on the Ring Road about Oxford, and not long after that we were pulling up in front of Lincoln College! Pretty quickly we were reunited with Sally, who gave us our room keys, which leads me to my tour video: 

      The Point: I love my room!! 

       Anyways I heckled the Eastern track from my seat in my window, and then we all took a tour of campus, which was mostly just standing in one of the three quads while Sally explained important things. It was so nice to see the Easterners again after a week apart! After that we made our way to our first dinner in the dining hall. A quick game of musical chairs which I lost left me at the table with only four students and faculty, but that turned out to be really fun! It was a three course meal, which is to be the norm while we are here! There is a butler and a chef, with a wait staff to take care of us, kind of like Downton Abbey actually... For dinner there was a bisque with crutons and sunflower seeds, followed by chicken topped with a red sauce and mushrooms, ending in a very dense piece of chocolate cake! I really enjoyed the food, though I found it a little fast-paced and had trouble finishing what I had before it was whisked away and something else brought out! 

        Then we were left with several chores: we put our passports in the safe in the ES office, then went across the street to buy our textbooks from Stevens, who teased me by ignoring me and cackling while he helped the people behind me--don't worry, I finally got what I needed! I am now all unpacked and ready for 6 weeks here!! Feeling very blessed indeed! 

Oxford

"It is well that there are palaces of peace
And discipline and dreaming and desire,
Lest we forget our heritage and cease
The Spirit’s work—to hunger and aspire:

Lest we forget that we were born divine,
Now tangled in red battle’s animal net,
Murder the work and lust the anodyne,
Pains of the beast ‘gainst bestial solace set.

But this shall never be: to us remains
One city that has nothing of the beast,
That was not built for gross, material gains,
Sharp, wolfish power or empire’s glutted feast.

We are not wholly brute. To us remains
A clean, sweet city lulled by ancient streams,
A place of visions and of loosening chains,
A refuge of the elect, a tower of dreams.

She was not builded out of common stone
But out of all men’s yearning and all prayer
That she might live, eternally our own,
The Spirit’s stronghold—barred against despair."

--C.S. Lewis, Spirits in Bondage

(I do not own this poem nor any of the works by the esteemed C.S. Lewis and reproduce it here for only personal, non-commerical purposes)

Y'all Come Back Now, Ya Here?

       Today was our last day in Durham! I am currently nearly packed and ready for the 8:00 bus tomorrow morning (Dr Street threatens that the wheels will be rolling then and if we're not there... well then that's just too bad for us isn't it?) I must say I have mixed feelings about this departure. I have loved my little room here, with its sunny windows and big bed, and I will definitely miss dear old Professor Lomas, and yet I feel "quite ready for another adventure!"
       This morning Alex and I walked around the streets of the city, popping into shops and taking in the sights a final time. We were supposed to get Indian with some of the other girls, but for some reason Shareem's was closed! Luckily, Alex and I had already had a little snack, not knowing our lunch wasn't going to happen....

Yup, we were caught in the act, but it was soooo delicious and I felt no guilt. Actually, since we split the fish and chips and each had a 5 pound stipend for lunch, we made a small profit :O

        The afternoon was spent very leisurely, preparing for our big, fancy farewell dinner that night as well as just goofing off. We had to turn in our week's worth of academic journal which will in the end be worth 10% of our final grade. Alex straightened my hair with my WORKING CHI that was totally undamaged by the European plug! Just use an adapter and a regular straightener is just fine! Everyone tried to scare me but I took a chance and it paid off with straight hair and a working chi in the end. Alex and I also walked back over to the cathedral, just to sit in awe for a while. Sarah and Whitney both climbed the tower which I'm sure was amazing, but for some reason just gazing around at the church was enough for me :)
      Put in my contacts for the first time today (I know, pretty late in the game). They both got dried out in the case a few days ago and I hoped they would rehydrate... one of them mostly did and i wore it but I had to replace the other one. The one that's left irritated my eye some so it's only a matter of time...
       Dinner was very fun! After a pretty long walk over to this place, which by the way no one knew how to get to except Professor Lomas who had originally said he would walk with us but then just met us there ("But Gandalf... why didn't you meet us?") we arrived at a highly chic restaurant called Finbarr's. I didn't make the best menu choices though there were definitely delicious things available. I had the Welsh cheese thingy appetizer, then the crab risotto for dinner and finally the "Eton Mess" which was delicious!  It was a sort of raspberries with cream which was definitely my favorite part of the meal. If I could go back I would have had the smoked haddock followed by the braised beef but all is clear in hindsight, is it not?

        Everyone looked very nice and the conversation/company was wonderful! Professor Lomas ended the evening with a token farewell: "Well Pilgrims, I shall end our time together with two qutotations. The first is from Jane Austen in Emma: 'It was a delightful visit; perfect, in being much too short.' and a second, in the words of someone from your side of the water, the dearly departed Jeb from the Beverly Hillbillies: "Y'all come back now, ya here??" 
          And I certainly hope to one day! 

Big Walls and Fancy Rooms

       Today we were back on the bus to seek out more adventure! The day began at Alnwick Castle, the home of the Duke of Northumberland and the Percy family since the 13th century. It was also the location of the scene where Neville loses control of his broom and breaks his wrist in the first Harry Potter :O Outside in the courtyard they were having broomstick lessons which made the ancient stone fortress echo with the shrieks of laughing children. It was highly appropriate and positively adorable.

       The castle has an incredibly opulent set of state rooms which includes 74 Old Master paintings, a Velazquez and a Turner. I enjoyed seeing a Claude Lorrain (Sunset) as well as two Titians, one called Ecce Homo (there is a third, disputed Titian but I am very doubtful it is authentic). The family lives there full time in the winter when it is not open to the public, but for now we got to creep through all the luxurious rooms with their rich wallpapers, crowded art and something to see in every corner. The ceilings were beautifully elaborate and the library was filled with stuffed dogs... I really enjoyed seeing the family photos of the modern Percys placed here and there, which really gave the whole thing a human element. 

 The Library 

The Dining Room 

        There was also a slightly disturbing yet cool attraction called Knight Quest which was a scary dark maze with skeletons, mirrors and a giant animatronic ogre. You never know what you're gonna find in the homes of the old families. 

        After several hours at Alnwick, we moved on to Edlingham, a tiny town that was apparently slightly larger in the Middle Ages. They had a church where the whole town would flee in case of Scottish raids, as the community was only 12 miles away from the Scottish border. They would all run into the church and crowd into the little tower before shutting the door and pulling the ladder up. I kind of enjoyed imagining the little English people making faces at the Scots who couldn't reach them up there. 

         Only a short way from the church is Edlingham Castle, which was owned by the feudal lord of the town, a minor land-owning gentry. His castle is just a ruin now, but the tower is still very cool and we climbed all around on it :) A narrow staircase remains that leads up to the top of the ruin but it was roped off and very steep--if you'd tried to go up them and fallen, you would die. So none of us did, though I'm sure it would have been quite an adventure.

      So today was our last excursion/class while in Durham! Tomorrow is a free day, and then on to Oxford on Sunday!  It's so strange that it has only been one week today. I feel as if i've already seen enough to fill a month! 

Keepin' it Local

        Today, instead of venturing out on the bus for yet another day of flitting from site to site, we spent the day right here in the heart of Durham! Though I especially loved the churches we saw yesterday, the things we saw today have definitely been my highlight of this week in Durham. We began the morning with a visit to Durham Cathedral, a breath-taking Romanesque church. Professor Lomas is clearly highly knowledgable and passionate about the cathedral so his lecture was informative and really brought the history to life! That being said, the church didn't need much help--though Romanesque walls are much smaller than the later Gothic and the churches have a reputation for being thick-walled and dark, Durham Cathedral did not give me that impression at all. We learned that it has a  revolutionarily wide roof that is supporting by vaulting--but the height and width of the roof gives the interior a spaciousness one might not expect. No pictures of the inside though, not allowed :(

         The cloister of the cathedral is actually where they shot several scenes from Harry Potter, including where they first learn to play quidditch and where Harry releases Hedwig in the snow in the first movie. It was so awesome! On the oppposite side of the cloister was the Chapter house, also known as Professor McGonagall's classroom! We didn't get to go in there, just peek in the window so I didn't get a good picture...

And in the film:

Chapter House:

           At 12:00 it was finally time to do what I have been anticipating the whole time we've been up here: SEE THE LINDISFARNE GOSPELS! They had to stagger us in to control the humidity, and it was really cold. They had a great exhibit featuring other contemporary insular manuscripts and other artifacts, not to mention explanatory panels and films, before we finally made it to the book.

         

        I was a little disappointed that the page it was open to was the canon table, which is one of less decorated and easy to understand pages. Basically a canon table is there to show similarities between the four gospels. Still, what especially struck me about it was how shiny the illuminations were! The blues and oranges of the interlace just practically shone. The perfection of the lines is astounding even after so many centuries!

This is a detail from the actual page we saw today. 

         After the exhibit we headed back to college for tuna sandwiches, falafel and hummus, followed by very rich brownies saved for us by the nice kitchen staff (the etonians are here so we've been delegated to a different dining room with different food but it is still really nice!) Following lunch we had another short briefing and then a historic walking tour of the town ending at Durham castle, which actually now serves as a college itself! Inside is the oldest structure in Durham, a stone chapel from probably the early 11th century. 

  

Not a great castle pic but the only one I got! 

       Popping back in the cathedral, Alex and I talked to several of the women wearing purple robes, one of whom had recently been on a holiday to Memphis! We had a great time talking to her about the peabody ducks and hearing the two elderly british women quote Scarlet O'Hara. They both love Gone With the Wind! 

       When we got back I took a weird jet-laggy nap before dinner, then at 8 we had a seminar with Professor Lomas about Bede. Right before the lecture I set off some sort of alarm in the bathroom that rang the whole time.... awkward. But I figured out how to turn it off at the end! Then some of us went to the grocery store to buy all kinds of british candy. All in all, a truly fab day!! 

Roofs

        Today was our first day touring around Durham to see structures that are still standing--and what a relief it was! Our first stop after the briefing was Escomb Church, the oldest standing church in Britain! Luckily I found my video camera on the bus so I was ready! The church has been altered over time but still retains the original Saxon windows and stonework, as well as a very interesting Anglo-Saxon sun dial which appears to combine older pagan beliefs with the new Christian religion that was in the 7th century entering England. It was small and I'm sure, in the period, very dim and mysterious inside. Apparently it would have been plastered white originally. The circular churchyard also may reveal an older pagan holy site.

 View of the Chancel (clerical) end of the church

 Circular thing slight left above newer window is Anglo-Saxon sun dial

Interior of the church while seated in the nave, towards the Chancel

 The original medieval baptismal font (originally had lock to stop people stealing holy water to sell)

Front view of Escomb

         Escomb is in such a small town that to actually go in one must go and ask the vicar for the key. The main keys were lost so Professor Streete saved the day by pursuading them to find the spares. The church fell into ruin in the 19th century but luckily the residents realized its significance and moved the parish back in to keep it up.
        We reboarded the bus and headed for Hexham Abbey, the 7th century bishop's seat of the famous Wilfrid, a fairly cheeky fellow who was keen on power, as Professor Lomas would say. We saw his throne and went down into the crypt, which smelled very old and was cramped. The crypt used to house the relics of St Andrew but of course those are long gone with the dissolution of the monasteries in the 16th century. Much of the church was restored in the 15th century with some really cool danse macabre paintings inspired by the plague in the chancel. They also had a 7th century silver, gold-gilded chalice for communion. For some reason I did not take any pictures at Hexham Abbey...
         Our last stop of the day was Bede's World, which, despite its name, is not a place with rides and fireworks. Instead, it is the site of the monasteries of Wearmouth-Jarrow where Bede spent much of his life and wrote his many works. They had a small, clean museum with lots of models and a few artifacts, as well as the monastic church which has been significantly altered. Originally it was two churches in line, and the smaller chapel on the left is the original, only it has been glued onto a newer church to create one large building. You can still see the Anglo-saxon stonework and small windows, though.

        My favorite things in the museum were the fragments of the oldest stained glass in Northern Europe which have been excavated on the monastery site. Stained glass was brought in from France by Benedict Biscop, who hired stonemasons and glaciers from Gaul to build Christian churches in the 7th century. Before that, the Anglo-Saxons had no stone or glasswork.They had some of the fragments laid out and others actually hung in patterns possible for the period (though they have no proof that's how they were, it was still cool).

        A final highlight of the day: I saw CUBE parked outside Bede's World today. It is an international movement! I sort of felt like somehow, Guido was following me to make sure I was doing well :)