England's Great Outdoors

Where in the world is Jenny? Cotswolds...then Oxford...then Hampstead Heath!

Visiting cities like Paris and Rome is wonderful, but with only a month left (!!!) in my study abroad program, I'm quite happy spending some weekends exploring England. I'm sure I'll have more European adventures someday, but who knows if I'll ever make time to visit obscure locations in England in the future? This past weekend, I visited a few areas outside Central London.

On Saturday, I went on a day trip planned by my study abroad program. We drove about 1.5 hours out of the city, passing by serene country landscapes, in order to reach the Cotswolds.

The Cotswolds was once used entirely for sheep-farming. It is a stereotypical English village practically frozen in time, maintaining the same medieval appearance for over 300 years. I can't help but use the word "cute" to describe the town; known for its honey-colored limestone cottages, quiet rivers, meadows, and sleepy town squares, this village seemed straight out of a fairy tale.

There was not a whole lot to really do there, but my friends and I walked around, explored a maze garden, and drank hot cocoa at The Windrush Cafe. It was surprisingly cold there as well. Apparently we were at a higher elevation than back in South Kensington.

After Cotswold, we got back on the bus and headed over to Oxford, home to the oldest university in the English-speaking world. This college town was bustling with people. Its buildings reminded me a bit of Princeton University ('Sup Matthew?). The majestic buildings + the pubs, stores, and pastry shops + the river-side location + the British accents = My reasons for choosing Oxford for my undergraduate education (in my next life, obviously).

Students and tourists walking around Oxford

The Martyrs' Memorial

Academic Office...look, they study Hebrew!

Radcliffe Camera

Bridge of Sighs, a Venetian bridge which links two sides of Hertford College

For me, the most exciting part of the visit was visiting Christ Church, a famous college and cathedral. The reason for the hoards of people waiting in line to see inside this building? It has inspired several cultural hits. Many of the characters in Lewis Carroll's Alice's Adventures in Wonderland book were inspired by people and objects in Christ Church.

Even MORE exciting, at least in my opinion, is the fact that scenes for the Harry Potter movies were filmed here! The Great Hall, where the fictional pupils are sorted into their different schools and where all the great feasts take place, was modeled after the dining hall in Christ Church. Just a fun fact for all of the HP fans out there.

Christ Church College

Harry Potter dining hall!

We didn't have time to engage in the tradition of "punting on the Thames," but we did make time to walk by the river and see others boating. The famous Oxford-Cambridge boat race actually took place the day of my visit. Unfortunately, it is held back in central London, so I missed it by going on this day trip. For the record, Oxford won.

I couldn't leave Oxford without visiting the historic Covered Market, opened in 1774. Why? Because it houses the very first Ben's Cookies stand! Told you I'm obsessed. Now I can check triple-chocolate-chunk off my list of flavors to try!

Ben's Cookies in the Covered Market

I arrived back at our London dorms around 7 PM, completely exhausted. Going to bed early wasn't such a bad idea though; England's daylight savings change occurs on March 27, so I had to adjust my clocks anyways. Now I'm back to being 5 hours ahead of everyone in the States.

I had not quite gotten my nature fill yet. On Sunday, four of us took a long tube ride out to the biggest park in England: Hampstead Heath. It was HUGE, covering 790 acres of land. We hiked through a mere fraction of the park, enjoying the wildlife, the playful dogs, the somewhat climb-able trees, the still ponds, the springtime blossoms...

When we reached Parliament Hill, I felt like belting, "The Hills are Alive," Sound of Music-style.

View from Parliament Hill

Hiking through Hampstead

My artsy pic of Jess taking a pic

Hampstead Heath also boasts extremely expensive homes. Many famous figures used to live in the surrounding suburbs, including Liz Taylor, George Orwell, Robert Louis Stevenson, Agatha Christie, and Karl Marx. Check out the price tag on this estate: £1,600,000, or $2.5 million!

A friend who studied abroad in London last semester told me I had to visit the creperie stand in Hampstead. After a little searching, a long line outside a tiny food stall indicated that we had found our lunch location! La Creperie de Hampstead makes a wicked good spinach-and-cheese crepe. Yum!

And so concludes my weekend adventure! It certainly provided a breath of fresh air, pun intended. I enjoy cities and the London bustle has yet to bore me, but I definitely have a weak spot for the great outdoors.