Chapter 4: Visiting Oxford, England.

VISITING THE FAMED OXFORD, ENGLAND: June2011.

Did you know that British students pay half a less amount of fees than foreign students in most U.K. Universities?

I understood that even if there were undercurrents of resentment at certain levels about the excess of immigrants and Asians, Universities in England could not ignore the fact that without foreign students and their contribution to the economy, English economy would not be the same. Visiting Oxford was like a dream come true. I am sure that most of the English literate population of the world grew up with names like Oxford dictionary, Oxford University, etc.

The train to Oxford took only few hours from Coventry and it was good to travel during the off peak time as it was cheaper and less crowded. This knowledge was helpful in all my train travels everywhere in England. I looked up my travelling companion, "Europe on a shoestring." A lonely planet publication and a very helpful book for a budget traveller like me. I also scanned the map of Oxford and read about the places I could visit during my journey.

My first impression of Oxford as I got down from the train was one of a busy and a popular city, with Oxford University as its predominant edifice inspiring awe and admiration of many a traveller like myself. I enquired about the last train timing from the information desk before getting out of the station for safety reasons because it was a one day trip only. The station was quite crowded with tourists and inhabitants alike. There were many bars and restaurants just outside the station and rather than taking a bus as an option, I decided to walk the streets of Oxford as advised in my book.

My first focus was the Christ College and its Church, supposedly the most famous place in Oxford. It was as beautiful as in the Harry Potter's Movies. The entry fee was 7 pounds and there were plenty of tourists, taking pictures everywhere. The guides inside did not hesitate to throw in Harry Potter's names here and there to entice the tourist's thirst for excitement. But one simply had to enjoy the fine gothic and renaissance architecture or the ambience of the place than really bother about anything else. Some of the areas were out of bounds for tourists for obvious reasons- there were students everywhere as the colleges were “Living and Learning entities,” not some museum or historical monuments. I admired the cleverness of the Brits in making Oxford University a tourist place as well as a seat of learning. There were other famous colleges everywhere and they all charged entry fees. I wouldn’t be surprised if ‘Tourism’ gives a run for money for the University than just the College Fees!

I could not miss the free entry to Oxford Museum where I saw such precious scientific inventions from all across the world, especially mariner's and mathematical instruments. The opera building was another interesting one. The market was as lively as the University itself and crowded to the brim. My camera ran out of battery afterwards and I just enjoyed just walking and observing the people and the beautiful city that was Oxford before heading back to Coventry late in the evening.

I assumed that Universities played a major role in English life because most of their cities displayed their University names as a sort of identity of the Cities themselves. As the train took me back to Coventry, my mind was already filled with plans for my next destinations - Manchester Picadily, Lake District and Scotland.

To be continued.