The Magic Of England (Part 3): 1000-Year-Old…

...and that is the approximate age of the oldest university in the English speaking world – Oxford University. We ventured by train into the city of Oxford one beautiful day with clear, azure skies and white, cotton-puff clouds. We were struck by the antiquity of myriad buildings in Oxford, the intellectual and academic ambience of the town (so many university buildings around the train station!), and the fluidity in which Oxford University is integrated into the whole city. 

Bodleian Library

A thousand-year-old building in Oxford

We were also slightly flustered by the crowds of tourists milling around town. I hope Oxford students are still able to gain a little privacy and tranquillity behind those high walls of the many gorgeous residential colleges!

We were most impressed by the sprawling meadows near Christ Church College. With the girls being such huge Harry Potter fans, it was just natural for them to imagine the signature, honey-coloured stone spires and gothic, arched windows of Christ Church College hailing straight from Hogwarts! 

As we were strolling along the meandering paths of the various residential colleges in Oxford, we kept hearing Singaporean accents! Turned out that a group of Singaporean students had gathered for a Singaporean food festival in one of the meadows. Just like Singaporeans to celebrate our local culinary delights anywhere in the world!

It was really easy to amble lazily all around Oxford, visiting courtyards of old colleges where well-known alumni like Oscar Wilde, Lewis Carroll, Margaret Thatcher, Rupert Murdoch and more, once roamed the same courtyards and dusty libraries. We loved the indelible and dense atmosphere of knowledge, curiosity and intellect all around us. We were struck by the consistent beauty of all the residential colleges, although it disturbed me a little when we could secretly sneak into one of the courtyards of a residential college, where only students should wander. 

We sneaked into a cathedral, and it was so peaceful and tranquil after madly mingling with tourists outside

I started to dream about the what-ifs of an overseas education, something that was financially out of my family’s reach back then. And wondered if my children should indulge in an overseas education, for the sheer freedom and opportunity to live an independent life away from home - although I will always be a huge advocate of our local universities. 

At the end of a wonderful day of getting lost in narrow, cobblestoned alleys and wide boulevards framed by stoic, gothic buildings, we accidentally slipped into one of Jamie Oliver’s restaurants, and had the most delicious pasta dinner ever! The train ride back was a continuation of knowledge seeking, with all of us respectively reading our books on the 1-hour train ride. Reading on trains is so therapeutic and restful!