Oxford, the start of our bike ride, 15, 16, September

Two days in Oxford with Merilyn and Meg, marks the start of our bike ride to Henley-on-Thames.

We are staying in Keble College, founded in 1870.

The view from our room, with Keble College Chapel in the background. The surroundings are beautiful but room is pretty ordinary, with a clapped out bed.

Inside the college chapel.

Hanging in the Side-Chapel is Holman Hunt's beautiful painting, The Light of the World, painted in 1853. 

Breakfast in the college dining hall.

Merilyn, Joy , Meg and Bill. We have picked up our bikes so we can buzz around Oxford. 

The River Thames at Oxford. 

Ahoy me hearty, it's the Pirate Princess! 

Some of the Oxford Colleges rowing sheds. 

 

Joy outside the Ashmolean Museum, the worlds first public museum, built in 1678-83.

The museum has a huge collection of all sorts of things. Of course, it has it's share of Egyptian Mummies.

Also Laurence of Arabia's robes.

Christ Church College is certainly worth a visit. All these German school kids had the same idea. This college has produced 13 British Prime Ministers, as well as many other very well know people.

The cloisters of the 12th Century Christ Church Cathedral.

The rose window inside the cathedral. 

The beautiful stone vault, made up of intricate star shaped patterns to create an image of heaven. 12 pendants hang gracefully from it. 

An amazingly intricate alter.

 

One of several Edward Burne-Jones windows, 1878.

There was an interesting sculpture exhibition in the Cathedral. It included this study of Alice, from Alice in Wonderland. The story was written by Lewis Carroll who, studied, worked and lived at Christ College.

Ceiling of the staircase leading up to the Great Hall. 

Very elegant. 

The Great Hall, with its hammerbeam ceiling, was the inspiration for Hogwarts Hall in the Harry Potter books.

The High Table where the dons eat is presided over by HenryVIII, who inherited the college and renamed the college and the church from "Cardinal's College" to "Christ Church" in 1546. 

The famous Tom Quad and Sir Christopher Wren's Tom Tower at Christ College, often visited by Inspector Morse. It is named after the six ton bell in the tower, Great Tom. 

Merton College. 

Queens College. 

The Bridge of Sighs.