The city of Oxford has long been a favourite place of mine to visit. The university campuses are striking and present a robust sense of history and long-standing tradition.
It just so happened that this year one of my good friends got enrolled into this most famous of universities and was kind enough to invite me to come see her. I was very excited indeed, I can tell you!
Oxford itself is only an hour from London by train and relatively straightforward to commute to.
The city is very beautiful and expansive with all it's different college veunes. It has some of the most stunning architecture in England, historically as well as culturally. Strolling down this winding streets, one memory I will most definitely take back with me are the countless bikes and students. The essence of "learning" and "education" has been ingrained into the entire area, not just the college institutions.
You will find ancient colleges and structures from over 700 years ago but somehow kept up-to-date with the more modernized buildings. Those splendid architectures seen in and around several of the colleges was simply breath-taking.
This place has produced some of the top tiered individuals of the societal ladder from prime ministers to Nobel laureates and spawned the likes of JRR Tolkien, Lewis Carroll, CS Lewis and other such legendary names of our world. It is wonderful to roam around the colleges on-site and experience some of the magic for yourself.
There are also a selection of fascinating museums and galleries, with plenty of parks, gardens and green spaces in which to relax and take in the gorgeous scenery.
A handful of small shops catering for specialist books, stationery and gifts are also worth popping in for. And there are plenty of cafes, pubs and places to dine at.
Like many tourists, I wanted to check out the iconic Oxford pub “The Eagle and Child”. The pub is really cool with lots of charm, character and history.
The old pubs are still as quaint and "vintage old-world" as they must have been when first established. We stopped over at one and were seated in the "Rabbit Room", surrounded by olden-day paintings together with a few framed handwritten notes too. I could honestly feel the historic atmosphere seeping through every pore of the place.
The food did not disappoint either and was quite reasonably priced too.
I opted for the slow-cooked steak, amber ale & mushroom pie. For people who may not know, this is a classic meat dish encased in shortcrust with a puff pastry lid, served up with sides of mashed potato, seasonal greens and honey-roasted carrots. The yummy steak mixed in with the dark rich gravy was "oh-so-delicious!"
And the glamorous chocolate profiterole with vanilla ice cream dessert is to die for, a taste of heaven, lol.
I have read about this pub since I first learned about Tolkien and Lewis’s famous friendship. It was incredible that I finally had the chance to visit this extraordinary place. Definitely a must experience for fans of the true British history or those who just love touring well-known, historic pubs venues.
牛津一直是我很喜欢去的地方。小镇古朴幽静，处处弥漫着浓郁的学术气氛和悠久的历史。
今年刚好我的一个好朋友考进了这里鼎鼎有名的牛津大学，并邀请我过来玩。我当然毫不犹豫地答应了，并很兴奋地期待着！
从伦敦的Paddington火车站前往牛津，车程大约1个多小时，而且班次众多，十分方便。
牛津小镇并不大，却很精彩。它有着英国最令人惊叹的建筑，古典优雅的建筑散发出庄严与辉煌的光彩。我建议大家沿着众多的学院走走，感受一下这里的学术文化。除了700多年前的古老学院和建筑，你也可以看到比较现代化的建筑。这些辉煌的建筑，简直令人叹为观止！然而，让我最难忘的还是这里众多的自行车和学生，呵呵。
这所闻名世界的牛津大学孕育了从总理到诺贝尔奖获得者的众多人才，为全世界创造了不少传奇人物。在这里漫步，我感觉自己的文化修养也略有提高，哈哈。
大学里还有迷人的博物馆和画廊，大面积的公园，花园以及绿地，为学生们提供了欣赏美景和休闲放松的好去处。
牛津城里的书店，文具以及小礼品店也挺值得一看，蛮有特色的。还有这里众多的咖啡馆，酒吧和餐馆。
与许多游客一样，我慕名来到了充满传奇的The Eagle and Child酒吧。大家不要小看这家酒吧，这里曾经是托尔金(J.R.Tolkien)、路易斯(C.S.Lewis) 等人消遣的重要场所。相信置身于这家酒吧的每一位客人， 都能在这里感受到牛津浓厚的氛围。
走进古色古香的酒吧，仿如穿越时空回到了古时候，呵呵。我们被安排坐在“兔屋”里，满墙都是陈旧的绘画和手稿，还有托尔金和路易斯等名人的简介。我真切感受到这里无与伦比的人文气息。
酒吧提供的食物不错，而且价格也蛮合理的。
我选择了牛排啤酒派。这是英国最富代表性的传统美食之一。 它用最朴实优质的食材，如土豆泥，季节性蔬菜和蜂蜜烤制的胡萝卜，以酥皮包裹着，再配以简单原味的酱汁让天然美味展露，实在太美味了!
甜点是巧克力奶油泡芙，外脆内软，配上香草雪糕球，好好吃好幸福的感觉！
以前我读到托尔金和刘易斯之间的友谊，我就知道这家酒吧。现在终于有机会来这里看看，真的不可思议。如果你喜欢英国的人文历史或酒吧文化，千万不要错过这里！
