Throwing It Back to Oxford, England

*Warning: This is a very picture-heavy post! But it's all so amazing, I promise!

Go to a coffee shop. Order a favorite drink. Write about what makes you happy and what makes you sad. Or write about anything you'd like!

I, of course, got my (almost) daily coffee, but I had to grab it and run, so I didn't actually sit in the coffee shop. But then again, the prompt says to "go" there and "order" and then "write", so technically, I'm abiding by the rules (ha, newly acquired legal skills at work!). 

Caramel Macchiato
I carried mine out in a recyclable cup, but that wouldn't be very pretty now would it?

Reminiscing about the "good ol' days" makes me happy. At least it makes me happy today. And considering that today is #ThrowbackThursday, I thought it fitting to talk about something that made me happy in the past. A little over a year ago, I visited Oxford with my law school for 10 days, which is entirely too short a visit. It was the first time out of the country in over 4 years, my first time flying totally by myself, and my first stamp in my new adult passport (at 15, I had a "minor" one) so I was excited that my first stamp would read: London Heathrow - even though I spent very little time in London.

From the airport, we took the Airline Bus to Oxford University, where we checked into our dorm rooms. I absolutely adored my bedroom window and the view from it. I wish I could have taken it home with me! My window faced High Street, which is a quaint street cluttered with cutesy little storefronts like a luxury chocolate shop.

Cue the angel singing! ♫♪

High Street



The view of High Street during the day and then at night.

I spent the first day puttering around Oxford because I felt like staying in the dorm would be wasting the valuable day away. The City of Oxford is quite beautiful and boasts of historical structures, many of them clad in precious metals like gold and bronze.

Standing in front of the Radcliffe Camera

A fair amount of time was spent eating and drinking. I spent many class sessions nibbling on little pastries and sipping tiny, yet very strong, cups of coffee. Evenings were filled with plenty of wine and both familiar and unfamiliar dishes (wish I could find the pictures of fish & chips!).

   

I went to dinner by myself that night, chatted up the bartender & made a few new friends. It's legitimately one of my proudest moments :) 

 


A trip to the Oxford Botanic Gardens was a lot more enjoyable than expected. Although I can't say that I enjoyed the sand and tiny peebles in my shoes. Yet, with exotic plants and lovely flowers surrounding you, how can one possibly be miserable about a bit of sand? And there was a castle!

Did you know that lily pads turn up like that?
I didn't!

Banana tree.

Castle!

And we beat up the beat in the club near the Crown with some of the locals and a super hot bartender named Vasska whom I unfortunately do not have a photo of :) We were so spent Jersey Shorin' and what not that we needed dessert afterwards.

                     

                     Oh, this little baby? Just a delicious brownie topped with liquor-infused icecream.
No Big deal!

I only got to spend one full day in London (and ½ of that was for visiting law firms). Many of the other students we able to extend there trips past the end of the program, relocating to London hotels for a few days and some eventually traveling to other countries like Paris and Amsterdam. I had to get back to New York quickly as I had to conduct an event for my law journal. I can't tell you how jealous I was that they got to fully experience London (and some of them even arrived early to attend the London Olympics!). I saw a few main attractions, but I truly need to return in experience London on it's own.

Close-up of Buckingham Palace.

Big Ben at a distance.

Iconic London telephone booths!