Week 3 - All Hallows' Eve

Tomorrow is a Holy Day of Obligation - All Saints' Day - and I went to Mass tonight at St. Aloysius Church. It is the official Catholic Oratory here in Oxford. It is a beautiful church where Cardinal Newman once preached. I had arranged for a cab to pick me up after 6:00 Mass - there was no way I was walking home in the dark on Halloween! - but Mass ended at 6:30 and my cab wasn't due until 7:00. Before I could even think to call the cab company to change my reservation, Father said there would be Vespers immediately after the final blessing. I am so glad that I had that extra half hour at church. All of the priests processed out wearing their vestments and birettas. Two altar boys in black and white vestments carried huge candles out in front of the procession. As the priests began to sing the Latin prayers, I couldn't help but think that I was only able to experience that beautiful series of prayers because of the courage and faith of English Catholics, especially those who had lived during periods of persecution that began in the 16th century and didn't truly end until the laws were changed in the 19th century. Anyway, I was able to grab a couple of pictures of the church and of the Vespers booklet. Enjoy and Happy Halloween!

Week 3 - Oxford Castle Unlocked tour

As promised, pictures of my tour of Oxford Castle! Just a little background first. Oxford Castle was constructed around 1000 years ago by Saxons. In fact, St. George's Tower and the Crypt are part of the original castle. After William the Conqueror invaded in 1066, he took over Oxford Castle and built something like 70 others along the coast. Until the 17th century, Castle Mound had the old keep on it but it was heavily damaged during the Civil Wars. Charles I escaped to Oxford in 1643 and the Parliamentarians attacked the Castle. As a result, much of it had to be pulled down before it fell down. In the 18th century, new construction began and Oxford Castle was used as a prison until it finally closed in 1993. It was beyond amazing to be able to walk up the 1000 year old stone spiral staircase up to the top of St. George's Tower (101 steps to the top!), which was the exact same tower the Empress Matilda RAPPELLED DOWN about 800 years ago to escape an approaching army. It was the dead of winter in the middle of the night when she and a few loyal knights escaped. They climbed down the tower and, the Empress wearing a white cloak and hood to blend in with the snow, ICE SKATED down the river Thames to safety. Honest to God, you can't make something like that up! Here are the pictures - please to enjoy:)

Old and new together! The building in the foreground is "new" construction from the 18th century. The tower
to the right in the background is St. George's Tower, the oldest structure in Oxford. It was constructed by the
Saxons about 1000 years ago.

The door with the metal grating is what we passed through to begin the tour. Anyone over
five feet tall should watch their heads!

A view from the top of the tower. As you can see, it was a beautiful day!

Another view from the tower.

The only intact arrow slit on the top of the tower. Soldiers could fire arrows through them in relative safety.

Giving an idea of how much could be seen through the arrow slit.

The white building with all of the arches is a restaurant that was built on the site of the old
gallows - the public place of execution for the castle and, later, the prison. Apparently townspeople
would sit on the Castle Mound, which you can see to the left, and watch the executions. 

The staircase in the tower - VERY narrow and steep.

One of the pillars in the Crypt - it looks exactly as it did when it was carved during the
reign of William the Conqueror in the 11th century. 

One of the prison cells. Kind of grim!

I'm not sure if this was set up to represent a prison cell or a guard office. The thing is,
prisoners could bring their own furniture in and they had to pay for their own food
and water. So if this cell belonged to a relatively well-off prisoner, he could have
had this stuff brought in.

A fireplace in one of the large communal cells.

St. George's Tower

Week 3 - A Quick Post

Just a quick post as I'm so excited about what I'll be doing tomorrow! I have class from 9 AM until 11 but after that I'm heading over to Oxford Castle for an awesome tour. I'll be taking my camera and I'm hoping for lots of fantastic pictures. Until then, here are a few that I found to give you an idea of what I'll be walking through. And the link to the website if you want to go a little more in depth - http://www.oxfordcastleunlocked.co.uk.  There are videos as well - it looks like an amazing experience:)

Week 2 - A Weekend In Essex

Just got back from a wonderful weekend in Essex with the Boswells. They live in Frinton-on-Sea, a beautiful Victorian town on the Essex coast. On Saturday they took me on a wonderful day trip. First we stopped in the most adorably picturesque village, Dedham. They have a 14th century church there that was stunning. Take a look!

The bell tower of the church appeared frequently in Constable's paintings.

The main entrance now but it was originally a side entrance.

The ceiling was incredible - the original beams!

The church became Protestant during the Reformation but the altar still has a very Catholic look to it.

This picture is for my Mimi - she plays beautifully!

The stonework in the church was beautiful.

The stained glass windows aren't original. Those were probably destroyed during
the Civil Wars in the 17th century. A lot of iconoclasm occurred during that time.

Beautiful wood angels carved into the ceiling support beams.

Notice how the figures on the upper panel of this piece were removed. More
iconoclasm or did they simply deteriorate? Still gorgeous!

The original door - I was in absolute history nerd heaven;)

I had to get a picture of this heraldic shield on the ceiling. It shows an American Indian - complete with a bow and
feather! Chris Boswell said it was probably because a member of the parish had made their fortune in the
New World.

The rest of the village was incredibly picturesque but we didn't linger. We jumped in the car and headed over to East Bergholt, Suffolk to see where John Constable drew inspiration for his gorgeous landscapes. It was an amazing day! We arrived at Flatford Mill and it was like stepping back into they 17th and 18th centuries. The tea room was right next to a 400 year old cottage that had a thatched roof (!) and a little river ran right past. Our tour guide, Tina, took us to all the places around the Mill that had inspired Constable. She showed us the relevant painting at each point and we could turn and look at almost exactly what he had seen 200 years ago. It was absolutely wonderful and I took loads of picture. Here are some of the best.

The path we walked to reach the Mill.

A 17th century cottage. Notice the two doors - two families lived in there! 

I LOVE thatched roofs and the detail that they cut into the thatch is just beautiful/

The people in the picture walked along the river path from Dedham. As you can tell, it was a bit overcast
and very windy but the scenery was gorgeous.

The River Stour

The cottage as seen from the opposite bank. So charming!

Flatford Mill, which was owned by John Constable's family. We were able to walk right up to it.
The whole thing was an incredible experience.

The site of one of Constable's most famous paintings, The Hay Wain.

This was one of my favorite parts! This is a 600 year old farmhouse! It is now owned by The National Trust
and they use it to provide accommodation for guests. That. Would. Be. Awesome.The little lean-to section
on the left is modern but the rest is entirely original.

I asked the Boswells to stop so I could get this picture. Isn't it beautiful? And if you look closely, you'll see
the church tower in Dedham right in the center.

Could this be any more adorable?!

The Boswells and I agreed that the tour around the Mill with Tina was one of the best parts of the weekend. She did an amazing job and it really brought his paintings to life. It gave me goosebumps to look at a painting, turn to look at the scenery, and realize that I was standing almost exactly where he was two centuries ago. It really was unforgettable. There is so much to see here in England and hopefully this is just the first of many trips that I'll take over the next two years. Hope you had a great weekend, too!

Week 2 - Wednesday

Happy Face!!!!

So this very large self-portrait shows my "happy/thank God its over/I can finally relax a little" face:) I gave my first presentation in my Theories and Methods class about two hours ago and it actually went really well. If any of my former students are reading this, they'll get such a kick out of the fact that I was SO NERVOUS about presenting. Would I say the right things? Would I get out of the material what the professors were expecting? If they asked me questions would I just sit there gaping with a vacant look on my face? So thank God in all His infinite mercy that it is over and that I didn't make a fool of myself! One of my professors said that my presentation was "very good" - I'll take it:) 

I've really enjoyed the class so far. The professors are great in terms of leading the conversation but leaving it up to the students to talk. They're very good about taking what we say and using it effectively to make points about the topic at hand. And what I especially like is that the professors don't bash anyone's points. Same goes for the students. The seminars so far have just been like conversations, a sharing of ideas without being unnecessarily critical of each other's thoughts or positions. It has been a great learning environment. 

Now I'm back at my apartment thinking about what I want for lunch, looking for something suitably mindless to watch while I eat and decompress, and looking forward to having another week under my belt. Tomorrow is my research seminar, Friday I have French and a lecture on sources and resources so I still have a way to go until the weekend, but it's Hump Day! Almost here! And it is a beautiful day out today - at least for now as the weather is so changeable! - so I might take a walk and get some pictures of Oxford to share with everyone. Fingers crossed:)

Week 2- Day 1 (October 21, 2013)

Another Monday here in Oxford! As you can see from the picture of my little garden, the day is a little gloomy but the city itself is so beautiful you really don't even notice a little bit of rain.

My patio in the back garden - how lucky am I?!

This morning began with a meeting with my dissertation supervisor. I have to work on building up my reservoir of knowledge so that I can narrow down my dissertation topic. It's a lot of reading but we had a great discussion this morning about various discussions and arguments that exist within the academic community regarding my topic/period. I have so much to learn but I'm excited to be delving into a subject that I enjoy so much!

After the meeting, I had some study time and then met a friend for lunch at one of the famous local pubs, the Eagle and Child.

Where the Inklings used to meet!

The Eagle and Child - known locally as the Bird and Baby:) - has been around FOREVER and is where J.R.R. Tolkien, C.S. Lewis and their friends met to discuss their work. I wonder how much of the Lord of the Rings series was dreamed up in here? It really is a beautiful pub and filled with so much history. And to top it all off, the food is wonderful! Really couldn't ask for more, right?

Now, though, I'm back at my apartment and this is what the rest of my day looks like:

So much to read and so little time, especially for the presentation I have to give on Wednesday. Fortunately, the material is really interesting. I'm just hoping that I get out of it what the professors want and that the presentation goes well. I'll be so happy to have it finished! Wish me luck:)