Discovering the Charm and History of Oxford: A One-Day Adventure

Discover the Charm of Oxford: 4 hours Visiting this University City

While cat-sitting for some weeks in probably the hottest summer ever in London (or more precisely in Wandsworth) we took a day off from work to explore Oxford. I lived some months in London, but I never really got the chance to visit the rest of the country. So I begged Ryan to take me somewhere else than Richmond and Brentford 🙊 lol.

Our plan was to wake up early, hit the road jack, and spend a leisurely day taking in all that Oxford had to offer. But, as fate would have it, we didn't make it there until 3:45 pm due to unexpected traffic because we decided to reach the city with a shuttle bus after a long bike road through the south-west parts of the River Thames.

Uncover the Beauty of history of Oxford

However, our late arrival did not stop us from having great time in the city, even though I had to start by renouncing a visit to the Ashmolean gallery as it was closing around 5.

So from its stunning gothic architecture and buildings (some of which had been used in the Harry Potter saga of movies) to its lively atmosphere, we discovered the best of what Oxford had to offer from the streets.

Our first stop was to admire the famous buildings of Oxford, including the world-renowned Bodleian Library and the charming Christ Church College.

More than history: food and lords in Oxford

Then it started raining so before we got drenched we went in the covered market and within 2 minutes we got hungry again and decided to have the English tea at 5 o'clock, so we indulged in some scrumptious scones (my first ever, it is a thick bread where you can put jam and butter) 🤤 at Vaults & Garden, a quaint local canteen inside a cathedral, University Church of St Mary the Virgin. The sweet, buttery treats with hot tea were the perfect pick-me-up after escaping the rain.

that f**** adorable bunny makes me feel like Alice in Wonderland*

As night approached, we looked for Oxford's mysterious gay district, and we stumbled upon a quirky pub and decided to give it a try. To our surprise, we found ourselves playing a sophisticated Oxfordian-version of the classic game 'Guess Who’, which consist in guessing not from physical description but from a made-up description according to your vision of the character. Then we created our own LGBTQ+- version of guess who.

Ryan realizes it's not so easy to not fall into easy stereotypes when playing the Oxford version of guess who

Finally, to cap off our perfect day (or late afternoon), Ryan and I treated ourselves to a delicious Thai dinner. The contrast between the old building with ceilings with wooden beams and the spicy flavors were... Bodleian 🤪.

In conclusion, Ryan and my Oxford adventure started later than expected, but it was a half day filled with adventure, laughter, and of course some draft beers. We are glad that we are done with university and this city would have been too small for us as gay students.

Moral: this city would have been too small for us as gay student and makes me appreciate that my life as university student is over 🤓.

If you want to know about our other day trip away from London read our adventure in Brighton.

Some other UK-related articles:

• The Gay Guide to London, United Kingdom
• The 5 Best Pubs in Camden, London