Anecdotes

I've been storing up some interesting moments for when I had some time to write them down, so here we go:

Story 1: Ambulance
Two days ago I went for a run along the river. It's a short jog to get to the beginning of the trail. I'm about half way there when I see a man with his back to me acting sort of strangely. So, I slow down to see what I think, and all of a sudden his legs buckle and he falls over backwards. Everything from his shoulders up is in the street (although he wasn't in serious danger of being hit by a car) and he began having seizures. He was homeless, and I think they were drug induced, but I'm not sure. Anyhow, I don't have a phone here for obvious reasons, so I had to sprint ahead to a British couple and have them call the ambulance. The police arrived and the paramedics, and I had to explain what happened and how he fell. It was really scary and I was afraid he wouldn't be okay, but he did stop seizing eventually. He had drooled a lot and he was bleeding slightly, but I think the emergency personnel got there in enough time that he won't have any real damage. It was strange to be in that situation here in England, but it was also comforting to know I saw everything just in the nick of time and was able to help him.

Story 2: Amie
My good friend Amie (who I met on this trip) received news yesterday on our way home from London that her brother is dying in Austin. He was found in his home yesterday and had been without oxygen for up to two hours. They say that, in this event that he does live -- a miniscule chance -- he would never function normally because of the amount of time he spent without oxygen. We arrived back at the college late and had to book a new flight, pack and get things situated for Amie to return to Austin today. It's so horrible to have something happen with your family when you're so far away. When she found out she was crying so hard she was shaking; I've never seen anything like it. Despite everything, she wants to return to Oxford and will arrive back here in one week.

Okay, just two stories and they're done with. I just realized they're a bit sad, but there you have it. In other news...
On Friday several friends and I went to Christ Church College for the grand tour. I never realized it, but Lewis Carroll (creator of Alice in Wonderland) really received a great deal of inspiration from the University. He was a pedophile and fell in love with the Dean's daughter Alice. He based the novel on her, and took other elements from the surrounding area. The Cheshire Cat was Alice's cat Dinah who hung around the university. Carroll watched it from his math tutor's window. The tree where it spent most of its time still stands today. The long necks of the "firedogs" which guard the fire inspired the moment when Alice's neck grows long in the novel. The White Rabbit was based on Alice's father, the Dean. After dinner every night he slipped away behind the High Table down a spiral staircase, providing the idea for the rabbit hole. In Alice in Wonderland, the Red Queen always shouts "off with their heads" just as King Henry VIII, founder of Christ Church College, did when he famously executed two of his wives. Aside from the Alice in Wonderland references, the University teems with interesting history. We were happy to find that the Great Hall looks exactly like the one from Harry Potter (although it wasn't actually filmed there) and the staircases, among other things, were actually used in the movies.

Yesterday, my closest Oxford friends and I went to London for the third time now. It was only the second day to actually roam the city with abandon, and we had a fabulous time. I can't imagine it having gone better. We started early in the morning at 7 AM. Our first stop was Portobello Road, which has so far been my favorite part of the whole trip. It was incredible! Vendors set up everywhere with everything from antique watches to art to seafood platters. I picked up a few things, but could have spent the whole day and my whole budget there. The greatest place we went to was The Mockingbird Bakery, a famous shop where they sell the best cupcakes in the world. I've never had one better, and I plan to return for more. If I could take them home for everyone else to taste, I would. They are that good. I even got a shirt from there.

After Portobello Road, we went to Westminster Abbey again. Amie and I sat on the lawn and enjoyed the view while Mallory, Vannessa and Bethany went inside. It's crazy to think how many famous people are buried right within those walls; basically every person worth their weight in salt has a tomb there. I also kept thinking how there are some British people who are ordinary now and who have seen The Abbey as a tourist but who will one day rest there when they die. The people who ended up there had no idea when they were young that they would make such a huge impact on the country, and yet there they are.

Next, we went to Abbey Road. It's a high traffic area, so it took us a while to get a good picture walking the cross walk Beatles-style, but we did it. The recording studio was just next to it, and everyone (tourists, locals, etc) had signed the walls outside.

After Abbey Road it was off to Herods, one of the most famous stores worldwide. Want a bathtub filled with caviar? They will get it for you. They had everything from sushi to clothing to make up, and it was gigantic. We almost got lost in it. It's really not my type of place, but it was pretty amazing to see. Rolls Royce and Mercedes and BMWs lined the front of the store with drivers standing nearby waiting on shoppers to finish making their purchases. In many ways, it was fascinating, like stepping into a different world.

We rushed across town to try to re-visit The Mockingbird Bakery, but we missed the closing time by three minutes. Bad luck. We had dinner in Notting Hill and then headed to Platform 9 3/4 at King's Cross Station. For those who have read Harry Potter, this reference makes complete and obvious sense. For those that haven't, leave your house right now and buy those books. Then, clear your calendar because you won't emerge from your room for several days until you finish them.

It was tiring but we were giddy in our exhaustion. Until Amie received the horrible call about her brother, we really had a happy day. I look forward to the next time we go and get to do more exciting things. I think that at one point we're going to go see Wicked. I'm reading it right now, so I hope to finish it and then get tickets.