The Trout Inn and Other Tales

Sunday was Day 1 of our trip after arrival, and it started out strong. I woke up at 6:30 AM to run around Oxford. A friend of mine did part of the run with me, and then I finished up before taking the best shower of my life. I was never so happy to see hot water before. It's really cold here, and we're all still a little achy from travel, and that shower was the perfect medicine.

After I was ready to go, a friend of mine and I went to get lunch before meeting up with everyone else for a long walk. The professors planned to take us to the Trout Inn, about three miles from the Oxford center, through beautiful countryside. I don't remember the last time I saw such a picturesque scene. There were interesting boats of different colors, ducks, swans, an offshoot of the Thames, and the most vibrant landscape colors I've ever seen in the sky and the grass. Many Oxfordians sat on the grass all along the route with their families or a good book, and others fished in the stream. We came upon Port Meadow, which might have been my favorite place to look upon. It must have been the huge expanse of greenery that awed me because, in the States, I knew it would all have been developed by now. It was park as far as the eye could see, and incredibly flat. It felt like you could run forever and jump and play through the green, green countryside that lay before us, and we were just specks in this greater picture. In the distance, the city stood there contained and peaceful watching our retreat.

The Trout Inn is the name of a pub, and pubs in England are not the same as pubs in America. In America, pubs or clubs center much more heavily around an adult crowd and alcohol, whereas pubs in England are gathering places in a different kind of way. They are almost like oases, and many times entire families attend (children, adults, pets, etc.). The bar does center the spot, but one can buy food as well, and drinks are a side set to the conversation and relaxing that everyone participates in.

We returned from our hike, and a group of us went to find a cafe for tea or coffee. We located a sweet but snarky place on a side street near the college. It had funny sayings written all over the walls, the menus, and even the sugar packets. For example, one sugar packet said "put grain under the mattress of your enemy" and another said "white sugar: for commoners". They made us laugh. The armrest had an arrow next to it and, written on the wall, it said "an armrest: for those lucky enough to have arms". It was all very random and unexpected, but we laughed over those and our own conversation while drinking our first English tea! It was spectacular.

In the evening after dinner, we found the college pub (actually within our grounds) and stopped in to meet some of the locals and to talk some more. I had some cider, and we got to know others in the group for hours. After that, it was across to the Purple Turtle, a bar where many members of our group went and mingled with some local students from Oxford who work at the University in the summer. They seem to be our unofficial tour guides, and we're okay with that because they're intelligent and handsome.

Now, I've had breakfast today and my first class starts in one hour. I'm nervous, but it will be nice to get the first day jitters out of the way.