From Estonia to Oxford - Part One!

In May, I had the pleasure of hosting four visitors from Tartu in Estonia - all physiotherapists, who were interested in learning about the history of Oxford, as well as exploring an area of the island even more ancient than the city of dreaming spires...

Kersti, Angeelika, Merleene and Dagmar were a joy to host, and despite the truly appalling weather marking their three-day stay, were able to appreciate some of the city's delights, as well as enjoying a few surprises. They also took advantage of the opportunity to 'commune' with some very old monuments during a brief period when the sun came out!

The 'girls' as they relished being described, had booked accommodation in Jericho, an area just north of the centre; home to artisan restaurants, cinemas and bars; and we started our first morning following the canal path marking the neighbourhood's western boundary to Hythe Bridge Street in the centre. It was a lovely way to get the group acquainted with some of the city's colour and individuality in the shape of the wonderfully painted barges marking the historic waterway.

After racing through the Castle complex - we had a lot to pack in - meeting as we went, the resident falconer, out for a stroll with her bird of prey, we moved from ancient to modern, passing through the Westgate Shopping Centre, before heading back in time once more along Pembroke Street, where our exploration of 'historic' Oxford really began.

The Street stands near the original southern boundary of the city, and half way down, via an easy to overlook passage, the girls were granted their first glimpse of the University that has made the city so famous. Pembroke College, one of its 39 constituent colleges, stands modestly in the corner of the Square to which it's given its name, and was founded for the (relatively) poor scholars of Abingdon School. Sadly, it wasn't open to the public on the day we visited. Nevertheless, we were able to peep through the entrance at the green and inviting-looking Old Quod before turning our heads 90 degrees and seeing the contrast with the notably larger and more imposing facade of Christchurch dominating the end of the street.

Admission to 'Harry Potter's College, (as Christchurch is increasingly known), isn't cheap and there are more accessible options for exploring the city's academic history, so we walked through the surrounding meadows, stopping to take a few pictures, before passing through Grove Walk between Corpus Cristi and Merton College. We'd planned to take a tour of the latter, which along with Baliol and University College, claims to be Oxford's oldest teaching institution, but as this would have focused mainly on the gardens, and it wasn't really a day to stop and smell the roses, so we instead took advantage of ongoing work on the chapel to pop in and take an impromptu look round. The chapel is constructed on a huge scale, and one can only imagine the combined effects of church organ and college choir in full flow, something you can enjoy as a visitor on Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday evenings.

Passing through Logic Lane, a gated passage between the city's main cobbled thoroughfare and The High Street, the group had their first chance to take in the hustle and bustle of modern-day Oxford. We'd been walking for well over an hour now, yet it was our first real encounter with the modern city, even if the High Street retains the charms of an earlier era. Oxford can reveal itself to you in this intriguing way, if you plan your journey carefully.

We enjoyed a late breakfast at Queen's Lane Cafe, which on its original site housed one of Europe's first 'coffee houses' where the great and good would gather to discuss new scientific discoveries while partaking of The Turkish Brew' as it was then known. I always find the staff at Queen's Lane friendly and the food reasonably priced, and it was a chance to warm our bones before proceeding down adjacent Queen's Lane which winds between several of the city's 13th and 14th Century colleges towards Catte Street.

There followed the obligatory tourist shot in front of The Radcliffe Camera, (see below) before we ascended 127 steps to reach the top of the tower at The University Church of St Mary. The winding staircase becomes narrow and almost claustrophobic near the top, before opening onto a stunning panoramic view, but unfortunately, by this point the wind was howling and conditions BITTER, although the alcoves sheltered us from the worst northerly gusts. 'Refreshed' in the most elemental sense of the word, we trooped back down stairs and found shelter in the nearby History of The Museum of Science where the girls got extremely excited competing to take photographs of the blackboard Einstein had used when explaining his theory of relativity during a Rhodes Memorial lecture at the University in 1931.

At certain times of the day, and at particular times of the year, it's possible to visit various Oxford colleges entirely free, and just across from St Mary's stands All Souls, the graduate-only college, where aspiring scholars will sit what is reputed to be the hardest entrance exam in the world. All Souls is open between 2-4 in the afternoon. The porters are friendly, and you can explore the two main quods and the impressive chapel, in addition to admiring the wonderful Wren-designed sun dial close-up.

It was now late afternoon so we decided to escape the cold and give the girls' their first experience of a traditional English pub. We chose The Kings Arms on the corner of Holywell Street and King's Road. If you arrive at the right moment (we did!) it's a wonderful building full of quiet areas and hidden nooks and crannies. We took over a couple of sofas in a back room and over the next couple of hours, helped by pints of Oxford ales and the beating our cheeks had taken from the wind, succeeded in developing wonderfully rosy glows.

All in all, despite the elements, it had been an enjoyable day, but we hadn't finished yet, and I wanted to end the girls' introduction to the city on a high note, so after eating at Bbuona, an Italian trattoria on Gloucester Green, we marched, double-quick (my guests are all cross-country skiiers and were unfazed by the experience), arriving at Queen's College Chapel just in time for Wednesday Evensong. Oh. My. God. It was heavenly; beatific; paradisical; choose your adjective, but the voices of the choir simply transported us. We joined in with where we could (Or just stood awestruck - or sat - the 'ups and down' of church services are hard to keep up with.) And after that, it was, well....back to the pub! BUT the day wasn't quite over. Looking at Daily Info, the city's online 'What's On', I'd seen that just along the road, Holywell Music Rooms, Europe's first purpose-built music chamber, was hosting a performance by the Castalian String Quartet in collaboration with the St Anne's Camerata. If we arrived early, there was a chance we'd be admitted free of charge. So I stood in the queue while the girls enjoyed a glass of something medicinal and....we were lucky!

The concert began with a solo violin performance, followed by a violin and piano duet, and then it was the turn of viola and cello, before finally, all 24 members of the ensemble united to perform Elgar's introduction and allegro to op.47 and our first day in Oxford reached its crescendo. By the end of the hour-long performance, we were tired, happy, and one or two of us, I have to say, somewhat emotional. The weather had been against us throughout, but the city and its attractions had proved our salvation again and again. I could only hope the visit would continue in a similar vein the following morning.