Hi, I'm a tourist (but I actually live here, too)

The last two weeks have been full of touring for me! On February 8th I joined the Newcomers' Club for a tour of the Bodleian Library and Divinity School, and on the 17th took a tour around the city.  Both tours were led by the knowledgeable (and hilarious) Marie Ruiz, who is chairperson of the Newcomers' Club this year, and both days were sunny and dry. Here are some photos from those two days:

 University Church of St. Mary the Virgin (aka St. Mary's)

 Bodleian Library

 Friends Leah, Kahli, and Madeleine in front of St. Mary's

 Inside St. Mary's

 All-Souls College (Brandon likes to study here)

  Divinity School

Duke Humfrey's Library

Did the photo of the Divinity School look familiar? If you've seen the Harry Potter films, this was the location of the dance lesson from the 4th movie (Goblet of Fire), and the hospital scene from the 6th movie (Half-Blood Prince).

Here are some more familiar-looking places (if you're a student or HP fan, at least) that we visited on the 17th:

The HP dining hall was modeled after the one in Christ Church college

Stairwell to the Great Hall in The Philosopher's Stone

Instead of boring you with names, dates, and events you don't really care about and I  don't really remember, let me share something from both tours that I found amusing. The architects and artists who were commissioned to complete these amazing buildings, stained glass windows, and paintings were not only great at what they did, but had a cheeky sense of humor. 

For instance, within Christ Church Cathedral is a beautiful stained glass window depicting the legend of the patroness of Oxfordshire, Frideswide, who was both a princess and nun. As the story goes, Frideswide was a beautiful, wealthy young woman who was only inclined toward spiritual things. When the prince Aelfgar heard of her beauty and fame, he sent messengers to ask for her hand in marriage. She refused him, having taken a vow of chastity. In his anger he sought to take her by force. The glass panes show how Frideswide hid in a forest and a pig-sty to avoid being found, but Aelfgar kept searching for her. At last her hiding place was revealed when he threatened to burn down the city of Oxford. Only moments before he would reach the princess, God struck the prince blind with a lightning bolt. (Remember, this is a legend.) The prince immediately repented of his actions and sought her forgiveness, promising Frideswide he would leave her alone if she would pray for his sight to be restored. She did, and he was healed. She remained a nun for the rest of her life, performing many other miracles and eventually being proclaimed a saint.

The last panel, shown below, depicts Frideswide on her deathbed surrounded by mourners. Notice the rich colors of the scene, the maidens' delicate faces, and... the toilet in the back right corner?? 

Yep, that pinkish-purple looking piece half-hidden by a door is a toilet.  Considering this legend is set in the 7th century (but done in the 19th), I'd say that's definitely considered as artistic license. 

There are more examples of this, probably in every building. But I thought that one was pretty unique. 

And to finish off, here are some more (mostly from Christ Church):

Christ Church

Christ Church Cathedral

Christ Church from inside the quadrangle

Stained class in one of the college chapels depicting the story of Jonah

By the end of the second tour my mind was swimming with bits of history (with very little cohesion overall!), but I'm glad to have finally taken an official tour. The best thing of all? I got to walk back to my little home here in Oxford and resume life as a local.