Oxford v Cambridge - Part 1

Fresh from our London excursion the weekend promised new adventures as we prepared for the ultimate tourist double header, Oxford v Cambridge, the old enemies, university rivals and rowing adversaries through the ages. We were also hoping that the weather would start to give a passable impression of summer, but Jolka and Mirek not to be fooled, packed a couple of jumpers just in case.

We started with Oxford on Saturday. My hopes weren't high. I had been to Oxford many times but never to the University part, so it is fair to say I had not seen the best of the place. Emerging from an underpass smelling fragrantly of stale beer and urine to the main shopping street did nothing to dispel this impression. Here, things had clearly improved in the 7 years since my last visit. They had pedestrianised it. Unfortunately they had not been very committed about it. The council had concreted over the road and then pretty much considered the job done. No plants or greenery of any kind, no fountains or statues, just grey concrete blending into slightly worse for wear grey buildings, with only the occasional fast food wrapper to catch the eye. The suspicion that this lack of artefact was deliberate and based on a view that certain members of the local community might nick the plants and pee in the fountain did nothing to improve impressions.

Walking along the high street I started to worry about what our Polish visitors would think. I wondered what the Polish phrase was for – where the hell has he taken us? Then we turned up a side street signposted to the University, walked a little way and suddenly, we were in a different place. The transformation couldn’t have been more stunning. It was as if we had stepped through a rift in the space time continuum and ended up somewhere entirely different. Grey drab concrete was replaced by warm golden stone, cladding ancient edifices of beauty and charm. Looking through gilded iron gates into the colleges we could see immaculate lawns, bordered with dense shrubbery and lofty trees.

We spent a pleasant couple of hours just ambling around. We took in Trinity College and Christchurch (to get Matty’s name down) admired the library and University church and basically wandered about with our mouths open taking lots of photos. I heaved a huge inward sigh of relief. Mirek and Jolka were clearly having a great time; my fears had come to nought. It’s a pity though. Oxford could be one of the most beautiful cities in Europe, and parts of it can hold their head up with anywhere I have been. But those good parts are centuries old and the new doesn’t blend in – it’s just attached, like an unpleasant guest who has outstayed their welcome. It’s a shame, and with that thought I took our very pleasant guests to Blenheim palace.