Oxford

The first thing in the morning we went to Buckingham Palace to watch the changing of the guards. There is a lot of pomp and circumstance, very ceremonial, but something of a must see when in London. We kept missing it as it only takes place on even days during this time of year. We had front row seats because we arrived early. The Queen has a great marching band that actually played "Man in the Mirror" by Michael Jackson and the crowd applauded.

Feeling adventurous after mastering the tube, we decided to take a train to Oxford for the day. Oxford is 56 miles northwest of London. The train got us there in one hours and was a very comfortable ride. Many people use these trains for pleasure and business to get into London. The City of Oxford is large and spread out. It has 150,000 residents and most of them ride bikes. Oxford University is the focal point. It is the oldest university in the English speaking world dating back to 1249. The University is not one campus but is made up of 39 independent colleges are scattered throughout the City. We were able to see about 25 of the colleges. Some have courtyards inside of their building structures for the students to relax in. We did see the Bodleian Library, which is the heart of the University. This is where they filmed some of the first Harry Potter film. Some of the famous graduates from the various colleges include: T.S. Eliot, Kris Kristofferson, Oscar Wilde, Dudley Moore, Bill Clinton, Tony Blair, John Locke and many more. The excursion turned out to be another enjoyable afternoon. The closest thing that you could compare the university to is the Quad at U of M and that doesn't do it justice.

Tomorrow we are off to Paris and will post a blog when we get back with many new adventures and pictures. Remember, there we will not know the language, stay tuned.