London Adventures: Oxford and Stratford

Day trips have been a lovely way of seeing the country while paying a refreshingly low price.  I've taken two trips so far so let's break this post into two parts.

Oxford -- January 20, 2019

I literally thought that I was inside Mary Poppins the entire day.  The old buildings, the stone everything, the smoking chimneys.  It was all very picturesque.  There were even some birds flying around the towers.

We started the day watching the sunrise on the train, and seeing all the fog, hillsides, sheep, and homes.  We got to Oxford at 8am on a Sunday, so it was both quiet and freezing, and we walked through the empty campus and town streets.  We went to an Anglican mass in a beautiful cathedral, and then headed to lunch at The Eagle and Child, where C.S. Lewis, J.R.R. Tolkien and their friends used to meet for lunch while attending Oxford. Every article I read when I googled "C.S. Lewis Oxford" had this door as a real-world version of the entrance to Narnia, with its decoration, fauns, and a lion.  There's even a lamppost mere feet away.

Rachael and I ended up taking a tour of Christ Church while we were there, and saw a bunch of Harry Potter filming locations, as well as a crazy beautiful campus. I still can't believe that people go to school somewhere that looks like that, it's insane!

We ended the night at a pub (I got a smoothie from another place lol) before walking back to our train and riding back through the countryside to get to London. It was magical!

Stratford-Upon-Avon -- January 25, 2019

I was not sure what to expect from Stratford.  I was like, 'ok sounds fun' but it blew my expectations out of the water.

After missing a change and spending an extra 15 pounds and 60 minutes on another train, we finally made it.  The only way I can think to describe it was the perfect mix between city and country, because the town streets had countless shops (we had THE BEST coffee I've ever had no joke) and then after we crossed the river, there was a large park with lots of dogs and lots of families.

We found an old bookstore (with a 1966 copy of Anne of Green Gables!) and a market with a vegan bakery (I got a savory nut role and it was ridiculously good).  It was just such a cute town and so relaxing and peaceful to walk around in!

More adventures to come! xx, Chloe