Castles, Museums, and Pubs...Oh My!

A fortnight has come in gone in what seems like a few days. I have started my job search…*sigh*. We have learned our way around town mostly on foot. There is a lot to see and do in within a 10 to 20 minute walk. Art festivals, fairs, and street performers are an everyday thing it seems. (Speaking of street performers, take a gander at “the most hated man on Cornmarket Street”, this guy was outside the bank playing non-stop while we were opening our account for an hour: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RUUHGEIn4O4)

There is something baffling about living within a 5 minute walk of the Ashmolean (the largest art museum in Oxford with art ranging from B.C. to present day) and a 10 minute walk to the Oxford Castle built in the 11^th century.

Those were our destinations for the weekend. The castle was first, see the picture link below. Half of the castle is now a museum and the other half is a hotel. Up till 1996, the castle had severed as a prison all the way back into the 16^th century.

The museum tour was pretty interesting. We were guided by a very animated tour guide, who reminded me of my college Art & Humanities teacher, we climbed 101 stairs to the tallest tower. How Ben managed the stairs I don’t know, they are so small and narrow…even my size 9’s were giving me problems. (I’d like to see Bear take those size 15’s up there!)

After our decent we were free to wander the catacombs and cells while listening to a portable audio and video tour. I won’t go into all the fascinating things about the place and its past tenants…I don’t want spoil it for anyone who is coming out and wants to see it.

Sunday we wandered through the Ashmolean, from one room to the next of art piece after art piece, from dishes and combs, to instruments and paintings. They had a Monet, Toulouse lautrec, a few Manet paintings, as well as several of the Pre-Raphaelite William Holman Hunt, as well as a Degas statue. All it did was make me more excited to go to the museums in London and the Louver, and…I never realized how lucky we were to have the paintings we do at the Chicago Art Institute.

Also, on one of our many explorational walks we discovered a Latin food restaurant! One thing were we’re prepared for was the lack of any Mexican or any South American styled food (it’s an American thing, as our banker informed us, us Americans and our tacos). But here it was…a great menu of fajitas, burritos, chimicangas, salsa, ‘soured’ cream, sangria…we had to stop in. The food was excellent, a little upscale, but good. To my own dismay, as I looked around I noticed nothing but burgers and prawns (shrimp) being eaten! Ugh. What a waste. Hopefully the burgers keep them coming…because if this place were to close…I would be one sad Senora.

I also managed to order my first ‘half’ pint at a pub. You can order their ales in either halves or full pints. Since I am not too much of a beer, lager, ale, bitter, or whatever fan I tried the strawberry-lish Fuili beer. Verdict: YUM!

All in all it was a wonderful weekend. We got a little rain in the mornings throughout the week, the air is starting to cool, staying around 55 to 65. Perfect soup and hot cocoa weather, as the leaves begin to change, it is a beautiful time of year.

Till next time!

To the pics >>> http://picasaweb.google.com/amypvaughan