I remember looking at at tourist brochure for the City of Portsmouth a few years ago...early on was a large advert advertising "Fine restaurants only three hours away by ferry"...
This was, in truth, partly my prediction for a year in Oxford : with the ferry replaced by the Oxford Tube (Oxford to London, 24./7, £6 return)...
To be fair, this hasn't always been the case; Oxford is a gorgeous town with loads of awesome pubs (favourites include The Turf, the Rose and Crown - expensive beer and crazy landlord) and the Gloucester Arms (cheap shit, need say no more)...talking of cheap shit, had a £1 open bar at New College which was - predictably - catastrophic; unfortunately had to meet a friend at PT (Purple Turtle, a fairly crappy student bar cum airraid shelter sutiable for a last drink before the bombs rain down but not much else) and remember little...
However, Oxford life does have its difficulties and ironies :
- the weather & proximity of Lady Margaret Hall (my college) to everything else necessitates a freezing cold walk to get almost everywhere, especially when the bar shuts.
- the BCL : those running this 'demanding' law course seem to be paid by the wieght of the reading lists they produce; the only thing more annoying is the average BCL student who believes they will actually remember all this crap come exam time)...
- tutorials : have to read a load of other students' essays (most of whom will be considerably better than mine) for Wednesday - every single one is above the word limit...
- pointless academics : Oxford has a degree classification called the MSt (Master of Studies) - says it all really...
Overall, Oxford definitely gets a thumbs up....funnily enough far more people visit me here than they ever did in Winchester (aka bumblefuck, see blog passim)...oh and the people are )with a few exceptions) awesome, especially at LMH - summer will be a lot of fun...
