Woke up about half 8. Andy had a breakfast of toast & I had toast & cereal with apple pomegranate squash to drink. Catherine slept in a bit, but then we all got ready and drove to the bus station, boarded the bus and rode to Oxford, which is about an hour and 15 minutes from Milton Keynes. I caught a catnap during the last 20 mins of the trip, which was exactly what I needed.

We walked around and saw all sorts of sites. We went to the Information Centre straight away to get a map/guide book. Then we went to the Buttery Hotel for some tea. We saw the Sheldonian Theatre which was designed by the same man that designed the St. Paul Cathedral in London, and the Divinity Hall of the Bedleian Library, which was used in 2 of the Harry Potter films. Then we went to Vaults & Garden, a tiny little pub nearby where Andy & I had a type of pork & herb sausage stew, his with potatoes and mine with rice. I also had a mixed green and beet salad. Catherine had mixed salad and asparagus soup with bread, which looked quite good.

From there we went to the covered market and bought some delicious, still warm cookies from Ben's Cookies, served by the adorable elderly Ben himself. We enjoyed these in the courtyard of Christ Church before going in our tour. Luckily - with Catherine flashing her smile - we were allowed to get in at the student rate (even though Andy & I do not have student cards), which saved £1.50 each. We walked through the school, taking in the beautiful surroundings of the cloisters, the grand staircase and the great hall, all used in or inspired sets for the Harry Potter films. We also walked out to the Tom Quad, which is said to have been a place that (Charles Dodgson) Lewis Carroll looked out over as he wrote the manuscript for Alice in Wonderland. After our tour, we walked around the Merton Field and took a look over the gate into the Botanic Gardens. Next we went to a little shop across the street from the visitor's entrance to Christ Church that is now called "Alice's Shop", where I picked up some Alice in Wonderland memorabelia, being the fanatic that I am. The shop used to be a sweet shop where the young daughter of the Dean of Christ Church, Alice Liddell, who was the inspiration for Carroll's stories, bought her sweets. Next we stopped at a shop called Fat Face that has some really great clothes and accessories. Andy looked at a jumper (sweater), but said it didn't fit him quite right and I bought a new scarf. Big surprise, haha!

We decided on finding a place to sit down for a bit and Catherine suggested a bookstore called The Aldion Beatnick, which serves ten styles of tea in little pots - and you get which teacup/saucer combination you'll use from the large variety of mismatched teaware they had throughout the store. It was a quirky little place, but quite nice. Catherine bought us a book, but we decided not to open the wrapping until later. After our tea and having a look around, we were getting hungry so we took a short walk down the street to an old church that is now a pizzeria/café, called FREVD. We had some drinks, some delicious olives and we each got a different kind of pizza to share (Catherine- Margherita, myself- Feta with roasted red pepper & carmelized onions, and Andy- Quattro Formaggi). We sat on the riser up where the altar used to be. It was a delicious new way of breaking bread- with tomato sauce and cheese.

After leaving FREVD, we headed back to the bus stop. On the way, we passed The Eagle and Child pub that J.R.R. Tolkein and C.S. Lewis used to frequent. It was a day filled with literary history, and I loved every minute of it!

When we got home, we opened our book Catherine had gotten us earlier and it was "Northern Lights" by Philip Pullman, the author of the Golden Compass, who based his books after parts of Oxford. Despite the controversy of the books, I am excited to read this one, especially after seeing things today that are prominent in the book.

After catching the bus home, we joined two of Catherine's housemates, Lucy and Dalphine, to watch a few episodes of Glee on DVD. I said that I hoped they didn't think of all Americans as they are portrayed in the show. They said they didn't. Whew! Now we're just unwinding and will be getting ready for bed soon. Tomorrow we're going to the Warner Bros. Harry Potter Studio tour!! I CAN'T WAIT! Goodnight, everyone!!

- Bree