Hello again, Blogonauts! Welcome to "Gothica"! I am, after a long time sleepless, in Oxford. Etymology for the town's name is easy to work out. It was a initially a farming settlement, and this is where the cows could cross the shallows of the river... in other words, here is the ox ford. But from these humble beginnings arose great spires and inspirations. As a university, Oxford is legendary... iconic... revered... and highly, highly traditional. On the day of my arrival, graduation ceremonies from at least 2 of its colleges were planned—ceremonies that are conducted, to this day, in Latin. The University blossomed when Henry II, in another of the series of French-English spats, ordered all of the Englishmen studying in Paris back home. That was in the year 1167. The English scholars settled in Oxford because this was already a center of learning; various colleges named for saints, saviors or sovereigns formed and began admitting students for ongoing study. Today Oxford University contains 38 colleges, most comprised of a chapel, dining hall, library and dormitories, and often built surrounding a central quad . I arrived mid day Saturday and set out on foot as soon as possible to see the city. Many of the sites are available just walking through the city. From the top of the Carfax Tower it is possible to obtain a bird's-eye view from the city's central crossroads. For a bit more detail, I took the excellent City & University tour, conducted for a full 2 hours by a highly knowledgeable Blue Badge Guide. It also gave us access to the grounds of the Harris Manchester College, Oxford's college devoted to over-21-year-old students. As jet lag began to extract my soul like a Dementer's kiss, I grabbed a pint and a fish-and-chips dinner at the bustling Turf Tavern before heading back to my AirBnB lodging. I hope that you enjoy a few of my photos from the day. I have another day here to muse in the museums and walk among Britain's budding bigwigs. Blog to your later!