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Kirsten
had the chance to join Jim after a business meeting for a weekend in Oxford. |  |
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| A
view out over Oxford from the 14th century tower of the University Church (St. Mary the Virgin).
The buildings on the right are those of New College. |
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| Magdalen
College tower as seen from the University of Oxford Botanic Gardens. The tower is famous for
its May Day service. |
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| The
Eagle and Child pub, a.k.a. the Bird and Baby, where J.R.R. Tolkien and C.S. Lewis used to
meet with their group the Inklings to read out passages from their current works. It is thought
that the Prancing Pony pub in The Lord of the Rings was inspired by the Eagle and
Child. |
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| Another
view from the University Church tower, this time of curving High Street with Merton College
on the right. Interestingly, each college at Oxford University operates independently. |
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| One
of the highlights of our trip to Oxford was a visit to Christ Church College, Oxford's best
known college. Christ Church was built in 1546, and its 800-year-old chapel has been Oxford's
cathedral since the time of Henry VIII. But what we found most interesting was Christ Church's
ties to the Harry Potter films! The Great Hall (pictured above) was replicated in a studio
to create Hogwarts' dining hall! |
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| Jim
stands on the 16th century staircase to the Great Hall. This staircase was used in Harry
Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone (see inset) as the place where Professor McGonagall greets
the first years. |
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