Radcliffe Camera

Here is a photo of the very iconic "Radcliffe Camera" the center piece of Oxford.

Examination building

This is the room where all Oxford students take there final examinations.

All Souls College

Photo's from Oxford

Here is a Photo of University College Oxford. It is perhaps best known to americans as the college that Bill Clinton attended.

Oxford an awesome place!

There is good reason Oxford University has come to have the extremely prestigious reputation it does today. Despite common misconception, the university is not one, but a total of thirty eight colleges picturesquely set across the majestic city.  Oxford is known as the city of domes and spires and upon arrival it is no guess as to why. The many chapels, clock towers, library domes, exc may remind you of cities like Rome or Salzburg. Although the colleges are in the middle of the city of 300,000, they are surrounded by many beautiful parks that can give it an almost rural feel especially in Christ church meadows where it is said J. R. Tolken got his inspiration for the beloved shire in "Lord of the Rings".  The list of acclaimed graduates of this university over the past seven hundred years remains endless.  It is not only a place of unparalleled history and education, but also of unique and interesting tradition of which I will explain more in posts to come.

National Gallery

The National gallery is a great place to go in London especially because it's free! It has thousands of spectacular paintings including works from Van Dyke, Di Vinci, Monet and Van Gogh.  The gallery illustrates the close connection between art, religion and history.  Personally, my favorite works are the large equestrian ones such as the van dyke painting of Charles I on a large buckskin horse that graces the center of the gallery.  One thing that surprised me was the vast number of italian paintings. Apparently Charles I and many other British collectors over the years collected Italian works and either sold or donated them to the gallery. located in trafalgar square at the end of the mall, the architecture of the building itself is worth admiring, it was originally a large stable and latter converted into an art gallery.

Buckingham Palace and changing of the gaurds

Throughout the three days I was in london Buckingham Palace was the hub location and meeting place for my brother and I.  The palace is the official residence of Her Royal Majesty Queen Elizabeth II.  With beautiful classical designed, it first became the official residence of the Monarchy in 1837 upon Queen Victoria's accession to the throne. To determine if the queen is present you need look no further than the flag; if the gold and purple flag with HM's coat of arms is flying, then the queen is there, otherwise the union jack will be flying in which case she is probably meeting with dignitaries across the world or else spending time at one of her many other residences.

Arrival to England and Westminster Abbey

Me and my brother Benjamin landed in London at the Hethro airport on tuesday the twenty second of june.
After checking into our hotel by Chelsea bridge we immediately walked, along the Thames, to Westminster Abbey to ensure we got in before it closed. This was the first time I had ever been in,  it is without a doubt one of the most important and historically significant churches in the world.  Most people know it was the location of almost all major royal ceremonies over the past thousand years including the coronation of William the Conquerer, and every coronation since.  But it is also the burial place for a vast number of non royal people who had made significant contributions to the world. Of particular interest is poets corner where lies William Shakespeare, Rudyard Kippling, Charles Dickens and Thomas Harding to name a few.  I personally found  it quite surprising to see Sir Isaac Newton and Charles Darwin buried here considering their modern affiliations with atheism. In recent years it has also been the location of princess Diana's funeral and the royal wedding of prince William and Kate Middleton.  Although the Abbey is quite small when compared to Cathedrals like Notre Dame, it has beautifully proportioned and finely crafted architecture and is one of the oldest structures in london.