travel log: oxford

Monday, June 25

I know, I know. In my anticipation for sharing Ireland with you, I completely forgot about the treasures we saw around London. and OH MY, gems they are. 

Oxford was everything English
and more. 
ahhhh, this place was magic. 

two of my favorite things came together here:
A) Harry Potter
B) C.S. Lewis

yes, that's right. Quite a bit of Harry Potter was filmed in Oxford, most notably the dinning hall at Hogwarts is actually the great hall at Christ Church. 

and

CS Lewis was a professor at Magdalen College
and frequented the Eagle and Child pub
I pretended to be Clive Staples Lewis himself
and I made Kev pretend to be Tolkien
evidently the two were part of an exclusive writing club called the Inklings.
we felt so legit
besides the part where I am a brilliant middle aged male professor. 

sidenote: pubs are just so cool in the UK. they are nothing like the seedy bars we have here in the US. these places are hubs for gathering and laughter and ideas, and I mean come on, if CS Lewis dreamed up Narnia in a pub, then they must be a source of inspiration, right?!? 

I digress. 

So back to Oxford. Delightful. So wonderful. words won't do it justice, so here are some images that will forever keep this regal place in my mind! 
{they have this awesome pastime called punting..basically like paddle boarding but in these classy boats!}
{my handsome navigator}
{i pretended this was the secret garden...}
{lewis and tolkien, clearly!}

in the evening, as the sun began to cool it's blaze
and the pace of life relaxed
we walked down a cobble stone street  and passed a church. 
st. aldates. 
and in the wind, I caught the beautiful sound of voices lifted in praise
singing "this is our God" by hillsong. 
 Kevin and I stopped, and we looked at each other
and we started to sing. 
and in that moment our singing smiles lifted praise, and our hearts were so full with the beautiful fact that God is glorified all around the world. 
his Love is around us. 

I hope you have a great week lovelies! 
love Katie 

12 comments :

  1. The photo's are stunning and what a special moment it must have been singing "this is out God". Blessed!!!

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  2. Oh my gosh!!! These are amazing! I'd love to visit there one day!

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  3. So I got sucked into those Versatile Blogger Awards and nominated you on my blog (oliviaobryon.com), feel free to check it out or ignore, I just like taking the chance to share blogs I enjoy reading, like yours! Your pics are incredible, btw!

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  4. oxford is amazing. i love it so much. if you love oxford and CS Lewis, then you MUST read the book, A Severe Mercy. It is a beautiful true story about a couple finding love and christ. CS Lewis becomes their friend along the way and the book includes letters he wrote to them. It is one of my all time favorite books and a very moving story, please please read it!

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  5. Oh my gosh--beautiful! I love your photos. And how perfect that you walked by the church to hear the song. Just great!

    ~Tiffany
    http://tiffanyd22.blogspot.com

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  6. first of all you take amazing photos!! it looks SO beautiful! I want to go there! my sister and sister in law (lauren and lauren) are huge harry potter fans - they'd love it!

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  7. I love all of these photos, Katie!!! And I'm a lover of everything Lewis and Tolkien too. I'm going to stop jabbering and go look at your photos again - they're incredible.

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  8. Oh my gosh I love these pictures!!! Can't wait to follow your posts!

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  9. Love the photos! I've only been to Oxford a couple of times but loved it and can't wait to go back.
    My friend is the worship leader at St Aldates - love the fact that Christians can worship the world over!

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  10. I AM SO GLAD that you visiting Oxford!!! I live (for only one more month before moving state side!!) and grew up just outside Oxford and I still can not get over it's beauty! And, yes I also feel so inspired and amazed that C S Lewis walked those streets.....incredible!! Glad you enjoyed and got the chance to take in it's beauty and wonder! Sally xoxo

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  11. I moved to England (south coast) for a few months after high school and these photos just take me back. I'd like to go again someday, but after I visit all the other places on my list.

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  12. Oh my goodness, I love your blog! And I LOVED Oxford too! You expressed the beauty of this literary-inspiring town perfectly and your photos are simply beautiful!

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