Cambridge 2010: Three Months On The Trot

I got up at 7am this morning thanks to Andy’s phone call to our room. Apparently my alarm magically turned off. I knew I set it last night, but it did not go off this morning. I had the usual fried egg and full breakfast. After breakfast, I put my bicycle into the annex and got on the bus to hit the road for Oxford.

Today was the first time I have ever slept on the bus. I have no clue why I was so tired, but I decided not to fight it. I had a good nap. I just put my earbuds in, switched it to my Seaside Solo Piano album, and had a peaceful sleep.

I woke up to Andy’s voice telling us what was going on and what we were doing next. He dropped us off in front of The Eagle and Child pub for some free time in Oxford since we made good time on the bus. After walking around town for about an hour or so, we finally end up at The Eagle and Child pub to eat lunch. Katie and I shared a BBQ Chicken and Bacon dish. It was really good.

Andy pulls up in the bus right as we get finished, so we load up and head off towards The Kilns. The Kilns is the last house CS Lewis took residence in, lived in for a large part of his life, and died in. Currently, the home is a private residence for tenants who are Oxford students. The home is owned by the CS Lewis Foundation. The Kilns is not open to the public. They only allow scholars of CS Lewis to stay or visit there.

We met Dr. Michael Ward today. He was the guy in 2003 that realized there might be a connection between CS Lewis’ “Narnia” series and the medieval idea of 7 planets. The idea caused somewhat of a literary stir because no one had considered, or thought of, that before. The group was split into 2 of 10 each. My group watched the BBC documentary first. We took the tour of The Kilns second. I really wish that I could have bought Dr. Ward’s “Planet Narnia” book. His evidence seemed really interesting and well thought out, but I thought I should save my money for potential things more vitally important.

The Kilns was a quaint home with lots of space. The kitchen, library, bathroom, living room, dining room, Joy’s room (when she lived there for the 3 years prior to marriage to Lewis), music room, Warnie’s study, and Warnie’s room were all downstairs. Upstairs was Mrs. Moore’s room, the attic (of course), CS Lewis’ room, and CS Lewis’ study. I know that sounds like a lot, but this house was not all that big. The rooms I am talking about were all pretty small rooms.

When our tour was over, the entire group met up with Dr. Ward at the local parish’s church cemetery. Dr. Ward walked us over to where CS & Warnie’s final resting place is. They are both in the same plot. I think it is a smart thing to do. After that, we went into the church where Dr. Ward showed us the “Narnia window” put in for the memory of some kids who died in an accident. He also showed us where CS & Warnie would sit in the church. Whereas Warnie was a prominent figure in that church, he said that CS did not really like the church service there and attended Magdalene College’s service more often.

We walked back to the bus and went to the youth hostel. The youth hostel is not what I expected. I expected a cold, rundown, cinderblock room with a bunch of beds in it. In fact, it is very much like a dorm room in a way. The room I am in has a great view of the city, 4 bunk beds, television, closet/storage, and our own bathroom. Not bad at all! I was pleasantly surprised. I just had this image in my mind of what a youth hostel would possibly look like. Like I said, I was pleasantly surprised. There is a downstairs lounge area that is very colorful and lively. They have a 24-hour coffee bar set up with various pastries, simple foods (like soup and sandwiches) and drinks. Very, very happy. We will be receiving dinner every night we are at the hostel.

For dinner, I had couscous, a roll, a hamburger, French fries, and a chocolate brownie cake. Guess what my favorite part was? Yeah, the chocolate cake. When I finished eating, I fixed myself a cup of coffee. I left and went back to the room for a little while. Brittany came and asked if I wanted to join her, Brooke, and Sophia for Ireland. I was happy they asked me because I did not have a group yet, and was sad that I might have to do Ireland all alone.

I came downstairs to the lounge. It was full of people young and old. I found myself a comfy loveseat in the corner with good lighting, and started typing away. I studied the Oxford map a bit and noticed that they have an ice skating rink. I checked the times and prices. Not bad.

I am seriously going to go over and do some ice skating if time and plans allow. I have not ice skated since I was a kid on vacation with family in Virginia. I remember LOVING every second of it. I may not be all that good since it has been so long. I may fall on my bottom many times, but I will be thrilled I got to go ice skating one more time.