London Soul: June 2011

6/24 day 1 while waiting for the bus on High St.

It's been 3 days since I arrived in Oxford. Everything here is so antique I feel overwhelmed with rich history of Oxford told by both buildings and the people here. Didn't take me much efforts to overcome the time zone! I've been busy settling in and exploring the town.

the famous red telephone box

People here are so well dressed. I loved seeing men dressed in suits riding on bikes. They were going by too fast for me to capture them :(

Because the three days have been around graduation time and the weekend, the downtown city of Oxford were packed with tourists.

You can tell how well the tradition is preserved in Oxford by the way people dress here. So much more formal than the U.S. ( I love it! )

For example, I saw dozens of men wearing full suits with white bow tie and tuxedo jackets with long tails. They probably were headed to a ball?

sneaky shot of typical Oxfordian's attire

Another thing I'm impressed with is how fresh and juicy the fruits here are! They are IN-CREDIBLE!

and they're relatively cheap too, compared to all the other outrageous things

Every Washingtonians would agree that coffee houses are the central place for hang-out spot. Well, for the British, they hang out at the pubs. Oxford also has some pubs rich in history. The one I've been to so far, called King's Arm located right in the center of the campus, has a photo of Queen Elizabeth enjoying a pint of beer.

was she here?

outdoor seats of King's Arm, popular hang-out spot for Oxfordians

ordered half-pint of Young's Gold; very smooth but couldn't finish it : (

I was 'educated' that British beers are served about 5 degrees warmer than the U.S. to preserve the taste of beer. When chilled too cold, beer (same goes for wine) will lose its taste. Only bad beers are chilled!