Sorry fans, for the delay between posts. I understand I have quotas to meet, but they will rarely be daily. My sincerest apologies.

The weekend in London was a smashing success. My uncles showed me a great time, we saw many of the iconic sites (Big Ben – for obvious reasons – Piccadilly Circus, Oxford Circus, Covent Garden, Hyde Park, The Princess Diana Memorial, Marble Arch, and the London Eye), and became professionals on the London Underground. We covered a lot of ground, and I got a great first impression of London. It is, in short, a spectacular city full of great public spaces, expansive parks, grand architecture, and the greatest subway system in the world. I am so grateful to my uncles, it was a wonderful start to what I hope will be the experience of a lifetime. I am also grateful that the powers that be had the good sense to paint “Look Right” or “Look Left” at all the intersections. It effectively eliminated both confusion and personal injury. So cheers London, you’re alright.

I am all settled into my residence at Oxford Brookes University (which I will now call Brookes, because it’s easier and who doesn’t love reading fewer unnecessary words – usually I can fill pages with unnecessary words, as many of you know, but I will spare you the pain, and come to think of it this whole explanation is unnecessary so I’ll just get on with the story). We took the confusingly named Oxford Tube (which is a bus) to Oxford on Sunday morning and I met my new flat-mates. One American, one Frenchman and one Italian, and all are nice. Over the course of the past two days I have met more foreigners and I have yet to meet one I don’t like – which is a great luxury.

Since my arrival I have perused the downtown, primarily along the High Street (which I have surmised is the English equivalent of Main St.). Oxford is damn spectacular, and I have never been somewhere so old. There is a cafe downtown – just your everyday coffee shop, no special plaque or “historical building” status – that was established in 1689. As in 178 years before Canada was a country. Such is the nature of Oxford, and I would guess, England and Europe in general. The Canadian idea of “old” is relatively recent to people here. And it’s not as if these 400 year old buildings have crumbled. They are still operational, still immaculate and by every account look to be getting better with age. The stunning beauty evident in even the most ordinary shops (it’s very strange to see a Pizza Hut in downtown Oxford), let alone the Oxford University colleges and churches, is overwhelming. I came here with the stereotypical images of Oxford in my mind: Gothic architecture, students wearing robes, sophisticated people and professors discussing philosophy in every corner. So you can understand why I felt so strange seeing people doing normal things like buying groceries or shopping for other menial, rather ordinary things in a city that is so extraordinary. Walking in Oxford, it’s easy to transport yourself back to a Medieval, fairy tale realm of fantasy, but then a rather dodgy looking fellow talking to himself walks by and you remember where you are. In a way, it’s good because if I got too carried away in the magic of it all, I would probably forget which way to look and get side-swiped by a bus. And then this blog would be really boring. So reality is good. Hell, on my first bus trip downtown, when I first laid eyes on Oxford’s majestic grandeur, the bus radio was pumping MC Hammer’s classic “Can’t Touch This”. So cheers MC Hammer, you’re alright.