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And Then The Oxen Crossed The Ford, So They Called It Oxford

- High Street from Magdalen Tower -
- St. Mary's church from High Street walking towards Cornmarket Street -
- Radcliffe Camera -
- Brasenose College - the one that I was associated with. -
- a slice of Stanford House -
I half felt like a fraud putting this post up with these pictures in the first place. Don't get me wrong, I was smiling the entire time I went through and edited these photos. They bring to me so much joy. But at the same time, I look at them and other, somehow truer images fill my mind - silent little films that flash briefly, so briefly that I'd miss them if I let my mind wander for a split second.

These pictures that you see, I took them the week before I left. After a whole three months of putting off taking my camera around and snapping candid moments, I decided on a whim one afternoon to do it before it was too late. So I grabbed my camera and spent two hours walking around the central part of Oxford, trying to capture some of the sights that I saw every single day. Oxford is the most special place - it is its own distinct blend of academia, tradition, old world charm, and history. You arrive thinking you're on the set of a period film (they are in fact frequently filmed here).

That afternoon couldn't have been more beautiful. The sun was shining - a rare moment - but not harshly at all. It was more like a gentle kiss on the hair, just warm enough to absorb without it being overbearing. The grass was lush and bright after a winter's endless storms and ready to be grazed upon by the deer parks' own. The rivers had finally lowered, so the sidewalks were un-muddied. I explored parts of Oxford that I hadn't had a chance to before.

But the thing is, as picture-perfect as that afternoon was, the pictures that I treasure the most are actually those brief mental flashes. Of cocktails in lounge chairs and meeting new friends, of meals in old, historical dining halls - although I am happy to have left the tasteless peas and carrots and cabbage behind - of coffee runs every single morning and milkshakes in the afternoon (including one in which I fell down a mini flight of stairs and managed to keep my coffee from spilling), of wanting to rip our hair out while essay-writing, but finding it okay because we were in the middle of a library older than our entire country. I cherish the evening trips to go hunt down Kinder Buenos, and movie snuggles, and the half price sushi at Itsu. It's the countless photographs captured carefully not by a lens but by my mind and my heart. That's Oxford to me.

14 comments

  1. Yep....I love those mental flashes you get from a picture. So glad you took that afternoon to take these pictures. They are breathtaking, and you'll cherish them forever!

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  2. Beautiful photos! And SERIOUSLY love you knew design!!
    Lisa | c/oMKE

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  3. Sounds like a magical afternoon to top off a medical few months for you. These photos, as always, are gorgeous.
    I have loved reading your blog and its risen quickly to the top of the list for me - I read back a years worth over Easter!
    Thanks for sharing such great memories with us!

    http://whatjessdoesnext.blogspot.com.au

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  4. this is amazing!! your pictures are so hauntingly beautiful!! thank you for sharing them with us caroline :)!!!

    www.lisalovescoco.blogspot.com

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  5. Always love seeing your photos! Oxford is gorgeous! Mendi just got back from London and Paris! She fell in love with London and just said that Oxford is on her list for the next time she's in England!

    Jayme & Mendi @ Her Late Night Cravings

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  6. wooow! you have a great blog! I love it !!!!
    and you, you are so pretty!!!! I love your style is amazing!
    I wanna to ask you how about follow each other? Let me know, please. I always follow back so don`t worry :)
    have a nice day sweety!
    xoxo from Spain
    www.thegrisgirl.blogspot.com.es

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  7. Great photos! It's soo pretty there!

    xx
    Giovanna
    www.HeyLoveBlog.com

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  8. so gorgeously written. wow !

    www.lookathergo.com

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  9. Your blog is just too cute!!! Keep these Europe pictures coming!!
    xo TJ

    http://www.hislittlelady.com

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  10. Breathtaking photos and beautiful writing :)

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  11. Gorgeous photos. I agree though that photos never really capture the moments that really matter. Maybe it's better that way though, that way they stay warm and happy memories that can't be committed to paper, only felt.

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  12. These photos are absolutely GORGEOUS. What a beautiful place to experience life and make memories! Thanks for sharing!

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  13. Your pictures are so gorgeous and take me right back to my time there....

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your comments truly make my day! :)
thank you!

xx Caroline