Harry Potter in Oxford!

Today was my very last day of exploring Oxford! I sadly have to leave this wonderful city tomorrow, and I’m about to cry just thinking about that. Oxford has been so wonderful and this OSC program I’ve attended has given me so many opportunities. I’ve met people and made lifelong friends from all around the world. It’s sad to say good-bye to all of my new friends, but it’s time to go. I miss my family and my home, but I don’t want to leave just yet. I wish I had another week left.

For our final day, my friends and I walked all around Oxford and visited many of the colleges. We stopped by Trinity College and took a bunch of pictures. The place was amazing with its gorgeous garden and its old, rustic buildings. Sadly, we weren’t given access to the Hall, which was where they filmed Harry Potter! Yes, the famous dinning hall from Harry Potter was in Trinity College. What a dream come true.

From left: Sandra, me, Tamila, and Raysha

Selfieeeeeeeee

We also stopped by some other places, finding bookstores and museums. I really wanted to go in the Bodleian Library, but we arrived exactly 3 minutes before they closed. So, we instead went exploring inside a bookstore. It didn’t really seem that big at first. On the first floor, the books were nicely organized and there was even a section on the wall where the books were wrapped up! A sign hanging above it read, “You can’t judge a book by its cover.” Gosh, that it like the coolest thing ever!

Downstairs was a different story. We were walking down the flight of stairs, not knowing what to expect, when all of a sudden the whole room just opened up right in front of us. It was so huge and filled with thousands of books. There were also some cool souvenirs of pens designed as needle and pill markers.

But, what first caught my eye were the old books on display. There was a book by Shakespeare and it must’ve been from the 16 hundreds. There were Jane Austen books and even an Isaac Newton book. The really cool thing was that you could BUY those books! I was so surprised and fascinated.

After that, we went on the other side of the street and saw a building also labeled as the Bodleian Library, so we were confused. We were allowed to go outside in the courtyard, but the gates were closed to go inside the buildings.

Sandra and me

Soon after that, we went to the famous St. Mary’s College. The building was so magnificent and one of the most beautiful buildings I’ve ever seen. My dream had finally come true. I’ve always dreamed of seeing Oxford in person. I not only went to the main campus, but also went to the college where they filmed Harry Potter! This was probably one of the best days of my life. I will always remember this.

Hogwarts

Today was truly an adventure. We had a free day from school and it was our day to go explore the world outside. Many of the students took the bus to London, but my friends and I decided to stay and finally sightsee in Oxford. There are so many museums and shops and monuments we have yet to see.

We started our day with a proper English breakfast, which was served at our school. It was very filling and tasted great. We soon left the college with shorts on and our bags full of money. Our first stop was the Ashmolean Museum, a very nice museum. Its exterior almost resembled an ancient Greek building with its white pillars. It was beautiful.

  
The museum was filled with archaeological items dating back 100s and even more than 1000s of years ago.

   
    
    
   
Even though this museum was nice and had a lot of cool finds, it wasno thing  compared to the Louvre. One thing that really made it different though, was the Stadivarius on display.

  
Next, we walked around town and stopped to shop and eat. We had delicious pizza in an almost hidden restaurant. We also ordered desserts, which were superb. Th gelato was like heaven.

We walked further down the street, not knowing where we were going, but then we saw an amazing building: Christ Church, the Oxford college that’s had endless numbers of movies filmed there. It was so beauitful and elegant. It really did remind me of Harry Potter.

  
We sadly didn’t go inside and look at the gardens. That’ll be another day when our legs won’t be so tired.

We ended the day with a movie: Mission Impossible. We also had to run like crazy to get back to our collegr on time. They wete about the close the gates once we came. My legs are still burning and my lungs are heaving.

Well, I had a great and fun day with my friends. It’s a day I’ll always remember.