July 18, 2007
Rowan's Excellent Adventure - Day 6
I think it is day 6. Today's presentations were interesting, but did not elicit the response of yesterday's. Maybe we are just getting tired. However, we had the afternoon free, and I went for a long walk on my own to see some things I had missed and just explore for a while.
I went to the University Church of St. Mary the Virgin. For a fee of $5.00 you can risk your neck climbing up to the spire where you can take some exceptional pictures of the surrounding city. You should know going in that I am terrified of heights, but I steeled myself hoping to bring home and share an amazing sight. I will show you the pictures from the spire first, before I give you the hair raising details. I estimate the height of the spire at about 175-200 feet - I did not spend a lot of time looking down.
This is the Camera Library - which I spoke of in an earlier "adventure" report.
Here are a couple of neat carvings on the tower.
Now for the exciting piece. Here is the entry/exit to the stairs from the top of the tower.
If you think you are confused with this photo, try taking these stairs.
There is essentially an open column through which very narrow, steep stairs curve around. This picture is from the top looking down the stairs. The stairs themselves are about 24 inches across, and probably 6 inches deep at their widest part. The curve is so sharp and so steep, that you truly can only see 4 steps at a time.
Once you get past those stairs, you get to some wooden stairs. They too are steep and made me nervous on the way up. However, they looked like a snap after the tower steps.
This is an old picture that was by the wooden steps. There is no captioning, but Oxford still looks like this.
This is part of the ceiling which is outside the library
St. Mary's has some exceptional stained glass windows.
The Catholic version of prayer flags?
Nothing like some descriptive signs to make my day.
I couldn't tell if this was redundant or trying to tell me two different things.
This is a huge downed oak in a park that is a nurse log.
This is Longwall Road. I believe this is part of the original wall that surrounded Oxford - of course it has been repaired and renewed numerous times.
I came to the Holywell Cemetery. It was really sad in a number of ways.
Here was a pretty bird on a headstone.
A lot of the information on many of the markers is totally worn away. This one was the oldest I found that I could read - the date is 1612.
This touched me in a complex way.
This was sad. Very few of the grave markers were actually cleared. This is what most looked like.
An angel on a crypt.
Note the tracing of the vine that permanently etched itself into the stone.
The only Jewish headstone I saw.
In the wreath is "Poet"
This headstone had been fairly recently replaced.
A remarkable (and expensive) crypt.
Headstones used to repair the cemetery wall.
Singers and Musicians.
The Helliwell's; "beloved by all" - and employees of St. Cross College.
Beautiful work.
On the lighter side - and I was ready for it. I noticed pigeon after pigeon flying over head. They were lining up.
For what you might ask.
For the breadcrumbs. If you look closely, you will see I ended up taking a picture of myself as well - reflected in the glass. I didn't realize that until I actually saw the picture.
Hope you enjoyed the travelogue.