Well, not Oxfordshire, Oxford proper actually. Still, somehow "blues" did go better with "shire" -without any intentions to make a subtle reference to Lord of the Rings, whose author is an Oxonian- in any way.
Oxford is almost always rainy. And if you live in Oxford, or in any other part of the UK, it's actually compulsory to talk about the weather for at least 10 minutes every day. Except Sundays. God created the world in six days and rested on Sunday, watching football, presumably.
It's not a city, it's a town. I think a city needs to have a population of at least 500.000 people, and I am being generous.
Back to the rain business: it's actually better when it rains. It's too humid to be comfortable in warm weather. When (if) it gets above 24, it actually gets uncomfortable. And all these years we ranted and raved about good old Istanbul.
The University: dreaming spires, yes there is all that. There is also an iron clad bureucracy that would put France to shame. In order for things to work, you have to know people. And people you know have to know other people, preferably more important people than themselves. Alternatively, having nerves of steel and the patience of Job may also work. In the long run.
Colleges: They all hate each other, don't believe if they state the opposite. Little states within a state. When they're not hating each other, they look down their noses to the relatively newer establishments. (i.e. "OP" - the Other Place or, say, St. Catz.)
Ducks: ducks, as in Anas platyrhynchos. I live right by the canal and I wake up with ducks, laugh with ducks, cry with ducks, fall asleep with ducks. Like roosters, but they quack throughout the day, not only at dawn. Not that I'm complaining, they're good company for a rainy day.
Bicycles: You have to have one, period. Park near the Odeon cinema for a downtown stroll. Please don't ride through Cornmarket, it's really annoying. It's already chaotic as it is.
More to follow later. So far so good.
