England: The Bodleian Library, The Eagle & Child Pub in Oxford

I'm glad I pushed through the illness the day before while we had beautiful weather, because we woke up on our final day in Oxford to typical English weather: overcast and drizzly.  However, look at all that green, and the awesome no-city view from our B&B window:

I'd never heard of the Bodleian Library, much to thecamelridingcowgirl's astonishment.  It's apparently the most famous library in the world.  We went there right away to sign up for a tour.  While we were waiting for our tour to begin, we wandered around a bit in the rain to take some photos.

I could have people watched with a camera on Broad Street all the live long day.

In one store, we spied the Golden Snitch.  I reached out and caught it!

In a separate match, thecamelridingcowgirl also won the Quidditch Cup!  We're both very good Seekers!

I took about 15 photos of this door until I finally got this one--without a tourist in front of it.

Serioulsy, Broad Street was my favorite.

The tour of the Bodleian Library began in the Convocation House.  So unbelievably beautiful.

This is the inside view of the door that is the 3rd photo in this post, above.

Can you tell I was feeling better than the day before?

I loved that ceiling.

Gobs and gobs of photos of that ceiling.  The tour guide gave us a really interesting history of Oxford University, and then the Library itself.

Absolutely no photos were allowed in the book part of the library, which made me so very sad...because it was astonishingly beautiful.  Google "Bodleian Library" images to see.  Some of the books are 500 years old.  They're chained to the shelves so that no one can steal them.  (Readers can sit at the bench attached to the shelf to read the chained books.)  If you've ever seen the 1st Harry Potter film, when Harry goes into the restricted section of the library to look up about Nicolas Flammel and the Philosopher's Stone, and the book screams at him...that's the Bodleian Library!  (Although I don't think the books scream when opened...)  Seriously--this place was a bibliophile's dream spot.  Build me a cot and let me move in!

After the tour, we headed over to the Eagle and the Child (also known as The Bird and the Babe) pub for lunch...famous for being the spot where C.S. Lewis and J.R.R.Tolkien would hang out and invent new worlds...

We didn't invent any new worlds, but we did discuss the one we live in.  I can't really imagine going there with anyone else.

It was a dreamy pub, with tiny little rooms with fireplaces and barstools and Christmas lights.  I loved it.  We picked a table in a nook near a fireplace.

Although the fireplace didn't work.

And there was the room named The Rabbit Room.  (The Rabbit Room is an online community of authors, musicians, and artists that I happen to really like.  Should I ever write a book, I'd want it to be connected to the Rabbit Room.)

I ordered a steak and ale pie...but was still feeling way too ill to eat it.  I did eat all the mashed potatoes and vegetables though.  I probably should have just ordered them as a side dish.  Oh well.  Oxford will forever be the place I that spent too much money on food I didn't eat and taxis I didn't need to take if only I'd learned the bus system straight away...

After lunch, we caught our bus back to Birmingham, where thecamelridingcowgirl lives now.  You may remember that I went there a few years ago to visit with Creedance (who is still there).  I got to see thecamelridingcowgirl's new house.  (HOUSE--not an apartment!  She's a full-fledged grown-up now!)

Because I was on vacation, and because I'd been so sick earlier in the week, we stayed inside the whole next day so I could rest.  We watched movies.  I quilted and she knitted.  We both took naps.  We had dinner with Creedance.  I stayed in my pajamas all the live long day--something I highly recommend doing while on vacation.

I'd been in England for a little over a week...and I still had four fun-filled days left.  Glorious.