05/22/26 - A Day Trip to Oxford and a Late Train Home

Oxford: a city steeped in rich academia, historic English pubs, Harry Potter vibes, and, of course, Oxford students. These were the main factors taken into consideration during our 3 a.m. hunt for train tickets there. I've found this to be a recurring theme - my friends and I all huddled around the coffee table in the dimly lit kitchen, fighting sleep and clacking away on our keyboards, determined to find the cheapest transportation to our next adventure.

The morning of the trip got off to a rocky start when only half the group was seated on the train at 10:55 a.m. with the doors closing promptly at 11 a.m. We were saved from our worries when, out of the corner of our windows, we saw the girls from Flat 16 sprinting towards the platform in a full-on stampede. They made it. (A bus trip in the wrong direction and an English wedding that had halted all traffic was their excuse.)

The ride to Oxford was more scenic than any of us expected. Zoey, an environmental science major also from Ohio, and I were surprised by the charming landscaping and how there was absolutely no pollution in sight.

We arrived in Oxford in one piece and headed from the train station in the direction of the city center. We stumbled upon an outdoor market, so we stopped to explore for a bit before sightseeing. Eventually, we made it downtown and saw the iconic Radcliffe Camera, Bodleian Library, Bridge of Sighs, and St. Mary the Virgin Church.

After walking all morning, we were starving, so we headed to the Covered Market for lunch. There were SO many good options, but we settled on a Lebanese sandwich place that turned out to be pretty good and only £6. I met some Oxford students (both sophomores: one was a Physics major and the other was a History major) while waiting in line for my food. They said this restaurant was a hidden gem and that they came here all the time for study fuel. The History major told me they were in exam season, which explained why so many students were walking around in robes with carnations pinned on them. Apparently they wear a white flower for their first exam, pink for interim exams, and red for their last exam. The Physics major recommended we check out Christ Church Meadow, so that became our next stop.

Christ Church War Memorial Garden was absolutely beautiful. We wandered around the gardens and then headed towards Christ Church. My friends did the Harry Potter tour, but I'm not enough of a fan to buy a ticket, so I had a couple of hours to myself to explore Christ Church Gardens. It was so peaceful. I wandered along the river and sat on a fallen tree beside the buttercup field to charge my phone, spotted the punting boats and students taking swim breaks, and genuinely felt like I was in Bridgerton.

Later, we explored more of Oxford's colleges and hit a quick pub before heading back to the train station.

The tickets back were late - around 10pm - because we wanted to leave more time for the pubs :). Safe to say we were all exhausted on the trip home and will be booking earlier tickets back from now on. Somehow we ended up in a train car with the loudest group of English boys who kept playing American songs for us. The best part was when they started making fun of Lu for trying to wear her eye mask and nap on the way home.

Oxford was indeed full of rich academia, gardens, and Oxford students. It also gave us about 20k steps, amazing food, cute markets, and some mildly chaotic travel lessons:

1. Take the tube to the train station because buses will stop for wedding guest crossings.

2. You need to scan into the train station with your train ticket, NOT your Oyster card (oops).

3. The late train home isn't always as romantic as it sounds at 3 a.m. when you're booking it.