Off on our own
Today we had our first bit of free time to do whatever we pleased, so my friend Sally and I decided to do what we do best. Get lost. We started our day bright and early by taking the bus (all by ourselves) to the City Center in Oxford. This weekend was a special weekend in Oxford call Open Doors. It was created to help the preservation of the historical monuments. During Open Doors weekend almost all the buildings were open, many of which were free. We took full advantage of this by wandering around the city all day going in and out of the different colleges, churches, buildings and even castles. We even got to check out some famous sites!!
Meadows of Christ Church
Christ Church! Location of the Great Hall and stairs in the Harry Potter movies! The directors/ Producers had to not only pay the church large amounts of money to use the location, but also convince the priests to allow them to close down the church to visitors during filming. (This is a working church with services every Sunday and a few during the week.)
Christ Church and the role in Alice and Wonderland!
The Divinity School. This is where the filming of Harry Potter took place for the infirmary and parts of the library.
This is a book of photos taken during the filming of Harry Potter in the room.
Photos in the book-- where the beds were placed in the infirmary.
This is where the library is during parts of Harry Potter-- we believe they made a fake floor as when we looked at the pictures the window is much closer to the floor than in real life
(Unpictured, the floor-- there are a few flat rows of seats)
While this building is under construction an alphabetical list of historical figures blocks it off. O is for Owen!! Wilfred Owen was a Poet who died during battle in the Western Front during WWI
The Oxford City Council
The Oxford Castle. Used as a jail and execution area until 1952 when the last person was executed.
Views from the mound next to the Oxford Castle. The mound held a well that provided water to occupants of the castle until the last execution in 1952.
Ceiling of the Natural History Museum. It creates a Greenhouse like feel due to the glass ceiling. Note to future visitors- do not visit on a hot and/or sunny day!
The real Alice in Wonderland exhibit in the Natural History Museum.
The real Dodo bird, The birds were supposedly shipped to France and they did not know what to feed them so the birds became fat and died out. In Alice in Wonderland, Carroll got the idea for Alice to carry the bird from visiting the museum to see this exhibit with a friend's daughter, Alice!
Found the Alice Shop!
Old fashion cars at the Oxford Castle, this one looks like the car from Chitty Chitty Bang Bang, It is actually the correct time period too!!
