Holiday in England

Rather than fly all the way back to the USofA for three and a half weeks, I decided to spend my Christmas break in England. After my trip to Norway, I settled in to a cozy little townhouse a couple blocks past Folly Bridge in Oxford. The city certainly became quieter in the days leading up to Christmas, as students returned home and shops closed up. It was nice to relax and do nothing for a couple days after a semester of studying and a few days of travelling. I spent most of my time reading, journaling, and working on some applications for graduate schools. I also enjoyed some walks around Oxford, each time pausing over Folly Bridge to take in views such as this:

There was one particularly important highlight of my break: my parents and brother joined me in Oxford! My family's visit was such a gift. I was able to share the best of Oxford with them. We also spent a few days in London in the middle of their visit. All three concluded that they prefer Oxford over London - victory! While in Oxford, I gave my family a walking tour, and we visited Christ Church and Magdalen colleges, climbed the tower of the University Church, sampled pastries, visited the Covered Market and Gloucester Green Market, perused a few museums, and attended Christmas Vigil Mass at the Oxford Oratory. In London, we saw Big Ben and the Parliament Buildings, attended Evensong at Westminster Abbey, explored the Tower of London, window-shopped in Harrod's, mastered the Underground, went to the Winter Wonderland Festival in Hyde Park, and saw "Les Miserables" in West End.

With CJ and my mom outside Christ Church - with the Cathedral behind us.

With CJ and my dad in the Madgalen College entrance quad

Strolling Addison's Walk, Magdalen College

CJ fitting right in outside the butcher's in the Covered Market

With Shannon, a CMRS alumnus and current professor at Franciscan's study abroad program in Gaming, Austria!

Outside Westminster Abbey

With Big Ben

At Parliament

At the Tower of London - jolly English weather :)

My dad enjoying a pretzel at the Winter Wonderland Festival in Hyde Park.

My mom enjoying sour-cherry flavored mulled wine.

Les Miserables at London's West End!

Daughter and mother - one of my favorite pictures of the trip :)

Christmas morning - with our Christmas tree!

Sooner than any of us desired, my family returned to the States. For the next couple of days, I worked on some research for my senior thesis and prepared to move back in to St. Michael's Hall for the Spring (Hilary) 2013 Term. I celebrated New Year's at a lovely dinner party with friends and new acquaintances hosted by a couple wonderful siblings. I must say, proper dinner parties are one of my favorite things from this country that I will bring back with me and attempt to recreate in the States. I also spent some quality time with my housemate, who introduced me to the BBC made-for-TV movie "Restless", and convinced me to give Doctor Who a second shot by watching the Christmas special. I never expected a Christmas special to make or break it for me; however, after picking up Downton Abbey and neglecting Doctor Who this past term, I do believe my preferences have now swapped.

The day before move-in, I finished packing, and my fellow Franciscan University classmate, Daniel, arrived in Oxford. On January 3, we packed up a black cab and commenced the move to St. Michael's Hall. Christmas break was officially over, and that evening, the CMRS Spring 2013 term began.