Oxford

Today my cousin Tony picked me up to take me on a day trip to Oxford.  What a gorgeous little town!  It was everything I thought it would be.  When we arrived, we went to the Ashmolean Museum where Tony had booked a private showing of Raphael and Michelangelo drawings!  The museum has a private collection only viewable by appointment.  Pictured: Raphael's drawing, which he painted on a larger scale in the middle of the photo on the right.

A couple Michelangelo sketches.  Wow!

The houses in Oxford are so old!  Tony pointed out this house, posted below.  The front part is where the horses used to live.  And see that white door in the middle?  That was where the hay was kept--it was thrown down to the horses below!

 And here is another favourite... this is a hotel!  It has 15 cottages.  I want to stay here one day!

After the museum we toured Oxford's library, which has a room, shown below, where Harry Potter was filmed!  I am sooo loving all of these Harry Potter sights.  It's actually quite pathetic... I am more interested in where Harry Potter was filmed than in Michelangelo sketches.  Anyways, the gorgeous room two photos below is where also the "Hogwarts infirmary".  It is the original lecture hall at Oxford.  Can you imagine having a class in there?

The front of the library

The inside of the oldest room at Oxford.  Look at that ceiling!

 Some more photos of Oxford...

Some dormitories... I literally gasped when I saw this!  

The student only library, closed to the public. This chap was going in for a study sesh.

Christ Church College - one of the colleges

Do these steps look familiar?  Straight outta the Harry Potter movies!

 And here is the highlight of the day!  This is the dining hall at one of the colleges!  Does it look familiar?  Hogwarts' dining hall is a replica of this one.  This dining hall serves four meals a day.  The guard told me that tonight there is a formal for the Oxford students.

Here I am waiting for my date with Ron Weasley... I wish