The Cotswolds

Last weekend I ventured out to the Cotswolds with Bradley, a postdoc from my lab, and one of his buddies. Since I am legal to drive in England for a year after moving here, I was the designated driver. Although it took a bit to get used to the left side, narrow roads, fast speed limits, and roundabouts, it was a successful journey. The Cotswolds are a range of hills in West-Central England, about 40 minutes from Oxford. Sometimes referred to as the 'Heart of England,' the full name is the Cotswold Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty.

We did just over a 10 mile hike, starting and finishing at a town called Bourton-on-the-Water. The English are keen hikers and 'hill walkers,' so the trails around the country are numerous. The majority of our hike followed nothing more than a slightly trodden trail through the middle of nowhere in the English countryside. We walked through a few small towns along the way, but mostly through fields and pastures, up and down rolling hills. Where there were fences, there were always either gates, or a hand built step nearby by which to cross over into the next field. We shared our walk with many sheep and horses, and even a few bulls. Here are a couple friends we made along the way.

Rhodes Ball

'Tis the season for balls at Oxford. Almost every college has one, and they're quite the events. I attended the Rhodes ball a couple weekends ago which was themed 'A Fairy Tale Night.' After a lovely three course meal with wine, I enjoyed some coffee and chocolates while being entertained by a magician. Then began the fancy cocktails that had been designed for the evening, and we migrated outside. I enjoyed a live jazz band while playing a jumbo game of jenga, which was followed by a d.j. and much dancing. And just in case I was feeling a bit starved after dinner, there was luckily a kebab van situated just 50 feet from the dance floor -- good music, an open bar, and an open kebab van -- I'm unsure in which fairy tale you would find that, but it was nonetheless a very enjoyable night. Sarah and I below, mid dance floor :)

Varsity Match

In 1827, a cricket match was arranged between Oxford and Cambridge. This newfound rivalry between the two universities created a tradition of an annual 'varsity match' between the two, for every major sport. In 1864 Athletics (what we call track) had its varsity match debut, and yesterday was the 136th annual competition. An introuctio to the program read:

"The first Oxford v. Cambridge varsity sports, held in Oxford in 1864, heralded the birth of modern athletics. This annual fixture is the oldest in the world, and has been interrupted only by two World Wars. Its heroes have become household names: Oxford's CB Fry, Jack Lovelock, Roger Bannister, Chris Chataway, David Hemerey...Cambridge's Harold Abrahams, Lord Burghley, Chris Brasher, Herb Elliot. The current crop of talented athletes will play out the 136th installment of this historic fixture today, looking to join their heroes in the history books. For ordinary mortals, the particular intensity of the old rivalry between the two Universities can make today's competition the very pinnacle of their athletics careers. For others, it will be a stepping stone to higher honours."

Below is a picture of the team in 1912,

Compared to the men's team that competed yesterday,For the women, though fewer in numbers, it was the 36th annual competition.Since 1864, Oxford men have won 73 matches, Cambridge 55, with 7 drawn matches. The Oxford women have won 10, and Cambridge 25. However, the Oxford women have won for the last four years straight. The varisty matches switches location between Oxford and Cambridge each year, and this year we had the home track advantage. This meant our teams would be running on the same track where Roger Bannister ran the very first sub 4 minute mile.
Though both the men and women gave valient efforts yesterday, both fell to Cambridge. For the women, it was evident after 2/3 of the match that we had been beaten. For the men, it came down to the very last race, the 4x400m, where Cambridge won to claim the overall victory. Although the outcome was dissapointing, the experience was amazing. At Oxford, the athletics team has few coaches, and little guidance other than the teamembers themselves. Everything is student led and driven. Thus, it was really cool to see a genuine bond form among our teammembers- no one was running yesterday to please a coach or maintain a scholarship- everyone was out there for the pure joy of competition and with the one and only goal to score points for the team and to help your teammates do the same.

I went into the day thinking this was just another track meet. But the atmosphere soon convinced me that his was special. The two teams met, each wearing the traditional blazers only worn by those who have participated in a varsity match, ours with the O.U.A.C. crest (Oxford University Athletics Club). I realized what a big deal this was for the athletes here. I couldn't help smiling as I spoke with one of our distance girls afterwards about her race; she said, "I can't even begin to explain how cool it was to race for the Oxford blues team. When I was out there, I thought I was going to pass out, but then I just thought, look at me! I'm wearing a THE famous dark blue vest of Oxford! And that's what kept me running."

May Day

May Day is a big celebration in Oxford. Balliol celebrated with a black tie dinner on the evening of April 30st, followed by a jazz concert and a dance party back at Holywell Manor. Although most of the May Day parties are all-night events, I crashed by about 3am. However, I was up again at 5am to catch the big Oxford May Day tradition: for over 500 years, large crowds gather around the Magdalen Tower to listen to the Magdalen College choir at 6am. Feeling like I couldn't miss out, I gathered with probably 10,000 others to hear the choir. Due to the crowds, I was at least three blocks from the tower, and could only hear faint singing. But it was worth it just to see such a crowd in Oxford at 6am (quite a few of whom were still in black tie from the night before), and to see the traditional Morris dancers (odd English folk dancers) entertaining those in the streets afterwards. The picture below is of the crowd in front of me- the tower in the distance is Magdalen Tower, and the choir is gathered atop.