Studying abroad in Oxford for the Spring semester of 2020 was an experience I’ll not soon forget. Granted, this is likely due to the fact that our semester was cut short after Covid-19 began spreading around the globe at a rapid rate, but the short time we had in England provided me with memories I hope to hold on to for a long time.
One of my earliest memories was a walk through Port Meadow. The site, which has been zoned as a meadow since the ninth century, has long been considered one of the most important parts of Oxford and has played host to many of the city’s important historical events. Our class walked to the hamlet on the other side of the meadow and learned about the church there and its influence on such figures as King Henry II and Lewis Carroll.
After the class had dispersed from there, several of us continued, making the six-mile hike to the ruins of the Godstow Nunnery. It was interesting to see a place whose origins are so nebulous that they’re widely considered to be a legend at this point. The ruins were to be the site of a future picnic, we decided, and with that in mind, we started the journey homeward.
We were expecting an eight-mile walk back to Canterbury Road but did not know what was waiting for us at the last mile of our trek. After walking seven miles, we saw that the only path that lay ahead was through the lake. Having taken a different route, we had messed up along the way and were forced to make the decision: would we double the length of our walk, or would we swim?
In the forty-degree air, we took off our shoes and hiked up our pants before wading through the waist-deep water before us. It was miserable, and we were all quick to run home, where we knew concerned faces and warm towels waited.
Though the journey home from Port Meadow was hardly what we were expecting, it was something we look back on fondly. We returned for our parting picnic much sooner than we expected, careful to take a more dry route home that time.
This was just one of the experiences that made our time in Oxford so special. Walking home from the nunnery taught me a lesson about Oxford, and about travel in general, that would prove to be reinforced many times throughout the semester. The fun, and even the experience, is not in the destination. Sure, it was interesting to visit Godstow Nunnery, but clearly, the story doesn’t end there. The experience we seek when we travel is found in those things we aren’t expecting to encounter. Whether it’s a view of the sun setting over the Eiffel Tower at Montmartre or a windy bus ride to the Cliffs of Moher, the stories told after travels are characterized by the unexpected gems scattered throughout.
