I’m an only child, with no cousins, and part of the joy of marrying into Dan’s family was becoming a sister and aunt to so many relatives in England. My sister-in-law, Ali, is awesome. She artsy, kind, and a lot of fun. Plus, she makes a mean cocktail! I always treasure the time that I get to spend one-on-one with her and during my 2018 trip, we had an afternoon out in Oxford.

This was my first time in the iconic city and Ali, who used to live there, was the perfect guide. Parking in the city is difficult, so we parked on the outskirts of Oxford and took a local bus into the city center.

Our first stop was the Oxford Covered Market. The Oxford Covered Market is an indoor shopping bazaar with off-beat stores, artisans, and delicious food. We refueled with coffee and cake, before browsing. I often keep my shopping light while in England, saving funds and precious luggage space for food items that are hard to get in the states, but I couldn’t resist a small candle that smelled like cotton candy. I’m a sucker for sweet, candy smelling things.

We finished shopping and began our walk around the town. It was a fairly warm and dry day, perfect for sight-seeing.

One of the most famous buildings in Oxford is the Radcliffe Camera. It is a private library for the university and was build in 1737.

Near the Radcliffe Camera, is a gorgeous church named University Church of St. Mary the Virgin. For a small fee, visitors can climb to the top of the tower for a magnificent view of the town. The climb was relatively easy, but the viewing areas at the top are narrow. We had to squeeze around other visitors. I was delighted by all of the sculptures, especially the donkey. These are the types of structural details that you would not notice, unless you visit the tower.

The tower has a display regarding the clock and its clockmaker, Thomas Paris.

After all of that climbing, we settled down for lunch at a pub called Head of the River. It was a beautiful, spring afternoon and we were able to sit outside to enjoy the boats on the water. It was at this restaurant that I discovered the wonder that is Swedish cider. I’ve always been a cider fan, but Swedish cider is just phenomenal. It’s also very strong and one bottle is quite enough to be tipsy. I ate a delicious roast beef sandwich with chips and coleslaw. I highly recommend Head of the River for both food and ambiance.

After lunch, we walked through a pretty green space in the middle of the city, called Christ Church Meadow. Christ Church Meadow provides a burst of brilliant green to contrast with the grey city.

The Sheldonian Theatre takes the cake for having the most expressive busts. I thought they were going to start singing “Grim Grinning Ghosts.”

I was thrilled for the opportunity to visit Blackwell’s Bookshop. Blackwell’s Bookshop has been around since 1879 and is one of the premiere bookstores in England. I own more books than I can possibly read anytime soon, so I focused on bookish souvenirs, buying decorations for my book tote bag. I have quite the collection of buttons and pins from both bookstores and literary landmarks.

We continued our walk to visit Broad Street and The Bridge of Sighs.

Oxford is a lovely and famous city. I look forward to many future visits.