Excerpt (and expanded) from an email I wrote:

Oxford is full of tiny, twisting little lanes that lead to all the oddest places. For example, today I was headed to the Rhodes House for our brunch meeting when I spotted a small lane called "Queen's Lane" or something like that. It seemed to lead in the right direction, so I thought I'd take it and see where it went. Also, I was early. So off I went, deep into the lane, tall featureless walls on either side of me, small mysterious doors set into the wall at periodic intervals, and it twisted to the left, then to the right, then to the left, then to the right, and after walking for a while, I emerged right underneath the Bridge of Sighs at Hertford (my college)- a walk that could have taken me half the time if I had just stuck to the main road and then turned right at The University Church of the Virgin St. Mary. However, I didn't mind the walk as my curiosity was satisfied.

Actually there are many places which are tucked into the oddest nooks and crannies. Like pubs... a bunch of us headed to the Turf Tavern for a drink yesterday and we nearly missed it, because it is hidden at the extreme end of a little lane with a tiny sign indicating it's there. Step through a small doorway- so small you must bend over and step over the threshold- and you enter a courtyard. The pub is to the left, and it seems to have been placed on existing buildings as opposed to imposing its own will on the buildings. Walls stick out of nowhere, steps lead up and down and up again, and through the pub you can head into other courtyards to sit- throughly confusing for us, as there were several groups of us there and we missed each other when we ended up in different courtyards. One courtyard has a large fire pit in the centre. As I understand, it is a popular place for throwing up in in the early mornings after a hard night's drinking. The pub itself had a very low ceiling, with beams of polished timber jutting out just above my head.

I also stopped at the Ashmolean Museum yesterday. Had some time to kill so I walked in to take a look when my cellphone rang, so I stepped out. Will go again later. Also must go to the Pitt Rivers Museum, of His Dark Materials fame- it's the one where Lyra Silvertongue runs in and sees the shrunked heads. It's right near Rhodes House, although far from where I live. Heck, everything is far from where I live, because I have the misfortune of living way down south by the river.

This may disappoint some, but my lodgings are very modern. Think Holiday Inn or Motel 8 or another cheap, generic hotel and shrink everything down by half. That's the Hertford Graduate Centre. The upside, though, is immense. Bathrooms are en suite, a rarity in the colleges. We all have singles, no sharing, and everything is clean and works. We even have heated towel racks and efficient heaters. Every room has its own phone and ethernet connection. It's a marvel, especially when compared to the tiny, old, dusty 17-18th Century rooms that most people live in.