I Feel Nerdy

Last week I learned that Oxford is more than a bunch of colleges you have to pay to visit. So much more. I went to Oxford in past trips, and experienced a small cross section of the university and the city. I can understand why the tour company didn't let us loose in the city then, people like my parents and I would have never gotten back on the bus.

I had a few places I wanted to check out in Oxford, each more nerdy than the one before. But that's okay, I'm not sure there is anything to do in Oxford that isn't nerdy. We stared with a stroll through town ending at the Ashmolean Museum. The first of four museums we visited in a day, and the first of four that I woefully underestimated. Not wanting to completely bore the crap out of my companion, I suggested we split up and meet back in an hour. After passing the threshold of the museum, I began to realize the scope of it. So, armed with the 'things nerds will most want to see' guide, I headed in.
I felt simultaneously fascinated and overwhelmed by its seemingly endless number of rooms and all of the objects here. As a museum of art and archaeology, it doesn't take either subject lightly. From 2000 year old Roman artefacts, to Turner paintings, the Asmolean truly has a little bit of everything. They also house Guy Fawkes' lantern and a Stradivarius violin, which is pretty random and cool.

Anyway, I digress. When we had had our fill of being overwhelmed there we went for lunch and a pint at the Eagle and Child, or the 'Bird and Baby' as the locals would call it. And by locals, I mean JRR Tolkien and CS Lewis who used to hang out there. Apparently they and their friends would meet every week to muse about philosophy and the latest chapters of their respective books. And why not? It's quite a charming pub with a warm interior, cask ales, and classic pub food, what's not to like. (this post is sounding too much like an advert)
After nerding out in there for a few extra minutes, we headed to the Museum of the History of Science. Really. This is the worlds oldest public museum, built in 1683. Today it houses all manner of scientific instruments including Islamic astrolabes and other ancient celestial navigation tools, and also optical, and medical equipment. I didn't understand how most of these things worked, but our ancestors were pretty clever. I often fail to appreciate the magnitude of the discoveries made with these instruments and how far they advanced humanity. So, there I go again.

From there we accidentally found the Museum of Natural History. This is in a beautiful, purpose built building that I really enjoyed, let alone what it housed; Locally discovered dinosaur bones, taxidermied birds and animals, and rocks that are billions of years old. When I stumbled on the adjoining Pitt River museum, I nearly turned and ran. Really, there's only so much awesome history and art I can take in in one day. And this one was again full of inconceivable history. The museum started with the original Pitt Rivers collection of some 20 thousand anthropological items, and has grown a bit since 1884 to around 300 thousand objects from around the world. From clothing, textiles, musical instruments, weaponry, and everything in between, this is an amazing and vexing place. Without a clear starting point, one can wander for hours between the displays, I lingered mostly at the display of shrunken heads, and then the fire starting tools from around the world (all surprisingly similar).

So, it was with tired feet and an even more tired brain, we trooped back to the bus to take us home.
It's okay to love England. It's okay to love England in all the nerdiest ways possible.