Destination: Oxford

Oxford is sort of the be-all end-all of college towns -- it is literally a town made up of colleges. It was home to a few of my most favorite writers and thinkers: J.R.R. Tolkien and C.S. Lewis. It's a mecca for academics, museum-lovers, and Harry Potter fans. In some ways, visiting Oxford was like coming home.

Stone buildings like churches and castles and the different parts of Hogwarts, are scattered throughout the town. So are museums -- I visited the Pitt Rivers Museum of anthropology, and the Museum of Natural History.

There's also Magdalen College, academic home of Lewis, Tolkien, and many others.

And of course, the Eagle and Child, affectionately known as the 'Bird and Baby' by its frequent customers, the Inklings.

The literary magic and academic development of Oxford oozes out of the very stones. You can hardly help wanting to pour yourself out into a novel or play, history or theorem. Visiting it was a sort of pilgrimage for me, since my entire life has been touched by the events and people from these chapels, dining rooms and streets.

And yet, I somehow managed to miss the train home. Perhaps it was because I never wanted to leave.

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Scenes seen this week

Dinner from Portland Pie Co. Leafy sky Dry-roasted new potatoes Outdoor film screening in Freeport, courtesy of L.L. Bean Reading material Summer picnic Beachscape Also: Here's what to do with all that watermelon On kindness "How my sourdough starter took over my life." Local alternatives to those trendy superfoods Talking to someone in grief Twenty-six things to do for yourself Have you tried dot journaling?

Destination: York

Much of what I know of York I've gleaned from the song about the Grand Old Duke: that is to say, I know almost nothing. It seems a first stop in the North of England. I fall asleep on the train despite my best efforts, and wake to the rolling of the English countryside: more sheep; fewer hills; accents on the train that are distinctly not Scottish. Leaving the train on an overcast late-morning, I climb first up, onto the high city walls, carrying my bulging backpack. No one seems to notice. Trees – trees! – drape themselves over the edge of the walls, the worn stones creased and smoothed by centuries of feet. The walls narrow as they cross bars, the tall towers that connect the sections of the walls to each other. Crossing over the river, I leave the wall and plunge down into the city itself. The streets are delightfully narrow, the castle leading up to the Shambles market, which hums with people. Timbered buildings lean precariously outward over the cobbled streets, a...

Scenes seen this week

Writing cards Tomato season Sunset from the window Strawberries, found fallen on the sidewalk Ocean day Stumbled onto a poetry reading in town Everyday bag Also: Liking healthy foods One of the best films I've seen in a while Ocean cocktails The Senate, behind closed doors What color tea are you? On college and consumerism Protein-packed vegetarian meals ( here's why that's a good idea) Why the beach is good for you

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