We had a constant battle with the plethora of geese where we were moored in Abgindon. They used the boat as target practice and one was good enough to do a fly pass and get a shot through the Houdini hatch and onto some of the bedding. It would have had to turn 180 degrees and let go at pin point timing. We were not amused.
It was a short walk back into town where we had breakfast which was luxury as usually we do not have this amount of time to muck around. By the time we finished the Abingdon Town Hall was open for visitors.
The bun throwing is done from the roof of the building. Fortunately you are allowed up there which also gives you a good overview of the town and a better understanding of the geography of the river and streams in the area, as from ground level we were getting a little confused.
After that little luxurious break it was back on the boat and head off up the river for the last day of cruising on the Thames.
The approach to the Iffley Lock which is renowned as the prettiest on the Thames and has been featured in many a TV show.
All the lock keepers and volunteers we have met during our locking passages have been very helpful and always in for a chat. Most of them want us to explain the NZ, Oz and Canadian flags on the back of the boat as they can only ever see two of us. We have got that explanation down patter now.
Our travel today should have only been two hours but turned into four hours as mooring up opportunities were very limited so spent quite a bit of time jiggling along the edge of the canal to find something suitable. Finally moored, we headed into the city of Oxford which was a ten minute walk away. The buildings are overwhelming in their quality and quantity. We didn’t have a map with us so were just taking pictures of magnificent edifices.
We can’t remember some of the names of them but will do some research tomorrow and put a name to these photos. We do know this one is The Radcliffe Camera which often features in Morse and Lewis. Why you ask is it called Camera. Well, in Latin, Camera means chamber.
We do know that this is called the Bridge of Sighs. It just connects two buildings in one college and apparently it was erected around the 19th Century and is a copy of the one in Venice. The Bridge of Sighs in Venice connects the court where the judge would sentence one to death and then the convicted walks over the bridge to where they were executed. We prefer the Oxford Bridge.
The light was gorgeous to get photos. Oxford is the city of bicycles as they are littered everywhere. It is like being back in Amsterdam. Guess it is the cheapest form of transport.
Our final call was to the Turf Tavern which is famous for a number of reasons. It appears a lot in TV programmes; where Bill Clinton did not inhale and for our Aussie mates….
It looked a little like a headstone. Not sure if Bob would have liked this as his final memory considering he became a teetotaler.
Dinner was a shared steak and ale pie with NO dessert which did not make us feel quite so bad. Tomorrow we will look to doing a guided tour to get a better understanding of the city.
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