In the Home of the Inklings

Day Six: Europe or Bust

It was hard to get up this morning. I mean, really, really hard. But I know I have no right to complain, because I wouldn’t have had trouble getting up if I hadn’t been so tired, and I wouldn’t have been so tired if I hadn’t gotten up at 4:00 in the morning to watch the sunrise from the roof of our flat. To be fair though, the view was totally worth it.

After finally rising as if from the dead and gulping down a breakfast of leftovers, we packed our things and boarded the train to the car rental station. It took half of forever, but they finally presented us with a brand new car very similar to the one that had been wrecked. It was complete with large cup holders, multiple USB plug-ins, a spacious trunk and much, much more. There was only one problem. The hood was opening… in the wrong direction. It kept flapping up against the front window, which was something we were all pretty sure it wasn’t supposed to do. So back to the car rental station we trotted, asking, yet again, for a new car. They complied and gave us a mini-van for our troubles, which was actually the best thing that could have happened because it was so much bigger than the other car. It didn’t have beautiful seats or a sleek body, but we all had plenty of room to move around in, which was so much more important.

I was told the drive to Oxford was a long one, but to me it went by in a heartbeat since I slept the whole way there. When we arrived in the little town I fell instantly in love. It was ancient, simple, breathtakingly beautiful and thriving with life. The cobblestone streets were lined with ages old coffee shops and tea rooms; students whizzed by on brightly colored bicycles; the chapel and the library became looming, ever presents shadows everywhere we turned.

One of the first places we went was the Eagle and Child pub, where many years ago J.R.R Tolkien, C.S. Lewis and the other members of the club known as the Inklings met.

The pub was virtually unimpressive, but there was something magical about walking on ground that such great writers had also walked on so long ago.

John Ronald Reuel Tolkien and Clive Staples Lewis.

As we walked through the town of Oxford, we saw a great door with stone arches depicting a lion and a horse and we realized that this was the door that had provided C.S. Lewis with inspiration to write the Chronicles of Narnia. All through the city we noticed tidbits like this. A special lamp-post, a series of stone statues depicting animals coming to life, a building named St. Edmond’s Hall, etc.

It wasn’t long before the cold and concrete set in among us girls, so we left dad to sight-see and we walked to the botanic garden. We got inevitably sidetracked, though, by a coffee shop titled the Queen’s Lane Coffee House. It advertised as being the oldest coffee house in Europe and, even though it's technically the only European coffee house I've been to, I wouldn't be surprised if it was one of the best as well.

We had to leave the town of Oxford far sooner than I would have liked, but a short drive took us to the cemetery where J.R.R Tolkien and his wife are buried. It was so bitter-sweet to read the names engraved in the stone and to see the gifts that people had laid on the grave. Gifts such as a copy of the Hobbit, a ring, an Evenstar necklace, and letters written to the author himself. We all had tears in our eyes as we left the cemetery.

After we left, we drove through several beautiful old villages in the Cotswolds, then stopped at Stratford-upon-Avon and saw Shakespeare's house. Everything is so old here! After such a long day, it was wonderful to finally reach Coombe Abbey, the hotel where we would be staying. This special place was Daddy's Mother's Day gift to mom. I do not exaggerate when I say that we all had to catch our breaths when we saw the hotel. It truly looked like a castle, on the inside and out. After exploring the interior and the grounds for several hours Morgen announced to us, “I feel so pretty when I’m here. It’s like I’m really a princess!” I’ll admit, we all felt the same way.

Some highlights of our rooms.

All and all, it was an amazing day, full of history, beauty, culture and nostalgia. I'll never forget Oxford or Coombe Abbey as long as I live.