As I'm getting tired of the 20-minute plod on foot to the station to get the train into Oxford, this was a good chance to take my new folding bike for a trip on the train. This bike-train-bike arrangement works out much faster than driving into town, even after I've folded the bike, unfolded it, fiddled with the handlebars, re-folded it, unfolded, removed my trapped leg, re-folded it again.
Negotiating Oxford traffic on a vehicle the size and shape of an upside-down ironing board is also an interesting experience. Fortunately these days I feel generally confident in traffic, and having experienced cycling across central London Oxford is a piece of cake.There are two wonderful things about Oxford. Firstly there's the atmosphere; to me it just feels like such a friendly place to be. As I wondered through the covered market everybody I passed seemed to be in a cheerful mood.
Secondly there's the uniqueness of the shops and pubs. Sure Oxford has the usual high street chains like HMV, Waterstones, Pizza hut, Nando's, etc, but if you know where to look there is just an endless supply of small and unique private establishments. Lots of little independent shops selling anything you care to imagine. There are pubs, accessed through inconspicuous doorways in walls, without signs outside. There are even whole streets that don't seem to be there unless you know they are.
Then of course there's the covered market, which is just brilliant. No chain shops at all, just passageway after passageway of independent retailers with everything from food and drinks to shoes and tshirts.Most memorable from this trip was the butchers in the covered market, where several whole wild boars were hanging from their back legs on hooks and a man with long pole was fetching down christmas turkeys from a high rack outside.
Oxford is starting to feel more and more like my home town these days, and I'm very happy about this.
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