I’m very pleased to report that yesterday was a much more positive day than the one before it. After a good night’s sleep and a hearty breakfast, John and I set off to explore Oxford a bit more. It’s an intriguing city, although in these summer months tourists outnumber university students. First we had a short walk through a few parks, then we decided to visit the Ashmolean museum.

To be honest the Ashmolean was a real treat: for starters it’s free to get into, but apart from that I can’t remember the last time I’ve seen so many fascinating objects. There are fragments of history from across Europe, Egypt and the Middle East. Of course, you could say it’s all a result of British imperial pillaging, and that none of the thousands of ancient artefacts we saw yesterday should be in Oxford. Yet, that aside, I can’t remember the last time I was so engrossed. I lost John at least three times, and didn’t really want to leave.

After a couple of hours in the Ashmolean, we went for a lovely long walk through a huge park which the River Cherwell runs through, before heading back to the city centre to catch our train. It had been a lovely couple of days. Finding the Eagle And Child closed was hugely deflating, but I suppose there are still positives to look towards. Just getting out of London once in a while is cool, and it also whets my appetite for more such trips.