A Lovely Pub

I’ll be doing an entry on places to eat and drink in Oxford later on in the week. But I wanted to share our pub experience last night.

Our last time in Oxford 2 years ago we discovered the Rusty Bicycle pub. It became our favorite not only because it is a homey, friendly place, but also because it has good beer and really good food.

So last night after Kristi’s first day of teaching a one stop evening was in order. We could have stopped with just appetizers as they were bounteous! A roasted tomato soup with deep, rich flavors and whitebait – little deep fried yummies of fish. Still, we were glad we had also ordered a portobello mushroom burger to split. Topped with halloumi cheese, pesto, roasted zucchini, tomato and lettuce, it was fabulous.

And where in the U.S. can you bring a dog into a bar? Love it.

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Oxford – really?

I told myself I was not going to take a bunch of pictures here because I have so many from our previous five trips. Really? I was out for a few short minutes and couldn’t resist. I’m trying to only take “new” pictures, but, for me, there is just so much that speaks to me. So here are a few.

Isn’t it just stunning? My sister-in-law wants pictures of gargoyles so I started on them and was quickly captured by all the figures floating around all over the place. Cheers Martha!

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Technology in Oxford

We’re back in Oxford where Kristi is teaching. I now have the challenge of trying to post using just my tablet. I have a WordPress app allowing me to do these blogs without a computer. And I have a wireless card in my camera that, in theory, allows me to upload my pictures to the tablet. But it isn’t working especially well. Only one pic has uploaded. Hmmmm. So this will be a bit of an experiment. My tablet only has a camera facing the user. I’ve taken a few pictures this way, but it is less than ideal.

This something you’d never see in the U.S. “hand pumps”. It is one of the many things we love about England – the beer, and the beer pumped from the cask in the basement by hand.

Cheers!

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Palombella Five – Ultimo

Ultimo – last. So this is the last of Palombella and the subject is the finished flower art. Each of the four quadrants of the city had volunteers doing the drawings. Here they are.

Our quarter – the red and white of Serancia

The yellow and blue of the Duomo – Santa Maria della Stella

The green and white of the Olmo (elm) quarter

The yellow and red of Corsica

Finally the pros from neighboring Bolsena did their work right in front of the Duomo. It was at least twice as big, much more complex, and much more refined. Really, it was quite stunning. Sadly, it was impossible to be able to get above it enough to get a good picture of it. So all I have is a low angle full picture and a detail.

Full view

Detail

They used a wide variety of flowering materials to create this piece. The hair was some kind of hair-like looking plant material. Mostly flower petals, but some other plant materials. Simply beautiful. If the opportunity ever presents itself to see a festival with flower art going on while in Italy, jump on it!

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