Hopping On And Off The Hop -On-Off Bus

What better way to embrace all the pleasures of Oxford, while still clasping our beloved No. 1 Fan, Jan the Fan to our collective bosom, than taking the Oxford Hop On Hop Off Bus just like real life tourists do ......

..... obviously taking seats on the top deck, right at the front!

Oooooooo Oxford was almost toooooo impossibly romantic for words, with all of us us taking in every word of the running commentary via our earphones (fourteen languages available) ........ 

..... as we tried to take in all the beautiful, classical, limestone buildings, oozing with the ancient history of so many intellectualised and famous people  ....

...... and Nigel proclaiming that he couldn't help but feel extra super intelligent just by breathing in Oxford's "rarified" air!  

To be honest, it was too much to take in, especially after all the excitement of meeting Jan the Fan for the very, very first time. I think we were still a little  overwhelmed, so after completing the full bus tour one and a half times, the extra half because we couldn't find the stop button, which, in the end, turned out to be was right behind us, doh!

After finally hopping off said bus we thought we'd nip into John Lewis for a bite to eat in the guise of a cheese scone and mug of tea to relax our nerves. We could have stayed and talked for a million years, just sat sitting there sipping, but as Jan had travelled all the way down from Newcastle Upon Tyne it would have been rude to "hog" her, when there was so much to explore .........

So a cheeky meander round the famous covered market was next on our agenda, where Nigel was very taken by some hand painted guinea pig plates and no, they were not for the eating guinea pigs off Mr D, these were purely for decoration and celebration.

It was in the market that Nigel also discovered that where Worcester had it's penguin waddle over the summer, Oxford has it's OxTrail, 138 big and small cows scattered around the city.  "So many cows, so little time" he sighed sadly to Jan the Fan, who quickly led the little fella to Gulp Fiction https://gulpfictionbooks.com/ to make a considered purchase of a book she'd been hankering after for a while .......

.......  and although a hot drink was free with every book bought from one of the laden tables ......... 

........ time, tide ........ 

........ and the sights of Oxford wait for no man!  

However, despite all our good intentions to take in as much as we could, in the end four pairs of very weary feet had to finally admit defeat ........

....... but what better way of doing that but by unintentionally stumbling upon the house that Edmund Haley first spotted his famous comet from his observatory window .....

...... it was, emotional .........

As too was bidding a fond good night outside our hotel to Jan The Fan at the ebb of the day .......... if only until the next morning. where more adventure awaited.