Chim-Chim-Cheree

For those of you who don't know I will confess for the world wide web, I love Julie Andrews. When I saw Mary Poppins I wanted to be British, eat a spoonful of sugar, and feed the birds at St. Paul's Cathedral. I know every word and song of the movie by heart. I have read the delightful books by P.L. Travers. Since I was a kid I have been an Anglophile (lover of all things British). I offer you this information so you understand why in this my 30th year of life, I was especially blessed to finally set foot on English soil. The next few (or many if I get good feedback) blogs will be about my recent trip to Oxford, Cambridge and London on a study trip of the great author CS Lewis. Lewis has also shaped my life ever since my sixth grade teacher read us, The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe. I have traveled to Narnia and England several times in my imagination and through books, but now my eyes see what I had only imagined. Now, I use my own words to take you on my journey to the UK. I will share with you pictures, notes from my journal I kept on the trip, and reflections now that I am back in America.

Today we took a walking tour of Oxford. The funny thing is everything seems so familar because it looks just like Sewanee (my alma mater http://www.sewanee.edu/). I love to see the school boys in their uniforms with the hats and ties. We visited St. Mary the Virgin church which is where Lewis preached his famous sermon, "The Weight of Glory" It was also here that John Wesley (the founder of the Methodist church) preached his famous sermon, "Salvation by Faith." There is a plaque here that indicates that the Oxford martyrs, Cranmer, Ridley and Latimer were burned at the stake on the street. They were burned because Catholic Queen Mary (aka Bloody Mary) was trying to reverse the Protestant reformation in England in 1555. All of this history in one place. I stand where they stood. What contribution will I make to this world?

Later that afternoon...

I had a proper tea and scones at Rose's tea room. Scones are like American biscuits and clotted cream is butter. Real butter, not low fat vegetable spread. My taste buds were delighted in the richness of the clotted cream, the sweetness of the jam and the aromatics of the tea. Tea in England is unlike any I have had ever, even in China. The warmth fills your mouth, the aromas penetrate your nose and there are so many subtle flavors. It's like tasting a nursery filled with flowers. Now I understand what the meaning that "a proper cup of tea" can solve anything that ails you.

That evening...

I went to Evensong at Magdalen College (where Lewis was a tutor). I was transported to the very presence of God via voices lifted in musical prayer. It was the most beautiful prayer service I have ever attended. The voices and prayers still linger in my head. I was there an hour but I feel like I have spent a day in heaven. Here is a picture of the chapel.

Tomorrow more specific on the Walking Tour.