***THE STREET***
There's a lot to be said about wandering the old streets of London, seeing all the old Dickens-related places and all that.... but what have really interested me most are the old streets and buildings and people here in Oxford. The history astounds me; every picture taken looks as picturesque as a postcard or something taken by a professional photographer. Every building has a story; history is ingrained even in the stones of the streets themselves. A cross remains uncovered on the cobblestone streets where martyrs were burned during the reign on Bloody Mary. History is more highly valued here than in the US, I think. Aside from all of this, my favorite thing about any place is always people watching. Yesterday as I wandered in search of a cheap lunch, Oxford was really alive and bustling. Evidently, Saturdays are the days when all manner of street performers get out and do their thing. I saw a hippie playing the bagpipes (rather well, I think... but not like I'd really know the difference), a man pretending to be a statue, and an old woman playing the violin in a really quiet area of town. She was playing a sort of haunting melody which seemed completely appropriate for the place- right next to an ancient church. All of these things aside, my favorite street experience yesterday was watching a band playing in the good old style of American mid 1950's rock and roll. They were called "The Very Same", I guess because they completely ripped off their sound and weren't ashamed to admit it! They were a three piece band, guitar, bass, and drums. They had that old timey sound I adore, and it made me miss home a little bit for the first time. I really wanted to go get a good old American cheeseburger and a milkshake and watch them play... but there aren't any good old American cheeseburgers here. It was so interesting to hear them play and watch people's reactions. I heard a lot of "are they Americans?" and "oi, are these guys Brits?" in reaction to the sound. Some people were too busy to stop for a second and watch, others danced around a bit. A group of teenage boys proceeded to dance around in a circle which was wildly entertaining. This gem of an experience is not one that can be found in a guidebook. These sorts of things occur when you're not looking for them, when you happen to wander into them. These are my favorite sort; watching that band and feeling nostalgic yet excited to be in England, watching the English, watching the tourists... all of these things culminated into one of my favorite moments of the trip thus far.