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Explore. Dream. Discover.

Oxford & Bath: The England We Always Imagined

9/13/2013

11 Comments

 
PictureBath, England
Although London is a wonderful city, its increasing globalization makes it harder to find the “England” I imagined growing up. So Tom and I ventured out of the city for two day-trips, one to Bath and one to Oxford. And we are sure glad we did.

Bath
Bath, held so much beauty that it seemed to glisten among the ideal green hillsides. It has almost always been a popular destination from the Roman era till today.

During the Roman era, the Romans constructed temples and bathhouses here because of its proximity to 3 natural springs. The ancient Roman baths have been excavated and remain the primary tourist attraction in the town.

PictureThe main Roman bath
Starting with the Roman baths, you can literally walk through the ages as you tour the town from the magnificent Medieval Abbey to the pervading Georgian architecture.

The whole town felt otherworldly and like one royal palace. The buildings were stately and so well-maintained that they looked new, and yet their style made it perfectly clear that they were not. Perhaps this is why the town made us feel like we were stepping back in time as opposed to looking back in time. 

It left us nostalgic for a different era. And the fact that it was the hometown of Jane Austen added to the romanticism of the place.

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Notice some symmetry of our own in this photo? Hint: there are two Jaime's :)
Nevertheless, the architecture is deceptively “perfect.” The stylistic preference for symmetry and the simultaneous attempt to avoid additional taxes, led to painting on additional windows where none existed. At first glance, it isn’t noticeable, perhaps because our mind prefers to see the symmetry, even if it isn’t real.


PictureOxford, England
Oxford
And then there is Oxford, my personal favorite. It’s hard not to engage your imagination as you tour this town. Home to Oxford University and its 38 distinct colleges, you feel smarter just walking through the streets. 

So many famous scholars and (particularly interesting to me as a literature major) literary giants have walked the same streets as they birthed in their minds fantastical lands such as Narnia, the Shire, Alice’s Wonderland, and more. Its meandering river, beautiful gardens, darling shops, awe-inspiring buildings, and thick atmosphere of scholarly tradition make it immediately clear how this town could have served their imaginations and prompted their literary efforts.

The absolute highlight of the day was our visit to The Eagle and Child pub. We sat in a small room at the back where J.R.R. Tolkien, C.S. Lewis and a few others, self-named the “Inklings,” met every Tuesday morning to discuss and critique each other’s writings.
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Although Tom and I enjoy Tolkien and his Lord of the Rings trilogy, we have a special fondness for C.S. Lewis and his many writings (not just his Chronicles of Narnia, for which he is most widely known). We read many of his works together (such as The Screwtape Letters, The Problem of Pain, The Great Divorce, etc…) and discussed them while dating each other in high school. We continue to return to his writings today as a creatively uncommon source of common sense. 

I could go on and on about Lewis, but I have asked my good friend, scholar, and philosophy professor, David Turner to do us the favor instead. He offers a much more intriguing take on Lewis; enjoy! 

Enter David:
PictureC.S. Lewis (compliments Getty Images)
C.S. Lewis (1898 – 1963) was an Irishmen in England who is mostly known for writing children’s literature (think, The Chronicles of Narnia) and Christian theology that made sense. His works have been read with great affection by a wide and diverse audience for well over seventy years. So what accounts for such enduring interest and a faithful following by so many different people?

Lewis can take hold of our imaginations.

Although this doesn’t settle the question, any satisfactory response will account for Lewis’ phenomenal ability to creatively draw readers into other worlds and visualize what it would be like to live there. Lewis invites readers to imaginative worlds like Narnia and Perelandra, places which are very much unlike the real world. These worlds have dragons, talking fawns, mermaids, bubble trees and other sorts of things we find in fairy tales. When we “walk” through these lands, we find ourselves stirred. These fairy lands arouse longings and desires we did not know we had and for what we know not what. If we are honest, we admit the genuineness of these longings. Time spent in these worlds elicits real desires and emotions, which linger long after we have finished the book and returned from fairyland to the real world. Oftentimes, we find ourselves looking for something in the real world that will satisfy these longings and desires the other world has elicited. Here we owe Lewis a great debt. For Lewis has just taken us through an important imaginative exercise.

According to Lewis, a healthy imagination will go to fairy worlds where apples are made of gold and consider gold apples in order to love real apples. While we derive great benefits by considering what it would be like to hold a gold apple, look at its color and feel its weight, time spent with a gold apple should also educate us about real apples. This is because real apples are genuinely more enchanting than gold ones, says Lewis. What is real is to be desired over what is not real.

However, many works of fiction today invite us out of the real world and into another world, and persuade us to stay. Rather than an invitation to a journey that returns home, it is an invitation to escape from the real world and drift. The longer we remain in the other world, the more we become disappointed, even disapproving, of the real world. We find real apples aren’t very interesting after all. Lewis instinctively knew this, and for this reason took great care to tend the imagination of his readers. In an essay, “On Three Ways of Writing for Children,” Lewis writes about the dangers of fantasies that dispose readers to escape the real world, or return entirely discontented with it. Lewis offers his readers a journey that is healthy for the imagination: fiction that carries the reader to fantastical worlds in order to learn how to live with a deeper love for the real world. Even the protagonists in his stories return to the real world after they have spent time in the other world.

Maybe this is why so many readers have turned to C.S. Lewis to help them peer through the looking glass. For myself, when I finish a book by Lewis I feel as though my imagination has been baptized. I’m immersed in another world in order to embrace and love this world. 

11 Comments
Neil Harden
9/12/2013 11:12:00 pm

Hi both, so glad you're enjoying the UK stage of your trip. I actually live about 5 miles from Bath and still find it a fascinating place even after knowing and visiting it for 50+ years! I am also a devotee of both J.R.R. Tolkien, C.S. Lewis and have visited the Eagle & Child in Oxford (what a great feeling to be where so much happened). Have fun and stay safe guys.

Reply
Gary Hoag
9/13/2013 12:00:39 am

Reminds me of my favorite C.S. Lewis quote from Mere Christianity: “If you read history you will find that the Christians who did most for the present world were just those who thought most of the next...It is since Christians have largely ceased to think of the other world that they have become so ineffective in this. Aim at Heaven and you will get earth “thrown in”: aim at earth and you will get neither.” May we all follow the example of Clive Staples and aim at heaven! Thanks for directing us upward, Tom and Jaime. Thrilled you got to Bath and Oxford!

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Becky Burke
9/13/2013 12:11:35 am

OK, this makes me want to go there! Thanks Dave for your insights into C.S. Lewis' writings!

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Aimie
9/13/2013 02:15:16 am

Love Love Love this! So happy to see you and Tom enjoying yourselves so much! I'm with Becky, next stop Bath and Oxford!

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Dustin Andres link
9/13/2013 02:28:14 am

That is so cool! I love you added the additional information about C.S. Lewis. The pictures are beautiful and so youse guys! Looking forward to the next round. Drink a pint for me!

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Kay Hunsaker
9/13/2013 02:13:41 pm

Hope you are enjoying England, like Randy & I did in 2007. I went looking for Elizabeth I and had a very hard time finding her, other than Westminster Abbey. However, I was told on my return (blast it), that she can be found at Hampden Court. Also, there is a neat flea market type affair in Covent Gardens on Tuesdays (may have changed) found some unique and inexpensive items there. Enjoyed the Victoria Albert Museum more than the Brittish Museum? except for the Rosetta Stone-that is awesome! Truth is, Randy & I are completely jealous and wish you the very best time of your lives! Can't wait to see your next installment! P.S. this is the only place in the world I've been so you won't get any more suggestions from me! Be safe sweet friend.

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Jon Nitta
9/14/2013 09:45:14 am

Glad you guys are going before Kay and I to explore England. We are planning to be there hopefully next summer. Love reading your travel blog!

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Kay Hunsaker
9/14/2013 09:58:06 am

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Kay Hunsaker
9/17/2013 04:11:07 am

Below is friend, Eileen Griffith's recommended "must see" places, on her return from Spain:
"The fabulous winery is the Nadal Vineyard at Pinedes,on our way back to Barcelona from Valencia. The Barcelona cathedral is world class, the Holy Grail in Valencia, the city of Arts and Sciences in Valencia, the Monserrat north of Barcelona, Gaudi's Sagrada Familia, many paradores, the Gaudi music hall in Barcelona (best flamenco)----it's hard to stop, there are sooo many places."

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Jaime
9/21/2013 07:15:43 pm

Hi Kay! Thanks so much for the recommendations. We will be in Spain in October and November! I hope you and Randy are well! Ciao!

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Kristin Etue
9/28/2013 04:24:13 pm

You two are such great writers, I feel like I'm there with you!

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    I'm Jaime. My husband is Tom. Suburbanites, backpackers, and expats...we've been them all!

    But no matter where we are or what we are doing, we are always looking to travel and see the world, and taste it too. Did I mention we love to eat and drink?


    In 2013, we quit our jobs to travel for over a year, which is how this blog originally began. Currenlty, we live and work in Australia, enjoying the expat life.

    Our latest adventure includes importing and selling fun, quirky souvenirs that will, hopefully, help you remember (or inspire!) a trip of your own!

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