Look at that awesome spine!

So this last weekend I went to Oxford on a day trip, and while planning the trip I was laboring under the assumption that the main sights could be seen in a day or two. I hoped to knock down most of what I wanted to see, then maybe take another trip there in a few months when the weather was better. How wrong my initial assumptions were.

First, the main sights of interest were all closed. Oxford University is actually comprised of over 30 different colleges all under the Oxford banner, and of these colleges Christ Church is the biggest tourist draw. This was closed for some function, so we couldn't attend. Maybe Christ returned and was giving a speech.

The second main sight was the Bodleian Library, which has long been famous for its beauty and architecture, a fame that has only been burnished by the fact that several scenes from Harry Potter have been shot there. Here is a short list of things in Oxford shot for Harry Potter, as well as a brief picture show of some Oxford movie locations. Naturally, with my rotten luck, this was closed as well. To make matters worse, it was absolutely ice cold in Oxford, and out bus wasn't due to leave until 9 at nine. In search of warmer quarters as well as something to do, I decided to see some of the museums I was keen on, one of which is the Museum of the History of Science. The brief description in the guidebook mentioned that it included Einstein's blackboard from when he gave a lecture at Oxford in the 1930's, complete with his original equations left on them. Excited, I exclaimed to my friend, "Hey, they have Einstein's blackboard there!"

The confused reply came, "They have Einstein's backbone there?"