Today I want to share my guide to punting in Oxford with you. This city in the UK is famous for its university, but there are lots of things to do in Oxford for those of us that aren’t students there. Read on for my Oxford punting guide.
Oxford Graduation Ceremony
It’s graduation season. A few weeks ago I traveled back to Brown for my five-year reunion, which took place on the same weekend as graduation. The following day my cousin graduated from Yale with a master’s degree.
This weekend it was my good friend’s turn to graduate. She invited me and my mother, who’s visiting from San Francisco, to attend the ceremony at the University of Oxford. We were excited to take a summer day trip from London for it.
Our enthusiasm was justified, too. Nobody does ceremony quite like the medieval European universities. Dating back to the 12th century, Oxford’s graduation was all tradition.
All strange-looking robes with streamers flying from the shoulders, all furry hoods, all color-coded stoles. All Latin.
As we sat for two hours on the hard wood benches of the Roman-style D-shaped Sheldonian Theatre, we listened to enigmatic Latin chants, watched graduates bow confusedly this way and that, saw the procession leave the theater, and clapped as the graduates returned through the front doors in full academic regalia.
After the ceremony we went to lunch at Brasenose College, my friend’s place of study at Oxford University. “Graduands” and their guests were invited to dine with the principal and his wife, and we were lucky enough to get seats at the head table.
I say “lucky” partly because the head table was the best one, but mostly because the head table was the only one that had seats with padded chairs, which was a welcome relief after the hard benches of the theater.
Lunch in Oxford was a grand affair befitting the Harry Potter-like dining hall. With dark wood from floor to ceiling and portraits of lots of old dead white men, it emanated academia from its every mahogany pore.
As we dined on John Dory fillets and drank Pinot Noir, we discussed the history of the college, which is celebrating its 500th anniversary this year. Pretty impressive.
Punting in Oxford
After lunch we decided to go punting in Oxford. All my previous day trips to Oxford and its northern rival Cambridge had taken place in the winter, and my dreams of punting had been deferred.
But with the sun shining and the season right, this was the perfect day for punting down the river.
Our English friends insisted we pick up some picnic supplies at the covered market before punting in Oxford. It was the proper thing to do, they said.
Eager to follow protocol, we accompanied them to the bakery, where we picked up strawberries, bead, cheese, and sparkling elderflower water.
Picnic food in tow, we headed to the river to go punting in Oxford. The Isis was chock-a-block with long, skinny vessels of every color, and the chaos of punters and their companions was a bit intimidating.
We boarded our boat as delicately as possible given its instability and our being in dresses and heels.
One of our party was a very experienced punter, and he took the helm for the first leg of the journey. The river was gorgeous and the green banks were bursting with flowers, trees, and waterfowl.
Several mean-looking swans eyed our strawberries and cheese longingly, but we managed to glide past in peace. It was very civilized.
When it was time to turn back, several others took turns punting in Oxford. They dug the long metal pole into the ground and propelled us along the river.
We passed giant greenhouses, centuries-old churches, painfully beautiful college buildings, and a children’s cricket game.
We saw swans, geese, mallard ducks, and a million tiny water bugs. We relaxed. We enjoyed the sun.
As we alighted, I felt a tiny pang of regret for not taking my turn punting in Oxford. My skirt and heels didn’t help motivate me, but I probably could have managed with minimal water damage.
I suppose I’ll just have to make sure that there’s a next time and dress appropriately for the occasion.
Then again, graduation season is a special time to be in Oxford so maybe I’ll come back at the same time next year and do as the “graduands” do.
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