Half-way -- personal

When we went to Stratford-upon-Avon yesterday we got to see The Taming of the Shrew performed by the Royal Shakespeare Company. Wow. These are some amazing actors and it was an outstanding performance. Although I have to admit the interpretation was a bit dark for me and I would have enjoyed seeing a different play more, but it was definitely a unique experience.

So, we're now at the halfway point in our trip. Time for some random observations, comments, and thoughts:
When in Oxford, ride a bicycle. It seems to be the preferred choice of transportation, and why not? The town's the perfect size for it. At the train station, they have a bicycle parking lot that is FULL of bicycles. Almost like a reverse park-n-ride (or for those commuting out of Oxford, a regular park-n-ride, just not with cars).
It takes a good 40-45 minutes to take the tube from Waterloo to the Barbican, but if you run from Waterloo back to the dorm, you might not miss the bus to Stratford (although they'll definitely leave you behind).
In British theatres, you can pre-order your intermission beverage from the bar, so it's waiting for you when you come out of the theatre. No queue!
During the early days of Oxford University, there was such a feud between the "town" and "gown" that there were multiple riots where people would sometimes get killed. At one point, a group of students had to flee town. They started Cambridge.
Oxford is 5 minutes west of Greenwhich Mean Time, so the bells of Christ Church, which have chimed 101 times every day at 9 p.m. for 400 years, are 5 minutes late.

Just an FYI for those of you still reading :) we're traveling to Scotland and then on mini-break, so my internet-time will be more sporadic for the next week or so.