#oxfordvscambridge

[carlosenaglia]

Bomber ⚽️ #footballmatch⚽ #oxfordvscambridge #bomber #greenteam #funnyday #photooftheday #igfootball (presso Augusta, Italy) https://www.instagram.com/p/B6dsZ4tC7bL/?igshid=jjkkpczsv37h

[interno16holidayhome]

Reggia Challenge Cup 2018 in the Reggia di Caserta, centered on the challenge of the crews of Oxford and Cambridge, and which takes place in the magical scenario of Fontana dei Delfini, in the center of the vanvitelliano park. #boatrace #challengecup #cambridge #oxford #oxfordvscambridge #reggiadicaserta Rent your own cozy, vintage, large flat in Napoli, Italia! 3bdr, 2bath, kitchen and living, great location in old town. Check profile, follow the link. #Interno16HolidayHome #napoli #italia (presso Reggia Di Caserta)

[simply-rhian]

Women's #boatrace #oxfordvscambridge #putney (at Bishops Park)

[unfinishedmelody]

Boats! #boatrace #oxfordvscambridge (at Chiswick Riverside, London)

[instabritain-blog]

Oxford vs Cambridge

Now that’s something I have heard many times before... Whether it’s which university is better, who is going to win the boat race, which city is superior, people have their opinions.

Until recently I had always been pro Cambridge, pretty normal I think as I grew up on the Northamptonshire/Cambridgeshire border and went to school in Cambridgeshire. But I had never actually been to Oxford... So I thought I would put it to the test and see if I was right.

Now this is just for a bit of fun, both are world class cities and I would recommend each to those visiting the UK, everyone has their own opinion on the subject, this is mine.

Getting There:

It depends what direction you are coming from, but neither city is the easiest to reach. Often with Cambridge you have to tackle the dreaded A14, with Oxford the M40, neither road is desirable. Both are a nightmare to park in. In fact, don’t do it, don’t even try. Both Oxford and Cambridge have very efficient park and ride services, both at a similar price. I give them both a big tick for their bus services.

Oxford is definitely better connected however, whilst both have fast trains into London, Cambridge seems a little more isolated.

Shopping:

I am going to get this out of the way quickly, both cities have so much more to offer than shopping and I would visit neither city solely for this purpose (unless I lived 20 minutes down the road...). But I would have to say, I prefer the shops in Cambridge, there is a big John Lewis, something Oxford is missing. Both cities have many independent stores which is nice, but if we are judging solely on shopping, Cambridge wins for me. I also think the market in Cambridge is superior.

Architecture:

This is where I struggle... both cities are stunning, beautifully built, with fabulous buildings all round. But for me, I must say Oxford is the winner.  I absolutely loved Radcliffe Square and the Radcliffe Camera, I have never seen a building like it. Whilst Cambridge is surrounded with magnificent architecture, Oxford seemed a little more grand and unique.

University Colleges:

Oxford and Cambridge are most famous for their world class universities. Each college has its own buildings, walkways, architectures, gardens, you get my drift. But whose are better? Again, I wouldn’t say one is better than the other, they are equal, but something I did notice is that I found it MUCH easier to explore the colleges of Cambridge and this made a big difference to my experience in each city.

Sometimes the colleges are closed to visitors. It can be easy to forget they are not really a tourist attraction, they are educational facilities that are in use for much of the year. That being said, I have been able to sneak into a few in Cambridge when they have been closed and no one has ever tried stopping me, I also found they are usually pretty easy to explore. Unfortunately when I was in Oxford, every single one of the colleges I couldn’t gain entry to. Sometimes they are open but luck was not on my side, and they were closed the day I visited. I actually got told off by a security guard for just looking over the gate at one. For this reason, Cambridge wins for me.

St John’s College, Cambridge is my favourite of them all...

Places To Eat

Cambridge has around 50 more listed places to eat than Oxford on Tripadvisor, but this doesn’t necessarily mean they are better. What I like about Cambridge are the food stalls dotted around, especially the crepe stall by the market square... I did struggle in Oxford to find a sandwich shop where I could just sit down and not feel like people were staring at me for being by myself. Their cafes seemed more upmarket which wasn’t what I was looking for, but of course I found the covered market once I had already eaten! This has some great places to eat if you want something light.

There were some fantastic gems in Oxford I would have tried had I had some company, but for me the restaurants in Cambridge were more accessible.

Atmosphere:

Oxford is a bigger city, and I found this apparent, the city centre did seem a little more commercial. I am a small town girl (actually mostly village), so it is natural for me to feel more comfortable in Cambridge.

Both cities are easily covered on foot, they are much smaller than what you think a city might be like. I love how each place seems to be connected, whether by bridges, alleyways or roads, each city has a heart. If you are looking for a place to people watch, both cities are great.

For this reason, both cities are tied - there is a strong sense of community in each.

Conclusion:

Like I said, Cambridge will always be my favourite, but that is mostly because I lived over that way for so long.

However, I prefer the countryside and villages surrounding Oxford (sorry Cambridge...). Each city can be visited in a day, that’s not saying you have done is justice, but it is possible. If it’s a day trip you are looking for then Cambridge is so easy to visit from London. If you are looking for a weekend away then why not combine Oxford with the Cotswolds?

[thetallgirltellsall]

D A Y 1 7 : u n b a l a n c e d #oxfordvscambridge #boatrace #30dayphotochallenge #vscotravel #vscocam #england #backpacking S/o to Ali & Michael for taking the time to see me while I was galavanting around Oxford for a few days.🙌🏼🤓🇬🇧 (at Oxford, United Kingdom)

[alexanderthevoiceless-blog]

Dear Cambridge girl.

Dear Cambridge girl,

The Goo Goo Dolls started a song with “I’ll give up forever to touch you.” and frankly speaking, I will too just to see you again. To be able to catch a whiff of you, to get lost in your eyes, to share 10 minutes with you, shout “steroids” because your team won, to share a fleeting moment once more. Yes, I will give up my mortality for that.

You stood in front of me, trying to catch a glimpse of what was happening in the television, cheered for your home team and fought the ever so bobbling heads of the people perched in front of you. There you were. You were just there. In front of me and I didn’t even get your name at all. You told me that Oxford can still make it through because of the bend and I shot your idea down and said that the distance was a boat away and it would be difficult. Your lips stretched with glee as if a secret wish of yours was granted. I did ask you if you support a certain team and you told me “Cambridge”. You did return the question and I said. “Oxford”. You tried to find out more by asking why and my reply was vague and in my opinion, stupid. My body was weakening already but I managed to blurt out, “I just like the school, that’s all.”.

In a sea of people where everyone just go back and forth, purpose-driven or aimlessly floating, we stumble on gems that will ground us, keep us stationary and just freeze us on our tracks. Most of us will know what to do, others are going to be like a fish out of water. I belong to the latter.

Your team was winning, feeding gushes of waves and sprays of vapour. If they were on land, they could have been shouting “eat my dust!”. A bubble was created. I introduced myself. I asked when will you go back to Cambridge and said, “Will you have coffee with me before you go and receive your education again?”. You said yes. At the end of the day, I landed a kiss on your perfectly contoured lips and said our goodbyes. I got your number and promised to each other that we will keep in touch. That was supposed to happen. Like a fish out of water, I aimlessly tried to get a grasp of what will I say to you. Instead, I wished that your team will sink and loose the race and I thought about it loudly.

A missed opportunity. You gravitated towards your group, never to return. Glances were exchanged but I was scared shitless to say something. “Alex, say something, you imbecile!’, I told myself. But then again, words just flooded in my feeble brain and I did find it hard to grab something, to even grunt was a Herculean task!

I was sure that I will be shot down but then again, what if I will have that coffee with you? To see you again and visit Cambridge? Questions that I will never know the answers for I allowed my fear to get a hold of my trachea. So here I am, writing a letter to the world, hoping that you will pick it up and read it. To give me a second chance to ask for your name.

As you walked passed me, our eyes collided. Not a word was said but it was clear that it was goodbye. Your eyes told me, “Why didn’t you ask me?” and all that I can muster was a simple smile and a nod. Probably, I was just projecting. Anyway, I did loose the moment.

As with every missed opportunity, I am leaving this all to fate for dreamers are left with their hands holding their gonads.

Yours truly, Alexander

[iamdjgordon]

Watching #Oxford win the #BoatRace! 🚣🏆 #OxfordvsCambridge #theboatrace #teamoxford #darkblue #hammersmith (at The Old Ship, Hammersmith)

[officecatwalk]

THE boat race 🚤 #oxfordvscambridge #london #lbloggers (at Putney Bridge)

[randomtypography]

Placeee your bet! #spitalfieldscityfarm #goatrace #oxfordvscambridge #betting #Randomtypography (at Spitalfields City Farm)

[amiemechen]

Oxford vs Cambridge in this months Vogue @matthew_clulee at number 3 #Vogue #Hairdressing #MatthewCluleeSalons #OxfordVsCambridge

[mimandjordy]

Bank Holiday Monday like a Boss.  Wonderful Easter at work yesterday celebrating the resurrection of the ol' fella and watching the Oxford Vs Cambridge boat race.   Memories of the night also contain traces of face paint, mystery shots, titanic and Rugby? Oh, and 'scuse the morning breath and panda eyes. ~M

[fpapagni]

#london #oxfordvscambridge

[unfinishedmelody]

Ready for the boat race! #picnic #boatrace #oxfordvscambridge (at Chiswick Riverside, London)