A few years ago I read the book A Discovery of Witches by Deborah Harkness. The main character describes Oxford in such detail that I felt I needed to come here myself and see just what she was talking about. Our second day here in Oxford was spent in class and the museum that I had heard so much about. First, we met in the classroom for English 2 to discuss Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen, and moved on to our assignment of the day for English 4 (this is where the Ashmolean comes in). The assignment was to pick out a portrait and make up a story about the person inside it, then turn the story into a poem. Then we have the rest of the day to spend at our leisure.
The Ashmolean museum is so beautiful! We started at the entrance (Ground Level) where you can see the different sections of history laid out in neat areas to peruse when we finished the class portion of the day. We went down the center staircase of glass to see the portrait of Elias Ashmole and hear how he got his Cabinet of Curiosities. Then we went up to the first floor to see the portraits our instructor wanted to discuss and set us free!
They have this staircase with Blue walls and white columns with a ceiling that has so much detail, indescribable. I started at the Greek statues, they are incredible. You can still see the details of them after HUNDREDS of years, and they show you what some of the broken down ones would have looked like if all the pieces were there. I have to say I love England, with the FREE museums, gorgeous buildings, national treasures for you to touch, and an appreciation for education that is unparalleled.
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