Bridge of Sighs

I am not sure quite what I did when I took this photograph one summer’s day in Oxford. All of my photographs of France and Oxford on A ma vie de coer entier (click here if you want to know why I have used this for my blog name) have been taken with cheap digital cameras, which was all an impoverished gentleman traveller with 5 children could afford) and sometimes the camera’s attempt at coping with certain light conditions thew up some real surprises.

I had been sauntering about the Oxford streets and found that the Hertford Bridge was looking particularly picturesque that day and naturally took a photo or two. As I make it a rule to always look at both sides of a proposition, I passed beneath and turned back to face the Sheldonian theatre.

I was particularly pleased to note that the light at that time of day caused both the bridge and Christopher Wren’s Sheldonian to positively glow and found that, upon taking this photograph, the camera had gone into some sort of colour saturated ecstacy and produced the image you see before you.

The bridge is commonly known as “The Bridge of Sighs” as the ignorant look at it as a copy of the one in Venice. Apparently it is more like the Rialto Bridge. But who cares!

I just love the fact that there existed an age where someone said to their college chums,

“I say you chaps! I want to cross from one side of the street to the other without getting wet. How about this for an idea ?”….and it was done.

I have recently unearthed from a file a collection of letters I sent home during my Oxford sojourn which I thought I might share on future blogs for those caring to know more of my adventures. Be warned! Such high adventure is not for the fainthearted.

So a big sigh…”Aaaaah”, for this lovely bridge and the wonderful time I spent in Oxford. Do spend a week or two there this summer.