Daytrip in Oxford-first part Today I saw my ex-flatmate Holly, the girl I used to live with when I was living in Malta. She got back to the UK to take care of her mum and she texted me a few days ago asking to meet up. We decided to strategically meet in Oxford, which is halfway from our respective towns. Oxford exceeded my expectations. The city oozes charm and history. Every corner you look at, every alley and street hides some treasures. You feel like you’ve just wandered onto the set of a Harry Potter movie and you expect a flying wizard to pop out from any window. I must say Holly was a very knowledgeable guide, having lived in Oxford for many years and she told some interesting facts about the city. One striking thing about Oxford is the grey stone it is made of. You can see it everywhere and in fact, the use of other constructions materials is not allowed, in order to preserve the characteristic look of the place. The stone in question comes from the Headington Quarry area of Oxford. For those, like me, who don’t know, Headington is a suburb of Oxford, located at the top of Headington Hill and overlooking the city in the Thames Valley below. Historically, there were a number of stone quarries in Headington and interestingly, Headington stone, which was traditionally used for Oxford University college buildings, has a coralline origin, given that in the Late Jurassic period, Britain was located further south and submerged beneath subtropical sea. Another interesting fact Holly mentioned was that some traditional buildings have pointed arch windows which give the city a Gothic zest.