*16 June 2023* My wife and I lived 27 years in Oxford. Our son and daughter both grew up there until their late 20s. So it was a special pleasure this past weekend to take some new friends from our island of Tjörn to show them this amazing city. A lot has changed since we first arrived in 1984. The commercial centre of the city is unrecognisable, with the monstrous, impersonal Westgate shopping centre, just a stone’s throw from the High Street having all but killed most of the traditional and independent stores we loved the most. But much is the same too, because the historic churches and colleges hardly change - both architecturally and culturally. From the tower of the University Church, which affords on the of the best views, the new buildings cannot mar the essential beauty of the city’s central character. Here are four views from that tower, in order East, South, West and North. ![[oxford_east.jpeg]] ![[oxford_south.jpeg]] ![[oxford_west.jpeg]] ![[oxford_north.jpeg]] We soaked ourselves in the music and religious faith of the colleges, attending evensong at both New College and Magdalen, as well as Sung Eucharist at the magnificent Christchurch Cathedral (which doubles as college chapel). Having English as my mother tongue, and the language of my inner life, I was moved by the beauty and depth of the language of the prayers and texts - something I miss in Sweden. And the pubs! Those quintessentially English culinary and cultural sanctuaries. We hardly ‘crawled’ but managed the Turf, the Dewdrop Inn, the King’s Arms and the Victoria Arms, enjoying (among other things) a Steak and Ale Pie and the essential fish and chips. Back home on our Swedish island I don’t miss the overcrowdedness of Oxford, still less the traffic on the M25 (our airport bus was an hour late - and our flight four hours late). But I do miss the history, culture and beauty of a city which was our home for longer than any other.