A Walk at Night

I went to the first meeting of the Inklings tonight at Magdalene College, where C. S. Lewis taught. That campus is gorgeous--I desperately need to go back when there's light out.

There is nothing more other-worldly than walking through the city on a clear night. On Catte Street, the Bodleian Library, Radcliffe Camera, and Hertford College all take on a massiveness, like you'd imagine the pyramids would under the stars. Street lights invisible in daylight pop up where you don't expect and draw stark features on the carved arches and cornices. The circles of warm light contrast the cold blue of the night sky, and you begin to feel like this place has always existed, as if it too is a part of the celestial calendar.

That may be getting too poetic, but I'll keep working out a way to express the city. There's so much here to work with. The walk I'm describing goes down the street in the picture on the right of my blog.