Oxford University

 Was able to visit Oxford University today and no visit to England can be complete with out a visit to Oxford. One of the oldest University in UK and the second University in the world after Bologna University, Oxford was established around 1095.This University came into prominence after Henry II, debarred the English students from going to Paris for higher studies. After a dispute amongst some students they set up the Cambridge University around 1167.Both these Universities together are known as Oxbridge. There are about thirty eight  colleges spread over different areas. Some of the buildings are very old with beautiful architecture. Oxford is a mix of the traditional and the modern,with traditional buildings and modern shopping areas. I found Oxford very crowded with a large number of tourists visiting this place unlike Cambridge. I am not sure what is the reason for this but would love to find out. We saw the huge open space where students have their graduation ceremonies. Mathew Arnold called Oxford as the dreaming city of spirals due to the spirals present in many buildings and these dot the landscape.

In Buffalo, USA

 I had been nominated as an  International Visiting Scholar in the Women’s Studies Department at the University of Buffalo, New York. I gave two talks here, on  Women in Indian miniature paintings, Department of Art and culture,  University of Buffalo, The State University of New York, on 8^th March, 2007 and  Women’s Movement in India – issues and agendas, Women’s Studies Department, University of Buffalo, The State University of New York, on  12^th March, 2007. I have nevever seen this amount of snaow and it was literally a bone chilling cold .  The only reason I accepted this was that my elder son Sankalp was working here.  After seeing the weather I was very keen that he moves quickly from this place. Bittu purchased his new car here and we went around to different places includsding the Niagra falls. 

In the Louvre Museum

 The Louvre Palace houses the largest museum in the world. The twelfth century fortress was extended and refurbished several times throughout the centuries. Before it opened as a museum, King Charles V and Philippe II chose this palace as their residence, decorating it with their ever growing art collections. When the Royal Family moved to Versailles, the impressive building that covers a total area of 160,000 square meters was transformed into one of the most important museums in the world. A glass pyramid, which is currently the museum’s principle entrance, was built in the palace’s main courtyard in 1989, piercing the monotony of the Louvre's exterior. Featuring the French monarch’s art collection and the result of the pillaging which was carried out during Napoleon’s Empire, the Louvre Museum opened in 1793. Since its inauguration, the museum was free for the public during a few days a week and was considered revolutionary for its time. The Louvre’s permanent collection features nearly 300,000 works of art that date before 1948, and of which only 35,000 are visible to the public. The enormous collection is organized by themes in various departments: an Oriental Antiquities department, Egyptian Antiquities department, Greek Antiquities department and Roman and Etruscan departments. The museum also includes a part on the history of the actual palace, including the Louvre during the Middle Ages, Islamic art, paintings, sculptures and graphic art. I spent a lot of time around the sculptures and paintings especially with my favorite ones, of Leonardo da Vinci.

The Eiffel Tower

 The Eiffel Tower or as the French call it, La Tour Eiffel, is one of the world's most recognizable landmarks in Paris.  The tower was designed as the centerpiece of the 1889 World's Fair in Paris and was meant to commemorate the centennial of the French Revolution and show off France's modern mechanical prowess on a world stage. The Eiffel Tower was built to be one the main attractions at the Paris World's Fair in 1889. That year, the World's Fair covered the entire Champ de Mars in Paris and its focus was the vast constructions in iron and steel that were the great industrial advancement of that time. The Eiffel Tower includes the Esplanade and three levels – the first floor, second floor, and the summit. There are a couple of restaurants, a few eateries, a champagne bar, museum exhibits, a children's play area, souvenir shops, Gustave Eiffel's office, and an observation deck offering panoramic views of Paris. I climed on the top and could get a lovely view.