Auf den Spuren von "Harry Potter" London & Oxford erkunden

About the destination: Of all European capitals, London lives deepest in the imagination of travelers. We absorb London before we know it exists and when we finally approach the city, it does not disappoint. There are the red double-deckers, the bobbies and impassive guards at Buckingham, Westminster Abbey, and the notes of Big Ben, sounding familiar, as we have heard them before. We see these things with satisfaction. Yet there is much to surprise. London is not quaint. London is not a museum, though you could spend all of your time going from one to the next. It is a booming, urban sprawl, with traffic snarls, shops, and an astonishing international population. Visit the many monuments with nearly a millennium's worth of history, from the grave of Chaucer to the pub where the captain of the Mayflower drank to Piccadilly Circus, one of London’s most photographed sights. But don’t miss contemporary London, with its intensely active theatres, international cuisine, political demonstrations, the latest in music and fashion, punks and peers, and everyone in between. In 1777, writer Samuel Johnson said when a man is tired of London, he is tired of life, and the phrase is still true. There's something different to experience every day in London.

About the destination: Oxford is a city in the South East region of England and the county town of Oxfordshire. Oxford has a broad economic base. The city is known worldwide as the home of Oxford University, the oldest university in the English-speaking world. Buildings in Oxford demonstrate examples of every English architectural period since the arrival of the Saxons, including the mid-18th-century Radcliffe Camera. Oxford is known as the ""city of dreaming spires"", a term coined by poet Matthew Arnold. Visitors to Oxford should definitely visit at least one museum, visit at least one college and - if possible - hear one of the world class college chapel choirs. A walking tour is a good way of achieving this. Some main tourist attractions are: • Bodleian Library. The main research library of the University of Oxford, The Bodleian is one of the oldest libraries in Europe and in the UK is second in size only to London's British Library. The Bodleian now possesses numerous branches throughout the university; visiting bibliophiles will be most keen to peruse the central site, which includes Duke Humfrey's Library above the Divinity School, the Old Schools Quadrangle with its Great Gate and Tower, the Radcliffe Camera, Britain’s first circular library, and the Clarendon Building. • Sheldonian Theatre. This unusual building was Sir Christopher Wren's first major architectural commission. At the time he was a Professor of Astronomy at the University. • Balliol, University, and Merton. Colleges each claim to be the 'oldest' in the University, with founding dates in the 13th century, although the exact year may be unclear or contested. They are fine examples of the collegiate Gothic architecture for which Oxford is renowned. • Ashmolean Museum. Vast, impressive, and recently undergone major redevelopment, the Ashmolean is Britain's oldest public museum, having been founded in 1683. The museum displays ancient art from Egypt, the Near East, Greece and Rome, a fine collection of Western art and artifacts and a sizable Eastern Art collection. • Museum of the History of Science. Located in the Old Ashmolean building, the Museum of the History of Science houses an unrivaled collection of early scientific instruments. The Old Ashmolean building is the world's oldest surviving museum-purpose building. It is a department of Oxford University as well as a public museum. • The Museum of Oxford. The museum tells the tale of the growth of the city and University. • Modern Art Oxford. An art gallery often showing temporary exhibitions of art and photography by renowned contemporary artists, which are accompanied by well-designed talks and workshops. • Parks, gardens and open spaces. Many of Oxford University's colleges have parks and gardens to walk through that are open to the public.