Oxon

Over most of the this week I will be writing up my findings from my weekend in Oxford and Bicester, including vital practical tips for getting ten bottles of beer into a medium sized rucksack and safely back to the Czech Republic.

I tried loads of new beers while I was away, enjoyed being in some wonderful pubs, met all manner of fascinating people and generally had a blast. I have always liked Oxford and the area around it but coming back there after ten years - I hadn't been to the area since college days - was wonderful simply because of how little the basic infrastructure, if that is the right word, of the city had changed.

I love the fact that I managed to get my bearings really quickly, find the pubs I had on my list without any problem and got to wander around the Covered Market while enjoying traditionally made pies and pasties.

It is true that travel broadens the mind, and I would never regret having lived so much of my life outside the UK, but sometimes going back to the Old Country is just what the doctor ordered.