We subscribed to Netflix during the pandemic and discovered the joy of binge-watching. We caught up on decades of movies and TV series that I had missed during the busy years of raising a family and pursuing a career. We were soon current in American pop culture and turned to British TV. The Great British Baking Show. Ted Lasso. A friend suggested we try British crime shows; another suggested a program called Narrow Boats.
Two of our favorite British crime dramas are set in Oxford: Detective Morse, filmed there in the 1980s and 1990s; and its prequel, "Endeavor" released just a few years ago, and set in 1960's Oxford. As for Narrow Boats, I blame credit Ron. YouTube channel turned Amazon Prime series, Narrow Boats chronicles (in first person narrative complete with selfie camera footage) the travels of a Country Gentleman's mid-life crises: the Country Gentleman (his name for himself) sold everything he owned, retired from his job, and bought a narrowboat to cruise along the English canals. As the series begins, the Country Gentlemen knows absolutely nothing about boats, navigation, or living on his own. Ron and his contemporaries back home are drawn to Narrow Boats for reasons that are beyond my comprehension. Personally, I like Narrow Boats because the engine's slow and steady "chug, chug" in the background of every episode puts me right to sleep! In Season Three, the Country Gentlemen travels the Oxford Canal.
And that is why we ended up in Oxford!
Our visit, in pictures. The Morse Bar, in the Randolph Hotel.
Long walks along the Oxford Canal
And just kicking around Oxford
The highlight of our time in Oxford was meeting Mike, a real-life Country Gentleman. Mike lives on his narrowboat, and we met him at the Isis Loch, where a loch lesson was in progress. It was our last afternoon in Oxford, and none of us were in a hurry. I had noticed Mike mooring his narrowboat a few days earlier on our first walk, and stopped to say hello. Ron, Mike, and I lingered on the towpath as the afternoon stretched to evening, talking about life, and politics, floating on canals, running away from home, and all manner of things. Mike apologized for not inviting us in for a cup of tea - he was out of power at the moment, and needed to recharge his "bat-ry". Yes, a real-life narrowboat Country Gentleman.
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