Cambridge

Today we left London for a day to visit the university town of Cambridge, about 50 minutes away. As it turns out, our day started and ended with train delays. We started in the morning taking a very crowded tube train to King's Cross Station. For the Harry Potter fans in the crowd, this is where the magical Platform 9 3/4 resides. Station officials are apparently good natured about this, as they have installed an actual Platform 9 3/4, although sadly we were both unable to unlock the magic required to summon the Hogwarts Express.

There was some last-minute train drama, and we had to abandon the first train we boarded in favor of another on a somewhat distant platform. We ended up departing about 20 minutes late. This would normally not have been a problem, except that we had a fairly tightly planned schedule that required us to arrive more or less on time to Cambridge to meet up with a walking tour of select parts of the city. We ended up on a mad scramble upon our arrival, including a hybrid fast-walk/jog with an extremely nice lady from the Cambridge tourism office to help us catch up with the group that had already departed. Once we did catch up, we had a nice tour from a knowledgable if not overly friendly guide. She admitted that she wasn't a graduate of the University along the way, but she clearly takes great pride in the city and its many colleges.

The highlights of the tour were Queens' college and King's college. My family and I had been on a similar side trip to Oxford when we came to London 5 years ago, and I really adore these world-famous English college towns. As an aside, Cambridge residents don't use the O word, but rather, refer to Oxford as "that other place." The weather today was perfect for walking around this idyllic town. The sun was shining bright and we guessed that it must have been near 60 degrees (or whatever nonsense the people over here call that). For those unfamiliar, the colleges that make up the University here are self-contained, almost like a monastery. Each one typically has a large front gate of some kind, and a beautiful courtyard. There is usually a dining hall and other common space along with living quarters. Most of the colleges also have associated churches, as the University and the church were once closely tied. It's really amazing to hear about how students have been studying here for so much longer than the U.S. has been around, and to think that students today share so much of the same space as their predecessors.

The architectural highlight of the tour, and probably of the trip, and possibly of my life, was the King's College "Chapel." I use quotes there because it is just as grand as any Cathedral you are likely to ever see. The high vaulted arches are huge and ornate, and the stained glass is amazing. Like Westminster yesterday, it's really impossible for me to imagine people actually building it. As it's name suggests, King's College was founded by a King of England, and he spared no expense on planning his chapel. Even though the founding king died before it's completion, another king down the road picked up the project with gusto. From the amazing ornate organ screen to the dragon and greyhound statuettes that line the walls, the chapel amazes from start to finish.

After the tour, we entertained ourselves by walking all over this beautiful town, and stopping from time to time at a local pub, or finding a bench by the river to sit for a while. It really was a perfect day for us to be there. Maybe partially due to the great weather, the town was very lively with tourists, students, and anyone else around. Streets were lined with bicycles. Our tour guide explained to use that none of the 12,000 or so undergraduate students are allowed to have an automobile within 10 miles of the college, so nearly all of them travel around town on two wheels. There were buskers at several places along the way, and an outdoor market in the central square. Students were out walking together in groups, and several people were punting, or taking small boats out on the calm river that runs alongside the city.

We headed back to London late afternoon, and made a quick stop at the British Library. We almost certainly didn't give it enough time or focus, but we did see some pretty amazing books & documents including several very early bibles, the magna carta, and the original sheet music for Handel's Messiah.

We dined at Nando's again. I received some feedback last time I mentioned Nando's, so I would like to take this chance to rescind my earlier comment that it is quasi-fast food. Nando's is very good and I meant no disrespect. The food is excellent and it doesn't deserve to have its name dragged through the mud. Nando's, I apologize. We were planning on making a quick stop back at the apartment then heading out to a neighborhood pub, but we had more train trouble on the way, which delayed us and tired us out a bit.

We'll get back at it tomorrow.