I spent most of the day in Cambridge — one of the greatest seats of wealth and education in the world. It’s also one of the most beautiful locations in the United Kingdom, and I would have given all my teeth to have been able to study in such a luxurious, intoxicating medieval environment. It not only wears its history on its sleeve, it positively flaunts it!
One of the strangest things you notice about Cambridge is that, in spite of all the tourists and shops, in spite of all the colleges, the boats on the river Cam, the bus traffic…it’s just so damned quiet! Compared to most of the other urban environments I’ve visited on my vacation, Cambridge was positively tranquil — as if the residents AND the visitors were behaving with the proper respect for their surroundings.
Ok, enough babble from me — it’s time for the pictures. Here is a sample from the day:
(1) Me, along Queen’s Lane: a back alley connection between the ancient colleges
(2) Candid street shots, showing the various competing architectural styles, as well as The Church of Great St. Mary (a down-the-lane steeple shot and close up)
(3) King’s College, founded by Henry VI, along King’s Parade
(4) Shots of the magnificent Trinity Chapel, the showpiece of Trinity College (founded by Henry VIII), the richest college in the entire university — from the street, and from a punt on the river Cam
(5) More shots from our punt ride along the river Cam: the trip was worth its weight in gold, and is the most relaxing way to see behind the walls that protect the great colleges from Cambridge’s busy streets
Tomorrow will be my final blog from the UK, as I do laundry, do lunch with my host and one of his friends, develop some film, and prepare to go and see the play Strangers on the Train. Until then…
