[Europe Trip] On visiting Cambridge

Journey from London King's Cross station to Cambridge took only 45 minutes, and it felt faster due to the tasty food we brought along: one big puffy pastry filled with basil, tomato and cheese from upper crust, pasta & chicken salad, strawberry trifle and berry smoothies from Marks & Spencer.

From Cambridge train station, we took a bus to the city center, then strolled along the bustling street filled with students and tourists. We could see that the city housed people from different races and nationalities.

We encountered this street musician having a strange idea of performing in the trash bin! He was playing guitar and singing at the same time, so from outside we could only see his hand and part of the guitar. some passers-by looked baffled as they could hear the music but didn't know where it came from. But the puzzle solved itself due to the number of people watching in front of the trash bin. What an amusing sight.


River Cam was jam packed with wooden boats bumping into each other during their punting journey. We took the guided tour, although self-hire was also available. There were 9 passengers on the boat, with one guide doubled up as the punter who stood at the rear and propelled the boat using the long pole.

The punting took 45 minutes, passing by Queen's College, Clare College, Trinity College, St. Johns College and a few bridges. The famous one was mathematical bridge: "the myth goes that it was designed by Isaac Newton without the use of pins, screws, nuts or bolts, but when disassembled, the fellows and students couldn't figure out how to put it back together again." (taken from wikipedia) - this is merely a myth, as Newton died 22 years before the bridge was constructed.

It was exam period when we visited, therefore some colleges were closed. We were planning to visit King's College Chapel but we were too late, so we went in to Clare College instead. It was the second oldest among 31 Cambridge colleges. We visited its charming gardens, bridge, courtyard and chapel. I could imagine the stories of Mallory Towers and the like happened in this kind of colleges. Fascinating.

Three words for Cambridge: peaceful, idyllic, pedestrian-friendly (these adjectives are my own personal opinion as visitor. I don't think they're applicable for those students studying or worrying for exams, though)