Cambridge
July 18, 2016
I went to Cambridge and thought I would stay there. I thought I would quietly grow tweed in a corner somewhere and become a Don or something.
—Stephen Fry
We spent our last day in England taking a day trip out to Cambridge, a place I had heard so many good things about! (We had been debating whether to visit Oxford or Cambridge, and Cambridge came out on top.)
Jetlag and lack of an alarm made the day start a little later than anticipated (we got to Cambridge at 2 p.m...), but no matter! When traveling nothing ever goes as planned - we were rolling with the punches and ready to make the most of a beautiful afternoon.
The sky was a perfectly bright blue backdrop for the twenty minute walk from the train station to the colleges.
Cambridge has many colleges that you can visit for a small fee. We chose King's College, which includes a chapel with gorgeous stained glass windows. I tried to imagine attending a college that was founded in 1441. The campus has so much history and beauty; it was truly inspiring.
We stopped in for a lovely lunch at Fitzbillies, where we fueled up for our next stop: punting!
We were overwhelmed by the dizzying array of cakes and pastries, so the waitress helped set us up with the Fitzbillies' legendary Chelsea bun (per their menu: "fuelling students and dons for nearly a century. 'Syrupy, well-spiced, licentious, and exceptional' according to Jane Grigson."). We were not at all disappointed!
Pimm's (dry gin with liqueur, fruit juices, and spices) and lemonade topped with fresh fruit
We enjoyed our Pimm's and scone in the park while soaking up the warm English sun, a perfectly relaxing moment before making the train ride back to London.
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King's College: Admission is £9 ($12) from the King's College Visitor Centre across the street from the front of the college.
Punting: There are many punting companies to choose from. We went with Scudamore's, which cost £29.50 ($40) per ticket (prices may vary depending on how many people are in your group and whether you hire a chauffeur).
Wren Library at Trinity College: We missed the public visiting hours, but would have loved to see this library (it has over a thousand western medieval manuscripts and the notebooks of people like Milton and Newton). Open Monday-Friday 12-2pm and Saturday mornings in full term 10.30am-12.30pm.
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Fitzbillies: Try the Chelsea bun with an iced coffee.
The Mill Pub: Get a Pimm's and lemonade.
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It took about forty-five minutes to get from King's Cross Station to Cambridge by train. Bring a book or enjoy the views of the countryside!