A Day Trip to Cambridge
Posted by Rick - 23/12/07 at 10:12:33 am
When we woke up this morning it looked like quintessential English weather as a fog hung over London. I assumed it would burn off as the day went on, but we lucked out that it remained for the rest of the day. It added a lovely aesthetic to our trip to Cambridge. The drive to Cambridge, however, was uneventful because the same fog made it impossible to view any scenery with the exception of the motorway. Thankfully Chris knew his way.
Once in Cambridge, we made a beeline to the outdoor cafe near the carpark for hot coffee, before making our way to the outdoor market to shop for last minute gifts. The market was an eclectic mix of art, knick knacks, and food shops all with interesting wares as well as shopkeepers.
We had no real destinations while in Cambridge. Chris guided us around in order to see the various colleges and their sites, all the while imparting little bits of wisdom on Cambridge history and lore. Many of the colleges were closed due to the holidays, including Emmanuel—Chris’ college—while others thankfully had their gates open. The buildings and chapels are breathtaking.
After wandering around for a few hours we stopped in for lunch at The Eagle, which is possibly best known as the place where Francis Crick announced that he and James Watson had “discovered the secret of life” after coming up with their proposal for the structure of DNA in 1953. I didn’t find this bit out until I went looking for a link for this post, though, so all I knew at the time is that the place had delicious fish n’ chips and tasty beer.
After lunch we walked around a little longer, stopping briefly at a Rɘvolution—a chain of trendy vodka bars that seem to be popping up everywhere. We stopped primarily to use their loo, but decided to at least have lattes since we were using their facilities. The service at this place was odd. We sat down and ordered our drinks. A short while later they arrived; we finished them and then waited and waited and waited and never saw our waitress again. I approached another staff member to ask for our waitress letting them know we wanted to settle our tab. They, at first, were confused and thought we wanted to order another round of lattes. We explained we needed to leave and the woman left to find our waitress. The same woman returned and told us that she was sorry we had to wait and that our drinks were free. At least we think that’s what she said. We slowly put on our coats and just as slowly made our way to the exit, in case we were mistaken. No one stopped us, so I guess we heard correctly.
We were still making our way to the carpark, but there was a John Lewis‘ across the street so we stopped briefly to look for more gifts. The place was packed, but again queues moved quickly and the staff was helpful and nice.
On the way home, the traffic was a bit slower as people made their way to their Christmas destinations. We drove mostly in silence while listening to Christmas songs on the radio.
I am glad to report that it remained foggy the whole time we were in Cambridge, and I will always recall it romantically draped in mist. It was a great day all around, and I am grateful to Chris for chauffeuring us as well as showing us around Cambridge.
Next: Christmas Eve Midnight Mass … Jam!
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