The day started with a 7.30am departure from BISC - very early for a Saturday morning! But everybody was on time ready for the long journey to experience Cambridge! After non-stop driving, we finally arrived at 11.15am.
It was a lovely sunny day and our first experience was punting on the river Cam. It was great fun to watch people using the pole to direct their punt, some were better than others! Me (May) and with me in my punt were very fortunate to have an expert punter on board which allowed them to have a very smooth one-hour journey. We saw the Mathematical bridge, the King’s Chapel, spotted the ¾ ball in Clare’s Bridge. We imagined all the precious manuals in the Wren Library in Trinity College, and took many photos of the Bridge of Sighs in St. John’s college and of course, the willow along the river, the ducks on the water, etc. That reminds me of the one famous Chinese poems called “say good-bye to Cambridge, again” by Xu Zhimo, who is a poet who studied in Cambridge back in 1928. For others, it proved a challenge to park their punt back to dock. Some of them said the experience would be unforgettable!
At the corner of the Corpus Christi College, the 'hypnotically beautiful and deeply disturbing' clock attracted our attention. This mesmerising £1m clock with no hands and a time-eating beast perched on its summit was unveiled by Professor Stephen Hawking in 2008.
Hannah and I had a good pub lunch in The Eagle, and hopefully we might be inspired in the same way as Crick and Watson (who discovered the structure of DNA). After lunch, we were gathering in front of the Guild Hall in the open market. The interesting street performers and the group of street dancing boys attract so many viewers, as well as the variety of wares being sold in the open market attracts so many attention that it was a bit difficult to find everybody for the guided tours. It is just amazing to wander around the narrow streets or in the courts of the colleges which has not been changed over the hundreds years. Just to imagine all these big names in the history, once upon a time, were wandering the same street as you are doing now.
Our college tour of Trinity College changed to a college tour of St. John’s College due to Trinity deciding to close at 1pm that day, but St. Johns was a good alternative. However, we still got to see the famous Henry VIII statute with the chair leg in his hand, as well as the offspring of the apple tree in Newton’s hometown in front of where he lived. After passing through the distinctive Great Gate of St John's, we had a good tour around and learned how Cambridge students live and study. The Second Court of St. Johns, built from 1598 to 1602, has been described as 'the finest Tudor court in England' and it was fine indeed. A good time was had by all, and as always time flew by. At 5.30pm we waved goodbye to Cambridge, glad to have not fallen in the river whilst punting, and embarked upon our homeward journey, glad for a change to get some sleep on the coach.
Photos to come soon
