Along the Cam

I got to see the other half of "Oxbridge" yesterday, tagging along with a class trip to Cambridge. We had a great guided tour, learning lots about the English higher-ed system as we took in the fabulous architecture of both town and gown.

We opted against a punt, unlike the folks here, given that it was quite chilly. But in addition to tours of colleges we took in the amazing Fitzwilliam Museum, and heard evensong at Kings College chapel—a wonderful auditory and visual experience.

The museum has an extremely impressive collection of art (we didn't even have time for its antiquities galleries, but they looked pretty cool, too)—lots of Cezannes and Monets made it worth the stop for me. And in addition to the contents of the place, the building is quite an eyeful, as this shot at the left, looking up at the entrance dome, will indicate (the entrance was the only place you could take photos).

At the right is a view of the imposing library of Pembroke College, where our guide was a student. It was fun and informative, getting such an insider's look at the place. Although, as you see, the outside is certainly worth seeing. Libraries on this trip are making me increasingly homesick for the good ol' Blume at St. Mary's, but I must admit it would be fun to work in a building like this one!

All in all, Cambridge looked a good bit like Oxford, except that it's a bit bigger as a town, and seemed to have a lot more bicycles. Crossing streets was a real adventure, and there were enormous bike lots everywhere (that we sadly neglected to photograph) as well as a large number of bike and bike repair shops. And, then, the usual, and occasionally unusual, parking notices (here referring to College Fellows—I assume female Fellows' bikes could be parked here if needed):


I have a notice of my own to post, too. I won't be blogging for a few days. We've adopted the "Launchpad London" approach for our last couple of available weekends and will be traveling to the continent this weekend and the next—visiting friends in Italy and Germany! So look for some very different kinds of scenery in the next few posts, and I will try and make them as timely as I can.

In the meantime, you can see more London photos on Henry's blog—he's branching out from kayaking and soccer and into travel blogging....