We hadn't organised anything for the Easter weekend, so we started out by having a day off, lounging around and watching television. In the afternoon we took a stroll around our neighbourhood, and went to have a look at nearby St Bride's Church. Rebuilt by Christopher Wren after the Great Fire, the 69m high tiered spire is said to have inspired the design of the modern wedding cake. It was also a popular church for the journalists at Fleet Street, and once housed England's first moveable type printing press. When we went inside to have a look, there was a congregation halfway through their Good Friday prayers, and we ended up joining to listen to the choir and organ music, which was very beautiful.
Later we had a look online for cheapo last minute holiday deals before deciding to visit Cambridge for the weekend, although the weather forecast wasn't very inspiring. The next day we caught a train up north (only about an hour) and had an orientation walk around the town. We were expecting something more isolated and preserved like Oxford, but the historical aspect of Cambridge is surrounded by a modern suburb not unlike London, which is a shame. Once you get into the area around the colleges, however, the views quickly improve. It is particularly striking along the "Backs", the river Cam that runs behind the colleges, where there are graceful bridges, large gardens planted with tulips and daffodils, and weeping willows hanging down to caress the punting tourists.
After being run out of Oxford by the townsfolk, a group of students established a new University in 1209, which has since grown into a network of 31 colleges, with a record number of Nobel laureates and famous residents like Sir Isaac Newton, Stephen Hawking, Earnest Rutherford, and Crick and Watson.
We visited the Fitzwilliam Museum with its fine collection of art (Titian, Rubens, Van Dyck, Canaletto, Gainsborough, Constable, Monet, Degas, Renoir, Braques, Cézanne and Picasso, oh my!), and did a walking tour of the town and colleges. Highlights include the brilliant, and terrifying, Corpus Clock, topped by a time-eating grasshopper; the glorious stone ceiling at King's College Chapel; an apple tree grown from Sir Isaac Newton's famous gravity-inspiring apple incident; a statue of Henry VIII, where his sceptre has been replaced with a wooden table leg by student pranksters; and punting down the river.
Trinity College:
King's College Chapel:
No comments:
Post a Comment