01 September 2019

CAMBRIDGE AND CAMDEN TOWN 2019!!!!

CAMBRIDGE:

 We left London on Friday morning at 8:15 for the first of our four day trips.  Heading to Cambridge on West Bus!  Weather was beautiful, and it was a perfect day to spend exploring a great city. 




We met our tour guide, Judith, in the park, and she took the students on a walking tour of Cambridge giving a historical background on the founding of Cambridge, history of some of the colleges, and the development of the British education system.






One of many bronze models of the City.


The Senate building where students go to see their final grades posted.  In the fifties a group of students in the middle of the night managed to get a car on top of the roof of the building.  It took the administration a while to figure out how to get it down.  They thought it was clever and brilliant!  

One of the oldest Colleges in Queens' College







One of the most magnificent colleges is King's College.  Lots of history here.  I paid extra for students to go inside King's College Chapel.  They learned about The War of the Roses, Henry VIII, and Cromwell's men using the Chapel as a stable and barracks.  One can even see graffiti from this period.   Go to former blogs to see pictures of this and more of inside the Chapel.






Another interesting student prank was a student climbed up the facade of the Chapel and placed an orange construction cone on top of one of the steeples.  The administration had to erect scaffolding to get up to it to get it down.  The night before they were going to take it down the student climbed back up and put it on the other steeple.  People were NOT happy!!!!





Anyone coming into town would first come upon St. Botolph's Church. St. Botolph is the patron saint of travelers.




St. Bene't's    The oldest church in Cambridge.  Under construction so we couldn't go inside.  (See past Cambridge blogs to see the inside.)




The famous pub, The Eagle, where many British and American pilots hung out during the war.  The side room is dedicated to these soldiers and their units.  It is also the pub where scientific discoveries were always announced including the discovery of DNA.




The upstairs bedroom window must stay open.  It is believe that a young girl died in a fire and her ghost lives in that room and the window must be open.  One time someone closed the window and the kitchen caught on fire.  Now it is permanently open and unable to be shut!

Part of the ceiling in the side room of the pub where soldiers put their names and units on the ceiling with cigarette smoke.


After the walking tour we went back to the Eagle for lunch.  Loved my fish and chips and mushy peas!!!!




After we went punting, we stopped at the Fudge Kitchen to buy some great fudge for the ride back to London.  Dark Chocolate and Sea Salt and Salted Caramel were my choices.



An unusual clock that was donated by an Alum.  A grasshopper clicks the seconds away!





PUNTING ON THE RIVER CAM:

The entire group decided to go punting this year!  Arielle and I were in one boat, and the rest of the group were all in another boat.


Gus came along with Arielle and I.

This is the house Sir Isaac Newton bought and lived in.


We traveled along the back of a number of the colleges.  This is King's College Chapel.

Arielle taking pictures

St. John's College.  Most of this building is dorms.  Rooms are very, very tiny!  Not ideal!


Bridge of Sighs.  Looks nothing like the other Bridge of Sighs in Venice.  Queen Victoria didn't know this.  She had never seen the Venice bridge.

The Mathematical Bridge.  Even if pegs are taken out the bridge can stand on its own.  




Jack, our tour guide, and punter!




We passed the other students in our group as we were heading back to where we started.



A banana tree that survives in Cambridge.  Produced a tiny, tiny banana.




The other group arriving back to where we started.

Alex, their guide!







Bridge of Sighs




CAMDEN TOWN:

On Saturday, some of the students and I went to Camden Town in North London.  Camden is the bohemian area of London.  It is where the hippy, punk, etc movements started and is noted for launching the careers of many musicians like Amy Winehouse who was from Camden.






A view of one of the food courts. The whole area has been spruced up and is looking really fine!

                             

The Cyberdog is one of the weirdest stores I have ever been in!





Bicycles can be found all over the City.  This is one that is going to be part of my new photo exhibit, Orange is the new.......


THAT'S ALL FOLKS!!!!!

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