In Cambridge
Crammed into a rented “Zip Car”,
a British vehicle specially built to carry four people less than four feet in height, the six of us made the 60-minute
drive out to Cambridge in just under two hours.
Getting out of London, where the street signs are carefully hidden from
the tourists, turned out to be trickier than we imagined, even with a GPS in
hand. By the time we arrived, there was
no parking left in the city, so the Kisses and Smiths were rescued from the
vehicle while the Mehtas went to find a space in the next town.
While Tricia and Jeanne Marie looked
for punting tickets, James talked me into stopping at a place called Benet’s,
where 24 flavors of ice cream beckoned the unwary. I had a cup of rhubarb ripple, which had more
of a taste of ripple than of rhubarb.
Next time you visit Cambridge, don’t stop by Benet’s for ice cream.
King's College
Cambridge, the quintessential university
town, has more of them than you can imagine.
There’s the magnificent King’s College, founded in the 1500’s, Trinity
College, established by King Henry VII in 1546, and 29 others. It is a beautiful town, steeped in history,
with shops of all kind and a pub on every corner. You can stroll the streets for hours soaking
it all in. As we did our soaking, we
wondered just how much studying son Joel was able to accomplish in the midst of
all the distractions during the summer he spent here. One of us wondered if the skirts were as
short that summer as they are now in Cambridge.
Punting on the Cam
But we had come for the
punting. A hundred years or so ago,
someone decided it would be fun to pole down the shallow Cam River in little
flat boats, passing by the magnificent buildings in a restful (for the
passengers) substitute for strolling the grounds. The idea caught on, and now there are dozens,
if not hundreds of these boats carrying passengers up and down the river, with
guides standing in the back pointing out the sights. Part of what they point out is the artfully
designed bridges crossing overhead on the Cam, which supposedly gave the place
its name (Cam, bridge—get it?) It was a
wonderful trip, followed by an afternoon tea in the home of Amita’s cousin and
his wife,a scientist and economist living not far from the downtown area.
View from the Cam River
After dinner in a local pub, we were
folded back into the Zip Car and did the three hour drive back to our apartment
in London, where looking for street signs is even more fun in the dark. It was a long but productive day.
Tomorrow, the Tower and other
activities.
Charlie & Tricia
©2014
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