Thou dearest scholars

I returned to my scholarly days last weekend in the university hub of Cambridge. Cambridge is home to around 20,000 students and some of the most exclusive colleges in the world. This centre of education is situated about 1½ drive north-east of London.

I travelled by coach to Cambridge with a bunch of 20 or so people eager for a day out of London. Once at Cambridge, our first stop was the Cathedral, where we walked up the some 100 odd steps to the top of the tower for a 360 degree view of Cambridge. Arguably the most recognised building in Cambridge is the Kings college chapel with it’s long oblong shaped building with spires all the way along. ‘Apparently’ the chapel has been the target of many pranks over the years, with people climbing the spires and hanging different items, such as witches hats, along the top.










With the sun shining on the beautiful Spring day, there is no better way to see the various colleges than by boat. We were punted along the River Cam by a current university student, a common summer job for many students. It was the first day of punting for many of the students for the season. The ride was certainly relaxing, with nothing to do except soak in the rays, look at the colleges that line the banks, take photos of ducks & buildings and listen to a few yarns from the punter… many of which he self-admitted were not true. I did particularly like the story about Prince Charles & his body guard. “Apparently” due to college regulations, only registered students were allowed to attend lectures. So, Charles’ bodyguard had to become a student to protect him during the lectures. At the end of college life, the bodyguard was sacked for not doing his job after he received 1st class honours when Charles received the lower grading of 2.1!












In the afternoon we had lunch in the markets, wandered around Trinity College, watched some pretty funny attempts at punting and finally settled for a pint at the local. A great day out! Most people who visit Oxford and Cambridge tend to have a definite preference for either of the two towns, but I’m still tossing it up…