Cambridge

Over the weekend,Veronica and I went on an exciting adventure to Cambridge. This was our first big trip, and boy did we learn a lot about the do's and don'ts about travel; from the planning stages to the actually going. For example, we booked a lovely Air b&b in the village of Willingham. Little did we know that it was 12 miles outside of Cambridge and a taxi ride would cost us 35 pounds, or that the bus from Willingham into Cambridge only runs every hour and a half to 2 hours. OR that the guided bus into Cambridge is in the neighboring village of Longstanton which is a 45 minute to an hour walk away. Live and learn! Despite these set backs, we enjoyed our trip.

The Air B&B that we stayed in from Friday to Monday was called, "Willingham House." We were in the lodge, but the main house is part of Cambridge Melchior College which offers a a wide range of cultural exchange programs. Our room in the lodge was very nice: it was simple, nothing fancy, but I will say the best part of our room was the very large bathtub! I could lay flat in that thing and my toes barely touched the faucet. It was haven after wondering around Cambridge.

Saturday was the day we walked around Cambridge itself. I have to admit that I got my nerd on! Cambridge University is the 2nd oldest university in England, behind Oxford, and consists of 31 colleges. This means that most of the city is the university. The first place we went to was the Wren Library at Trinity College. The library was completed in 1695 and was designed by architect Christopher Wren. It is only open to the public for 2 hours a day during the school term and only 15 people are allowed in at a time, so I count myself lucky that I got to see it. While in the library I was in total awe of the place. I got to see an 8th century illuminated manuscript which was written on vellum as well as a manuscript of Paradise Lost by author John Milton.

After the library, we had lunch and tea at Harriet's Tearoom which is on my list of 21 tearooms to see before you die. I had a pot of tea, and a ham and brie sandwich. As a delicious treat, Veronica and I polished off a extremely large piece of chocolate cake. Following lunch we wondered around town and stopped at St. John's College where I got to walk across the Bridge of Sighs. (Veronica's video of me on the bridge) What I loved about this particular college is its connection to the Tudors. St. John's patroness was Lady Margaret Beaufort, Countess of Richmond. Aside from being the mother of King Henry VII, and grandmother of King Henry VIII, she was a badass woman in her own right.  She gave birth to her one and only child at 13, and dedicated her life to getting him on the throne of England! The only thing about Saturday that I didn't enjoy was waiting for the bus back to Willingham. We sat at the bus stop for over an hour in the cold! I couldn't feel my feet by the time we got on the bus.

On Sunday, we wandered around the village, and had lunch at the Duke of Wellington pub. In honor of my dad, I had the Sunday roast which consisted of roast beef, fried potatoes, Yorkshire pudding, seasonal veggies, and gravy. I have a healthy appetite, but I couldn't eat it all. The village was beautiful with many old buildings that had thatched roofs, as well as a 13th century parish church. On Monday we made our way back to Norwich.

Overall, I enjoyed our trip to Cambridge. Next weekend we're going on a school day trip to Canterbury and the White Cliffs of Dover. Stay tuned!!!