Anyway, I visited Cambridge University this past Sunday. One word: GORGEOUS. Let's recap, shall we?
Before I start, I thought it might be nice to provide some background information: Cambridge is a renowned university, comprised of a whopping 31 smaller colleges. Similar to how it works at UCSD, the college one attends only determines his/her living quarters and general stomping grounds. However, a student may take classes that are located in different colleges. The campus is unique in that it is not centralized or secluded; the buildings are spread throughout the entire city, so it's normal to be taking a class in a building that's across the street from a liquor store. It's the fourth oldest university in the world, with the oldest college established in the 1200s and the youngest, in 1977.
So at 8AM on Sunday, we left campus and commenced the 2 1/2 hour drive to Cambridge. Upon arrival, we walked to Scudamore's Punting Company for a punt tour. For those of you who don't know, a punt is basically a gondola; the only difference is that a punt is not propelled by an oar, but rather by a very long pole. The punt moves forward when one uses the pole to push against the river bed. Six of us hopped into a punt, and off we went on the River Cam with our punter/guide named Guy to see the college backs. Looking at the backs of buildings sounds janky, but it was actually pretty epic. We passed numerous edifices which were palatial and jaw-droppingly beautiful. What's more amazing is the fact that these buildings were erected in a time with very limited technology and resources. Although Guy provided us with names, dates, and facts, I didn't pick up much because it was difficult for me to understand him at times -- he couldn't pronounce his R's correctly (i.e., "I'm hungwy"). On top of that, he spoke super fast. It didn't matter, though, because he was easy on the eyes, hehehehe. Anyway, we also passed under a number of famous bridges, constructed during various time periods. Again, names and dates elude me.
After our punt tour concluded, Tommy, Andrew, Little Luu, OG Mike, Brian, Kaitlyn, and I grabbed some hot dogs and checked out the Farmer's Market nearby. Hoped to find some cheap souvenirs there, but no luck.
Post-lunch break, we met up with the rest of the group for a walking tour of the campus grounds. Our guide, Andy, looked like a grown-up version of Randall from Disney's "Recess". Andy was really legit, though, and definitely not a snitch.
Anyway, the first place we visited was King's College Chapel, which was magnificent in every way. Upon entering the chapel, I was amazed at the inconceivably intricate carvings on the walls as well as the stained glass collages. It was mind-blowing to be in a chapel that took the efforts of three kings and the carzee mastery/skill of many men (and women?) to complete. Even the chapel's ceiling put me in awe! I was most excited when I saw an engraving of "HA" on one of the church's walls, which allegedly stands for "Henry (the VIII) & Anne." If you've seen The Other Boleyn Girl, you know whassup!
We also visited Trinity College, where famed physicist Isaac Newton studied. We didn't get to go inside, but they supposedly have a lock of his hair on display somewhere in the library. That's kind of bizarre, but maybe I'm not stoked about it because I'm not a science luvah. Another stop was Cavendish Labs where Watson and Crick studied DNA and eventually suggested its double helix structure. Tommy, my bio-major boyfrand, was totally jazzed about all the scholars who once resided in Cambridge. As a social science major, I didn't pee my pants but it was still enjoyable to learn about it.
One of our last stops was Pembroke College's courtyard. Just like the other colleges which preceded it, it was beautiful. We actually weren't allowed to walk on the grass because that is a privilege reserved for superiors of the college. Seriously.
Oh, check out student housing at Cambridge:
Cambridge kids pretty much live in castles!!!
Sorry for the overload of Kathleen-and-Tommy pictures. They were all taken on a frand's camera because Tommy unfortunately dropped and broke his camera a couple days ago :( A replacement camera is on the way, though!
No comments:
Post a Comment