Cambridge, Part 2

So, where were we?  Crossing the bridge over the punts, on the way into the town proper.  Cambridge is a university where the students also are members of individual colleges, each of which has its own housing units and some academic facilities, generally built around a central square of greenery.  There are 29 in all.  Perhaps the most famous of these is King’s College and it’s grand, almost cathedral-like chapel.  Loni and Alice are under the umbrellas in front.  It’s the best example of perpendicular Gothic architecture, but the most interesting feature of the chapel is the intricate fan vault ceiling, the largest in the world.  The chapel was built from 1446 to 1515. 

We walked around in the wet and visited or peeked into (depending on the price of admission) Kings, Corpus Cristi, Jesus, and Christ (detecting a theme here?) colleges.  All old, all stone, and all cool.

Christ College was interesting as the college Charles Darwin attended.  We found this neat little pool after wandering a maze of buildings.

Jesus College had this nice entryway and beautiful gardens.  Even in August, England is lush.

The surrounding town, of course, is just as old, with some businesses having been around for centuries. Loni liked the look of this one.

Of course, for truly old, you can’t beat St. Bene’t’s (a contraction of St. Benedict) Tower (below, right), a Saxon edifice built between 1000-1050, and the oldest church in Cambridgeshire.  It is amazingly preserved after all this time.  Loni’s standing in front of some nondescript old building we happened across, still in use as a residence.

Right across the street from St. Bene’t’s church is a very neat pub, the Eagle,perhaps the most famous in Cambridge, where, among others, Crick and Watson had a pint while discussing the double helix.  As the signage says, you can just make out on the ceiling the names of RAF squadrons from WWII.

We didn’t eat here, although there were some terrific-looking bangers and mash being served.  We just wanted some soup, and found the perfect place, complete with window on the world to watch the passersby.  Of course, I couldn’t resist hot chocolate with some whipped cream.  I’m sporting my new Tilley hat, which actually worked to shed rain.

Next up was the Fitzwilliam Museum,

reputed to be quite nice.  As it turned out, the museum building had some terrific elements, the collections not so much.  The permanent collection seemed mostly to be home for all the second or third tier works of famous artists.  We were underwhelmed.  One new exhibit that we all did like was the WWII French posters concerning “la guerre.” I also liked this portrait of a French dandy, whose armor looks for all the world like an upscale wetsuit.  I doubt that the artist was channeling his inner Cousteau, but it’s weird.
There was also this display of a hoard of coins found in 2,000 that dated back to the 1350s that was interesting.  I also liked this deep-relief carving.  In person, the depth is amazing.  That blue square is a reflection in the glass that covered the relief.
As I mentioned, one of the most eye-catching aspects of the Fitzwilliam is its own architecture.  The central well is spectacular.
After a full day of walking in the rain with no Gene Kelly dancesteps, we decided to call it quits and head on back to the B&B.  This involved retracing our steps over the bridge that spanned the river.  As it was still raining, we did not expect to find anyone out on the water.  We forgot the perseverance of a Chinese tour group.  This gang had paid for their punting and by God they were going to get it, rain or not.  I’m not sure how much they enjoyed hiding under umbrellas and generally freezing, but I suspect not much.  Go for it!