My Picture Story Book of England – Part 2, Cambridge

The Geldart, Ainsworth St Cambridge

After we (temporarily) took our leave of our Kentish friends Bill and I were off to Cambridge. This time we were visiting ‘B’ who met her partner ‘E’ when she was staying with us in Sydney years ago. Now she is a mum with two young daughters, and is in the process of returning to her career as a music teacher. It was great to catch up with them all. I am not keen on posting photos of other people’s children unless they know in advance, so what I will show of that visit is the pub of which ‘E’ is the Landlord – so make sure you drop in and have a pint and a meal next time you are in Cambridge. Check out the interesting decor of vinyl records and music paraphernalia and listen to some live music also.

 

Book Sculptures outside the Cambridge University Library

The next day, Sunday, we went off exploring Cambridge on our own. There was plenty of activity of students arriving to start their study year, and the markets were on too. So much to look at: streetlife, tudor style buildings, and the grandeur of the various colleges, including Trinity, in whose courtyard we lingered for a while. There was even a street protest on climate change (I think), and also a wedding. As part of our ramblings, we walked out the to Cambridge University Library as I wanted to see the Literature of the Liberation Exhibition. It was a bit off the beaten track and quite a long walk, and when we finally found the place, it was, of course, closed. So I consoled myself with a photo of the pylons along the footpath – metal sculptures of books piled on top of each other.

 

Cambridge Punts Waiting

Thanks to a suggestion by fellow blogger Agnes Ashe, we sought out the Cambridge Punts, and had a cruise down the Cam River to see the backs of the colleges. Our guide, a student himself, hails from Cambridge but studies in Leeds, and this was the last day of his summer job. On the 21st September, the day we took the punt, autumn was signalling its arrival by turning the ivy on the walls a magenta red (if that is a colour – sorry Agnes if I have mixed up my palette).

 

We finished off the day with a visit to The Fitzwilliam Museum, the arts and antiquities museum of the University of Cambridge. We managed to come in through a side entrance, so I was quite smitten when we ended our tour at the grand main entrance. There is a lot to see in this museum, so you have to make a decision what you will concentrate on. In this case, I chose to dawdle amongst the Egyptology, including mummies and their coffins. I see from their website that they also have a section on manuscripts and printed books, which I completely missed. Fiddle.

If you think we had a big day, it was nothing as compared to ‘B’, who took the two girls – one of whom is only around thirteen months and a very lively power packet – on the train to London for a day out with their Auntie. A big effort indeed, and I bet we were in bed before they were!