Cambridge for the day

Introduction

No chance for a break in the cold winter months in the UK, well with out first Chinese New Year out of HK we decided to make sure we had a short break. This timed perfectly for the family and we drove out to Cambridge an academic town to the north east of London. For us the journey was a quick 90 minutes from the southern tip of London.

The day

The colleges of the university dominate Cambridge centre with a nice shopping center to take you mind of the academia and onto more mundane things like Primark! The university colleges line the river with some majestic buildings. The three main colleges of St. Johns, Trinity and Kings College are the main buildings with other smaller colleges sprinkled in between.

You'll be greeted by great buildings such as shown below. Each college has a chappel which are quite interesting to visit in their own right and in St.John's college you can see the placard of great scholars from Cambridge.

St.John's College

 Of particular interest was this Indian mathematician who has a great story behind him. Srinivasa Ramanujan was a genius mathematician from India and you can read his story here (wiki link). I learnt about him as a young reader of New Scientist and what a joy to see his name recognised along side greats such as Newton.

King College Chappel - external view

King College Chapel - Ceiling view

King College Chapel from the River

Apart from the colleges the other interesting thing to try is Punting, which is essentially going on a boat ride along the River Cam after which Cambridge is named. Punting along the river for a 45 mins tour is offered by a number of companies official as well as your normal "jack the lad" tout loitering along the main through fare where the colleges are situated.

I especially enjoyed going to the Wren Library which is open from 12-4pm and allows the visitor a sneak peek at some of the great works emanating from Cambridge. Above all for me the visit to Cambridge was work it just to cast my eye on the Principia Mathematica first edition by Issac Newton. Will there ever be a more influential piece of science for humanity.

Additionally the Library has works from Otto Frisch and A A Milne (Winnie the Pooh). The Wren library is probably something that's easily overlooked but something awe inspiring for any kids interested in science.

The colleges all charge an entrance fee for the grounds. I would pick a few of the major colleges to go to. A top time is to visit the evening prayer service at the Kings College Chapel. Its a 45 minute service but allows visitors free access to the chapel and for most part a lovely service.

Conclusion.

Cambridge is a fantastic city well worth a visit from London. I suggest going on a sunny day in summer as it will bring out the city at its best. Although if summer is too short its a great city for winter too. As long as you go you wont have missed out. Enjoy your visit to Cambridge we certainly did and it gave our kids a yardstick to aim at. Academically there is not better city in the world with the kind of history Cambridge has.

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