Cambridge

I think Russell and I must have been inspired by the wonderful adventure we had Saturday, because we decided to venture out into greater England once again Sunday. I had mentioned that I wished I had had a chance to go to the Cambridge Press Bookshop, but I assumed it would be closed Sunday, like the Oxford Press Bookshop. Russell made me look online, though, and I'm so glad he did. The Cambridge Press Bookshop, as I'm sure you've deduced, is open Sunday afternoons, so we grabbed an early train and made our way there. It was a bit farther than we anticipated (about 2.5 hours because it was Sunday and the direct trains weren't running) but well worth the trip.

For once, we remembered to take our tourist book with us and see what there was of note in Cambridge (other than the bookstore and university, of course). We learned that we could attend the Evensong at 3:30 in King's College Chapel, where to find all the good food, and the details of punting.

Of course, we started at the bookstore, and I must confess we will be returning to Oregon heavier laden then we came. I spent all of the time we had in the English Teaching section and Russell wandered upstairs and returned with a book on Abstract Algebra, which he has been buried in ever since. This means that I, too, am learning about such things as "sets".

We left with enough time to make it to the Evensong. By going, we were not only able to see the inside of King's College Chapel, but enjoy the renowned boy's choir as well. The choral music was beautiful. The chapel was divided in half by the organ cabinet, which allowed the chapel to supply separate seating for the devout and the curious. We were tempted to sit on the devout side (closer to the choir) but in the end we chickened out and sat on the far side of the cabinet. In some ways this was good, because everyone around us was equally glued to their "Evensong Guidebook" but it did dampen the music a bit. Even so, it was quite enjoyable, and the chapel was gorgeous. (Alas, I couldn't bring myself to take pictures while people were filing in for the service.)

On leaving the chapel we made our way to Fitzbillies, another tourist book recommendation. Fitzbillies is apparently known for its baked goods, and specifically its Chelsea buns and chocolate cakes. (A Chelsea bun, as it turns out, is a cinnamon roll packed tight with raisins and such.) We had hoped to have tea with our baked goods in the adjoining restaurant, but we were informed on entering that business was so slow the staff had decided to go home and they would soon be closing. Instead, we took our cakes and walked towards the Backs.

The Backs is essentially strip of woodlands and gardens with a path that runs along the river Cam. There are bridges over the river into various colleges of the University. On first pass, we overshot the Backs and had to eat our cakes on a park bench we found further up the road. As we returned, however, we did manage to find the path and made our way along the river. The Backs really makes for a beautiful stroll. Everything was lush and green and there were gorgeous views of the university on the far bank. There were also views of silly tourists punting (or at least trying their best) along the river. A punt is a long flat boat and punting has to do with guiding and propelling this boat along the river with a pole. You can hire a local student to do the punting for you, or you can opt to do it yourself.

After a brief stop in to a pub and a nice long sunny lounge in a local park, we ended our day with dinner at a Chinese restaurant. It was some of the best Chinese food Russell and I have ever had. We ordered tea to go with dinner, but it took us a while to figure out how to get the tea to stop coming. At first we thought that if we left tea in our cups, the waiter would stop refilling our teapot. This was not the case, however. If the pot even approached empty (no matter the state of the cups, it was refreshed. If our cups dropped past half full, they were refilled for us. We finally had to leave the cups and teapot full or risk a very wakeful night.

Only one weekend left before we come home, and that means two more days of full adventure. A prize to anyone who guesses the two cities we plan to visit next.

(I'll give you a hint: Saturday we'll be going to a city we've already visited, and Sunday, we're off to a city we've never been to before.)