Day trip to Cambridge

2008, 4.18 Cambridge, England

Mom and I took a train from London to Cambridge, England for day five of our English adventure. It was a relaxing ride and I think Mom really liked seeing the English countryside--very different than the busy, bustling city of London.

We arrived in Cambridge mid-morning and walked from the train station to the City Centre--about 20 minutes. We wandered the city a bit and were looking for a place to have lunch. Eventually, we found a place called Henry's that was right on the River Cam and a great atmosphere. The table at which we sat had a view of the river just outside our window. The food--fresh green salads and chicken curry with rice--was delicious, and our waitress was very prompt and pleasant. It was a lovely lunch.

After lunch, Mom and I wandered the city. We saw beautiful parks, lots of green, students headed to class, tourists wandering about, houseboats in the river, and lots of punts (flat-bottomed boats, punting is a pastime for which Cambridge is very well known by tourists).

Punts on the River Cam

Punts up close

Making our way farther into central Cambridge, we went to King's College Chapel, which is part of the King's College of the University of Cambridge. At one end of the chapel, there was the beautiful painting "Adoration of the Magi" (1634) by Pieter Pauwel Rubens, and on the other an enormous and intricately designed mahogany wooden screen and organ dividing the space into two large sections.

The inside ceiling of King's College Chapel

My mom in King's College Chapel

Stained glass windows inside of King's College Chapel. The windows show stories from the Old and New Testaments, those with similar morals placed on top of one another.

The courtyard outside of King's College Chapel

After our experience ini King's College Chapel, mom and I browsed for a bit at a few local shops. We also went to the market in the center of the city and bought a few things there. I purchased a couple of scarves, which I love, and some fresh cucumbers and tomatoes to make some Greek salad later.

Local market fruits and vegs

As the sun began to fall slowly in the evening sky, Mom and I made our way back to the Cambridge train station to catch our train back to London. Cambridge made for a very nice day trip, despite not having tried punting. Maybe next time...