Experience 1: A Day in Cambridge, England

My first couple of new experiences happened while I was away on a trip.

Back in March, I was trying to decide how I wanted to spend my fortieth birthday. I’ve been making a big deal out of this birthday for a couple of years now and I felt a little guilty because I didn’t want my friends to think they also had to make a big deal out my big four-oh. I was sitting in my American Literature class one evening, daydreaming about what to do about my birthday when it hit me: I wanted to wake up in London my birthday. So, that’s what I did. My husband Jay and I left for London on May 4, arrived at Heathrow on the morning of May 5 and by May 7, I was over my jet lag and had a wonderful birthday in my favorite city.

I’ve been to London twice before (March 2003 and again in March 2006), so that in itself is not a new experience. However, in the midst of familiar experiences (visiting the Tower of London, having tea at Claridge’s, seeing the changing of the guard at Buckingham Palace) I did experience some new things on this most recent trip, the first of which actually happened on my birthday: Jay and I spent my birthday touring Cambridge, England. About twenty of us took the hour-long train ride with our London Walks guide, Simon, and arrived in a rainy Cambridge around 10:30 in the morning where we were met by Chris, who drove us around the city by coach (bus).

Our first visit was the American World War II cemetery, outside the heart of the city. Seeing the rows of white marble crosses reminded me of Arlington National Cemetery (a place I have not yet visited), yet this burial ground is in England. The steady rainfall seemed an appropriate backdrop for such a somber setting. Shortly after our visit to the cemetery, we made our way into the center of Cambridge where Simon began one of our two walks for the day. We walked around this lovely little town, appreciating the medieval storefronts as well as the stories about the numerous colleges that make up Cambridge University. There are 100,000 residents of Cambridge and over 30,000 bicycles, which seems impossible to believe until you actually visit Cambridge and are nearly run over by a couple hundred of them in a few hours!

It was the exam period for students at the Cambridge colleges (which extends from April to June), so we were unable to tour the college grounds, but we did get a feel for the city. Simon also told us that Cambridge is a “city” despite the fact that it doesn’t have a cathedral, which is a prerequisite to be a city. It is hard to refer to Cambridge as a city when it has such a small-town feel to it. There are many shops and restaurants and, obviously, a very young demographic, but there are also endless green spaces and waterways. Students make money by taking tourists “punting” on the River Cam, which involves guiding boats along the river by using long sticks. Unfortunately, we didn’t get to go punting, due to both a lack of time and the unpredictable weather.

After a short break for lunch (at Michaelhouse Café, which is attached to a Medieval chapel), we went on our second walk. The afternoon walk included a tour of King’s College Chapel. What a beautiful church! The stained glass is the original medieval glass, which was removed and stored in the basement during World War II and returned to its rightful place after the war. The ceiling of this gothic chapel is even more incredible than the stained glass. It’s hard to comprehend how it could be built with modern technology, so it is an amazing architectural wonder when put in historic context.

Cambridge is strange blend of old and new, brilliant minds of the past inspiring brilliant minds of the future (which may be why Bill Gates has a facility in Cambridge). I will remember Cambridge for its Medieval buildings, brightly colored bicycles, throngs of students and tourists, beautiful trees and the abundance of purple Wisteria in full-bloom and the other-worldly feel of this village-like “city” only an hour outside of London. It was a wonderful way to spend my 40th birthday and the perfect first-of-forty new experiences!


Do It Yourself

If you go to Cambridge…

-- If you only have a day to see Cambridge, consider going with a tour group. London Walks offers several day trips to various parts of England. The Cambridge day trip included two walking tours and they get a group discount on train tickets. When you only have eight to ten hours, it’s nice not to have to worry about transportation or waste time trying to figure out where to go.

-- If the weather is nice, go punting! It looked like fun, but between the off-and-on rain and budget constraints, we opted to wander a little.

-- Stop at the market. There are many famous markets in London, but the Cambridge market reminded me of the farmer’s market in Chicago—fresh bread, herbs, locally grown produce and homemade bath products. I bought a pint of the most beautiful strawberries from one stall and a strawberry-scented bath ball from another. Yummy!