Sunday 18 May 2008

Charismatic Cambridge.

Still moored at Clayhithe, River Cam



Kings College Cambridge

This morning the 4 of us walked into the village to catch the bus into Cambridge so that we could do some sightseeing in this historic city of learning. We caught the Go Whippet bus into town which unbeknown to us ran 15 minutes before the Stagecoach bus which we had planned to catch and uses a different route.

Due to the fact that it was exam time all the colleges were closed to the public so we had to make do with just a quick peek inside the gates at the magnificent interior quadrangles and gardens that are hidden behind these halls of learning. It no wonder that education at this level is expensive as the upkeep on the buildings must be astronomical let alone paying the tutorial masters.

One of our objectives for the day was to find the section of the river where all the punts operate. Even the wet weather didn't dampen the spirits of many who had come to enjoy a leisurely punt ride up and down the river. It was fun watching novices being instructed in the art of poling and how to control the punt without falling in.

At around lunchtime the skies decided to open up again and rain so we took cover in a coffee bar for lunch after which the weather improved until we were on the bus back to the boat when there was another downpour. As the last Go Whippet bus for the day had left we had to use the Stagecoach service for the return trip and although it was a different route it didn't take any longer to make the journey and yet it was £2 dearer.

Now I would like to thank of all you who have taken the trouble to email us with the name of the butterfly we showed a couple of days ago. I would also like to thank Jason who took the time to text the info to his Mum Christina, our travelling companion, who passed it on to us this morning.

1134 locks, 1537 miles, 41 Tunnels, 41 swing bridges and 19 lift bridges since Nov 2006

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