I forgot for a minute there that I lived in Cambridge, United Kingdom.
This post is a blast from 2021 past. I had to look up the year because from 2020-2023 I have no memory of this place.
I do remember that my accommodation was near a Lidl supermarket, which I was jazzed about because of the reasonable prices. I lived in a small bedroom, with a separate but private bathroom and a shared kitchen. My roomie was working on her PhD on some universe particles, physics thing, she was lovely. Even bought me a little Cambridge pencil case when I left.
Great St Mary’s is appropriately named because the tower views are great. Climb 123 steps (they’re labelled) for unreal views of the city. It costs £7 to head up.
Going along the water by wooden boat is called punting. I did it twice with two different companies. The second time the rower person (punter) was so weird. But he did tell me once a tourist mistook metal construction scaffolding built in 2019 for the Mathematical bridge originally built in 1749.
eat.
Since I was quarantined upon arrival in the UK, I ordered my groceries through Uber Eats. One of the first orders was for Twinings Earl Gray tea. It arrived in a “fragile handle with care” box with a substantial amount of packing inside. It comforted me knowing how delicately the Brits handle tea.
And just think of the the possibilities with that free box!
Having scones at The Orchard Tea Garden outside of Cambridge is quintessential British. You can sit outside in the apple orchard! I rode my bike from Cambridge and it was a darling day indeed. Since it was a hot day in summer, I passed by people swimming in the ditches/sloughs. I took one look at the stagnant water and thought nope.
There are great dumplings at Zhonghua Traditional Snacks. You can also buy frozen ones to have later.
Chi Street food is inside a mall but don’t be fooled, the bao buns were soft and with a side of their loaded sweat potato fries, I will never neh nee mall food again.
I fully support no-nonsense names like Bread & Meat. They live up to their name and they do it well.
Chelsea buns at Fitzbillies are YUM.
Jack’s Gelato was the first food recommendation I got by a local and damn.
The Eagle is stellar- love a good Guinness and meat pie. Rosalind Franklin contributed to the discovery of DNA and some men announced her findings at this pub.
On Sundays, I started a tradition that lasted 1 time where I got Sunday roast and cider at the pubs around Cambridge. The Punter has a fab Sunday roast, nothing beats sitting outside on a sunny day eating roasted chicken and gravy. Carpenters Arms said online they served a roast, but didn’t. End of list.
cheap.
Museums
The museums in Cambridge (as with most of Britain) are free to enter. A lot of the museums are owned by Cambridge University. It doesn’t look like you need to reserve a timeslot anymore, but during Covid that was all the rage. The Fitzwilliam Museum is probably the one museum to rule them all in the Ridge (no one calls it that).
The Botanical gardens are a goodie. Lush.
During the summer, Cambridge has Shakespeare in the Park (that’s not the name, it’s called The Cambridge Shakespeare Festival). I saw The Merry Wives of Windsor at the King’s College Gardens. Access to these gardens were well worth the admission price (July 2021- £18). You could bring your own food and drinks, sitting on the grass area or use one of the old people chairs. I sat in a chair.
cemeteries
One of the first things I did after I bought a secondhand bike, was head to Cambridge American Cemetery and Memorial. The journey is a bit spicy because you get busy highways with no shoulder path to bike or walk on, but I made it there in one piece. Free to enter.
colleges
Cambridge University is made up of 31 separate colleges. I worked for the University and I still don’t quite get it- every student needs to be associated with a college but they don’t study at the college… they sleep there.
I thought since I worked for the uni, it would be a breeze to enter the colleges. No.
Cambridge isn’t really accessible for common folk. I thought I could wander around freely, and see the Mathematical Bridge, Wren Library and King’s Chapel. No.
There are black barred gates with spikey tops, porters with bowler hats and the most intimidating of all, entrance fees. No.
Cambridge feels more exclusive than my 4th grade classmates Magic School Bus Club- and the only requirements for that was that you had to have seen 1 episode and hadn’t thrown up in your coat hood yet.
Christ’s College
- stunning
Downing College
- The one porter I met was absolutely lovely. The grounds are immaculate as per usual.
- I had to do a bit of word salad with the porter since visiting the grounds is sort of just for students, but it is usually open because there is a free public art gallery at the entrance
King’s College
It’s fantastic- you can’t go everywhere but you can cross the bridge, see the gardens and go inside the cathedral. Inside the Chapel is grand and the gardens behind, which you can sort of see from The Backs are a delight in July. There is a Japanese garden.
If you want to know how pretentious Cambridge is, there is some grass in front of King’s College (on Trumpington Street) and normally you can’t sit there but during Covid they allowed peasants to touch it.
Newnham College
- go through Pfeiffer Arch
Peterhouse
- delightful
Wolfson College
- not great
They shooed me away from all the other colleges.
travel.
Cambridge is lovely but the poshness is palpable. I was mostly having a time around Britain (and Sardinia and Cyprus).
- London [many a time]
- Ely
- Bury St Edmonds
- Lavenham
- Oxford
- Brighton
- Bristol
- Bath
- Castle Combe
- Lacock
- Norwich
- Stonehenge and Avebury with Roots tour
- Stratford-upon-Avon and The Cotswolds with Roots tour
- Cromer
- Canterbury
- Rye
- Birmingham
- Chester
- Conwy
- Betws-y-Coed (Wales)
