Wednesday 26 June 2013

A day out in Cambridge

I've been out and about again, and what fun I had.

In between lovely times with family (you know who you are, you and your wonderful cheesecake), I had a day to wander about Cambridge by myself.

How do you begin in a new town? Do you head for the Tourist Information Office, gather a handful of leaflets and then sit over coffee and realise that most of them are for Farm Parks forty miles away? Do you wander about, map in hand, looking for blue plaques on walls so you can take their photographs?

I often begin with the open-top bus tour. I know the running commentary is flimsy with jokes that aren't funny. And the British summer isn't always conducive to sitting on top of a bus for an hour. But they provide an overview of what a town is about - and, for me, it helps to signpost things I'd like to see when the bus finally stops.

The bus tour round Cambridge is much the same as all the others. The earphone plug-in had been plugged-in once too often and I needed to hold it in place to hear anything, so my fingers were very cold by the time I got off. And from time to time the connection slipped and I missed bits of sentences, so I'm not sure why I didn't give up and just look around me. Though I heard enough to realise that the commentary was out of sync with the bus, and so we'd be told to 'look at the gates to your left' ... by which time the gates were 20yards behind us. There we were, on the top of the bus, heads swivelling this way and that like demented dancers.

The most interesting bits of the city are pedestrianised, and so beyond the reach of buses. In order to make sure people felt they had their money's worth, we were driven round in several circles, peered down passageways from each end, and then out into the countryside to stop at a Garden Centre (no, I've no idea what that has to do with Cambridge.)

In spite of all that, I loved it. It allowed me to glimpse some of Cambridge's nooks and crannies, and confirmed that the best way to see the city was to wander around and get lost. And it is in the lost places that the real feel of the place comes alive, and I realise why I love it.

Away from the tourists, this town (or the centre of it - I'm sure there is deprivation that doesn't hang around outside Kings College) is about learning. All those young people with brains the size of planets exchanging ideas, reading, believing they can make a difference. They have an air of excitement, of potential, of urgency - of needing to know, and then to know more. They have realised that learning matters, for its own sake, because it is exciting and slightly frightening to be faced with new ideas or information every day.

They take no notice of tourists. Why would they? They belong here, in these ancient buildings, where men have studied for centuries. (Not women, until recently - I have a view on that, but I don't suppose that surprises you. And there are definitely efforts to redress that imbalance now.) This is their town, and it was wonderful to share a corner of it, just for a few days.

And here is a picture that sums this up:



Only in a university town could posters for Birdsong, and the Canterbury Tales, Guitar Concerts, Macbeth, Music for a Summer's Evening - and many more - gather on railings like this.

12 comments:

  1. When I was in Oxford for a day, I took a walking tour. I enjoyed it so much that when I was there again with my daughter, I took her on the same tour and she discovered the one thing she wanted to see after the tour - the place where they filmed Harry Potter.

    I do think Oxford and Cambridge are more suited to walking tours than bus tours.

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    1. I'm not quite sure why I do the bus-thing - you're right, many towns are better on foot - I think I just want something to introduce me.

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  2. I agree with you and Miriam - walking and getting lost are perfect for Oxbridge but you need a good few days to really get absorbed.

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    1. Looks like I'll have to go back to Cambridge soon! (I visit Oxford as often as I can.)

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  3. What a lovely day out.Brings back memories of sitting on an open bus tour in Barcelona a few days before Chritmas and freezing,I couldn't get the earphones in my ears as they hurt so much and hubby was telling me to stop moaning.The tour took hours and went way out th city but at least we found our bearings to wander about on foot. There is always a buzz around a University it's the same in Glasgow,even the charity shops near the uni are full of study books.

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    1. I don't know Glasgow, Anne - maybe I should visit ...

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  4. A lovely day in a beautiful city, Jo. I wanted to add something to your last words though. Only in an English university town will you get everything you've mentioned, plus the conglomeration of bicycles parked against the railings! To me, bicycles in profusion mean students :-) I also like bus tours as a quick introduction, but like you and the others, the real discovery is in walking. The tours are just a taster, aren't they? You've made me want to go to cambridge now. Oh dear, so little time...

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    1. You'd love Cambridge, Val - and there are houseboats on the river, so you'd feel at home!

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  5. I've never been on one of those open top tour buses. How annoying the have the talk out of sync with the bus. What happens if there's a traffic jam I wonder. I do love Cambridge. It has a special feel of the learned about it.

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    1. The out-of-sync thing was quite funny, once I spotted everyone swivelling their heads! I know exactly what you mean about the special feel of the learned - it's inspiring.

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  6. A walking tour for your next visit it is then! And a punt-I think that's the best way to see some of the colleges, especially when accompanied by strawberries and wine :-) oh, and the cheesecake didn't last long!

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    1. We really must organise some decent weather - a punt would be wonderful. (I'm assuming I sit in the boat looking decorative - you're not expecting me to flash that pole-thing around, are you?)

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