Cambridge, Day 2

Thursday, June 26

After yesterday's exploration of Cambridge we knew there was a lot to see and do so we set off after another filling breakfast. Our B&B, Tudor Cottage is very nice and super clean, and close enough to walk into Cambridge.

Tudor Cottage

 

We headed for the daily market, again taking in the sights of this lovely market town. Cambridge is certainly getting into Tour de France mode for the 3rd stage that leaves from here on July 7 and goes to London with all the streets getting the "Tour" treatment. Some of the places we wanted to visit were still closed due to graduations taking place, while others didn't open until midday so we had to amend our schedule.

Ready for the Tour de France

Quirky sculpture near the Cambridge market

 

First up was the Scott Polar Research Institute (SPRI), which was dedicated to the brave and heroic explorers of both poles, but especially Captain Robert Scott and his companions who lost their lives on the return journey from the South Pole in 1912. The SPRI has been a part of the University of Cambridge since 1920 and has an amazing collection of items from the various expeditions dating back from the 1800s to the present day research stations. When we saw the basic gear they used only 100 years ago it gave us a chill thinking about wandering around in minus 20-50 C temperatures trying to reach one of the poles!

The Scott Polar Research Institute

There was also a temporary exhibition on stamps produced by the British Antartic Territory (and other countries), and the various postmasters appointed on the different expeditions since the late 1800s. Sir Edmund Hillary was appointed postmaster for the NZ expedition that he led in 1956 and the post office set up at Scott Base by NZ continued to operate until 1987.

We decided to have lunch before our next stop and chose Browns, a British restaurant that sources local produce and presents it in a really unique way. It was a great choice and our meal was lovely, again proving to us how much British food has improved.

Browns restaurant in Cambridge

We were now fuelled up and ready to tackle the Fitzwilliam Museum (a mini British Museum) but we only had 2 hours before it closed so we knew we were only going to skim the surface. We picked a couple of the rooms from their guide but were sidetracked walking through the first room! Then we came across a Fan Gallery that contained amazing fans from around the world. Some really were works of art, especially the ones that were a few hundred years old.

A display in the Fan Gallery

We finally moved on to what we really wanted to see - a room of Flower paintings for Noelle, the big name Dutch and French masters, and the Impressionists. Unfortunately it was nearly closing time so we had to hurry through so there's plenty more to see on a future visit.

Impressive entry to the Fitzwilliam Museum

 

On our way to King's College we came across an innovative busker, although I'm not sure how healthy it is to squeeze into a rubbish bin and try to sing and play guitar - anyway it made us laugh!

His singing wasn't really rubbish

 

When we got to King's College it was closed to visitors but we saw a sign saying that at 5:30 the Choir was performing in the famous Chapel so we seized the opportunity and joined the queue. The Chapel is the grandest and most iconic building in Cambridge and took over 100 years to complete. Unfortunately the Chapel has a "no photos" policy inside so we weren't able to get any pics but, suffice to say, it was very impressive and Reuben's "Adoration of the Magi" looked stunning hanging above the altar. The huge pipe organ and the Choir's singing made for a magnificent musical memory of Cambridge plus we got to see inside the grounds of the college!

Noelle in the queue beside the Chapel

Cambridge certainly has a lot to offer, so we know we'll be back for another visit in the future.

 

 

 

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