New Favorite City: Cambridge

On Sunday, we went to Cambridge for the day, and it was absolutely incredible.  Getting there, however, was quite the experience!  We have been using a Brit Rail pass to get to these various cities.  It is a great deal only available outside of the UK.  We ordered an 8-day pass, and because they were ordered before June 1, we received a 9th day for free.  Basically, the pass allows for 8 (in our case, 9) days of unlimited travel on the British rail system.  I have come to absolutely love the train system.  It is so easy to get around--well, in most cases!  On Sunday, we arrived at the train station to take a 10:05 train to Stevenage, where we would catch another train to take us to Cambridge.  Well, we get to Stevenage, and we found that there wasn't a train to Cambridge!  Instead, we had to take a train to Letchworth, a bus to Royston, and then a train to Cambridge!  Luckily, it didn't take very long to do all of these, but it was still unexpected.  None of the info about the extra travel was on the website that I used to plan the trip.  It was an experience, and Cambridge was completely worth it!!!

Once we got to Cambridge, we rented bikes to ride for the day.  The city is England's version of  "college town" so there are bike riders and pedestrians everywhere, with a few cars in between.  However, unlike American colleges towns, where there are several universities in a town, but each is kind of segregated to its own part of the city (think Columbia, MO with Mizzou, Stevens, and Columbia College), Cambridge is the city that houses Cambridge University, but the individual colleges within the university (like Maryville's School of Business, School of Health Professions, etc.) are spread out all across the town.  There were people and people on bicycles EVERYWHERE.  By riding bikes, we were able to see so much more of the city than we would have if we were walking.  The architecture was incredible.  The University itself is celebrating its 800th anniversary this year!  I can't imagine going to a school that has been in existence for 800 years.  That more than twice the age of the United States!  Too bad it's so expensive (Dr. Murray said about the cost of Harvard, probably, plus the cost of living in England), or I would transfer there in a heartbeat!

Yesterday, the 15th, we went to York as a class trip.  The architecture of that city was beautiful, but in a different way than Cambridge.  I wish I could describe better all of these different places.  (I'm having some difficulties with my camera, but as soon as I figure it out I will post as many pictures as I can.)  York was originally a Roman city, built in 71 AD when the Roman empire stretched all the way to what is today Great Britain.  We toured York Minster, which is built on top of a medieval cathedral, which is on top of a Norman cathedral, on top of a Roman building.  We were able to go in to the undercroft below the church to see the remains of the original building that has survived from around 600 AD.  Touching the stone that has been there for that long is such an awe-inspiring feeling.  Unfortunately, we weren't able to take pictures in the main portion of the undercroft, but I hope the things I saw and touched will stick with me forever.  We also climbed into one of the towers of the Minster--275 steep, narrow, circular steps!  The sky was clear that day, and the view was incredible.  I could see for miles and miles!  I'm not sure how high it was, but it felt like I was on top of the world!

After York, I went with two friends, Mark and Amie, to visit the town of Leeds, only about a half hour train ride from York.  Amie wanted to go to the Corn Exchange, which we thought was a market (sort of) where you can sample and purchase chocolates, wines, cheeses, etc.  Well, it turns out, the Corn Exchange is a giant, beautiful, circular building in the city centre.  Originally, I think it was a type of market, but now it is being renovated to house offices/shops in the top portion, and a restaurant and mini shops in the bottom.  Unfortunately, the top portion is not completed, but we were able to look around the bottom part, which had a fancy restaurant, a cafeteria-styled restaurant, and small "outlet" styled shops that sold breads, cheeses, chocolates, baked goods, and other things.  I bought some cupcakes and chocolates, and they were DELICIOUS!!  For dinner, we ate at "The Hog's Head," like in Harry Potter!  It was a small pub on a side street.  I'm not sure which came first, this pub or the books, but the food was delicious, and it was nice to eat a meal that wasn't cooked in Harlaxton's kitchens! :)  I ordered fish and chips, and it was even yummier than the meal I had in Nottingham two weeks ago.

I always try to write short entries about each place so I'm not posting paragraph upon paragraph, but I can't help it.  Traveling across the country this past weekend was a great experience, and I'm very happy that we  chose to do that instead of going to one place for the whole weekend.  I'm actually getting a sense of the geography of England through all of the train-riding I've been doing (and we all know how terrible at geography I am), and I hope I remember it.  Also, I've come to LOVE public transportation.  I wish the US had a better system.  It makes getting around so much easier and more affordable.

This Saturday we move to London to live for three weeks.  I can't believe my time at Harlaxton is almost over.  I feel like I just arrived!  As much as I love the Manor and the cute town of Grantham, I am definitely ready for a change.  I can't wait to explore the city and everything it has to offer.  The class I'm taking, Museums and Galleries, will hopefully give me a more hands-on insight to both British history and language.  Can't wait!! :)