Punting Around

Carolyn and I woke up at 8:30 this morning in order to leave an hour later for our last day trip. We’ve both been wanting to go to Cambridge for months, so with this being our last weekend, we figured it was now or never!

After taking the tube to King’s Cross, we hopped on the 10:15 express train to Cambridge, which got us in a little after eleven. A quick ride on a double-decker dropped us off right in the city center where the crowds were already mounting. Passing many familiar stores and restaurants as we walked further into town, we walked right into a market. We swear we have “market-sense” because literally everywhere we go, we bump into one. After a quick browse around, we headed towards King’s College, one of the constituent colleges of Cambridge University. Before we made it there, however, we were approached by a (cute) recent graduate asking us if we wanted to take a punting tour. Our friend Allie had told us it was a must do (and his British charm didn’t hurt either), so we signed up for the next boat tour at 1 o’clock. Of course we first decided to get a quick bite to eat, so we stopped into Auntie’s Tea House, an adorable little tea house just steps away from King’s College.
After we finished our first food stop of the day, we headed to King’s College Chapel, probably one of the most iconic images of Cambridge (and it certainly did not disappoint). After a few photo ops, we browsed around the area, each picking up a Cambridge University t-shirt, popping into a few shops (including a fudge store where they make it right in front of you!), and, of course, a few clothing stores.

At one o’clock, we headed down to the Backs River (named that because all of the colleges back onto it), where our punter, Johnny, pulled the boat around. Carolyn and I were right in the front, which proved to be a slight splash zone, but at least we had blankets to protect ourselves. The tour provided us with a view and background of the major colleges and bridges, including King’s, Claire, Trinity, and St. James, and the Mathematics Bridge and Bridge of Sighs (modeled after the one in Venice). As an added bonus, Johnny threw in a few anti-royalty jokes (mainly about Prince Charles) which were quite entertaining.

By the time the tour was over, we were chilled to the bone, so naturally, we went to have lunch! I had heard about the Eagle Pub, where, at one of the tables, Watson and Crick discovered and announced their discovery of DNA! Our senior-year genetics teacher would be so proud...

However, since we weren’t really in the mood for pub food, we just took pictures of the plaques, etc., and made our way down to another place we have been dying to go to since we arrived in August: Jamie’s Italian, Jamie Oliver’s restaurant! By this point, it was around 2:45, and I’m pretty sure this was the only restaurant in Cambridge that would have a half an hour wait at that time. Since we figured the wait would be even longer in London if we went there this week, we put our name down, and luckily, within 15 minutes our table was ready. Carolyn and I went all out, ordering the tasting platter of twice-daily baked breads, polenta chips with parmesan and rosemary (incredible), funky chips (with garlic and parsley), and homemade carbonara pasta and pumpkin raviolis as our mains. Carolyn declared it was the best meal she’s had so far since our arrival (which is a BIG statement since you all know how much we’ve eaten!), and I would definitely agree. I’m already itching to go back to the one in Covent Garden…
After a little more time spent browsing in stores and walking around the center, we hopped back on the bus to the train station to catch the 3:45 express back to King’s Cross. Even before 4 o’clock it was pitch dark, which made both of our short naps on the train much easier. After pulling in to St. Pancras around 4:40 (we couldn’t believe it… it felt like 8PM), we made a short diversion to Platform 9 3/4, a kitschy tribute to Harry Potter, so of course I had to see it Unfortunately, all the area around it is covered in scaffolding, which kind of ruined the "magical" effect, but I still managed to get my picture!

Hogwarts Express!

After a few (awkward) photos, we made our way back on the tube to South Ken, where we made a stop at Hummingbird Bakery, the American bakery in London, which has gotten rave reviews by the press and is a favorite of Gwyneth Paltrow. I’m too ashamed to admit all that I bought, but let’s just say I bought a sampling of their products...

When we finally got back to Courtfield, we felt very accomplished of everything we had seen and done, but we were also completely exhausted. A lazy evening in our flat was just what the doctor ordered, and I know I’m very much looking forward to sleeping in tomorrow morning. Unfortunately, essay writing is also on the agenda….
    Cheers,
    LC