Day 52: Bridge over River Cam

Sightseeing

Today was all about exploring the University of Cambridge. This is hands down one of the most beautiful universities I’ve ever seen. It was a fun experience walking around the grounds of one of the oldest universities in the world.

Punting

After checking out various colleges and faculty buildings by foot, we jumped onto a boat to go punting around the River Cam. It was a guided tour, piloted by a future Writer-in-Residence, for Trinity College, arguably the most famous and well-known colleges in Cambridge. I still have a hard time wrapping my head around the fact that this university is almost 1,000 years old.

The weather was perfect and there was a mild breeze to help push us along. The water is frigid, so the desire to get wet was minimal. All around us, guided tours and students out on the water with their friends were punting along. The River Cam was a trade transit route, so using long boats was a means for carrying and transporting trade goods across this region of the country.

All along the River Cam are bridges that link different parts of the university and city together. It should be clear how the city got its name (ahem, ahem!). Each bridge has a storied history. It was nice to sit back, relax, and listen to origins of the university, the colleges, and the city around it.

More Sightseeing

After punting, we grabbed a quick bite to eat at a river-side restaurant, and proceeded to check out some of the most beautiful colleges I’ve ever seen: Trinity College and St. John’s College. These were absolutely breathtaking. We even got the chance to see the rumored tree where Sir Isaac Newton discovered gravity. There are lots of fables, stories, and interpretations on if this is the exact tree. Nonetheless, it’s still pretty cool to see it.

Heading Home

After snapping our final pictures, we grabbed a gelato from Jack’s Gelato, before heading home. I needed to grab a flight back to Stuttgart, and it was almost an 1.5 hour drive back to London from Cambridge. I managed to catch my flight and arrived back in Stuttgart at about 10:00PM or so. There was a delay leaving London Heathrow, so we landed later than expected. I rolled into bed as soon as I got home.

This was such a fun and super eventful trip to the 🇬🇧!

Peace and love ❤️