Cambridge: A Punting Good Time

Located 50 miles north of London is the university town of Cambridge.  Renowned for its higher education institutions and the River Cam, it is an absolutely picturesque city.  Today, I set out with my good friends Brittanee, Catherine, and Miranda to explore its hallowed halls on a school daytrip.

The drive up north was positively beautiful.  Leaving London, our tour guide for the day Doug gave us a quick history of many of the famous sites along our route.  It was especially interesting to drive past Canary Wharf which is the business district lying to the east of the city. After passing the site of the 2012 Olympic stadium, we slowly made our way past rolling green hills and countryside.  Even though many of the daytrips have featured trips through the countryside, I am still amazed by the sheer beauty of the scenery. It's hard to imagine ever getting tired of it.

Before long we were unloading the bus and preparing for punting down the River Cam.  Punting is a typical past time for students and townspeople in Cambridge.  I would compare it to the gondolas of Venice.  The punter stands at the back of a narrow boat and use a long pole to propel and steer the punt.  We snapped a few pictures before hopping into our punt to take off down the river on a peaceful ride.


Catherine, Brittanee, Me, and Miranda excited to try punting



The River Cam

Our punter for the day was Sarah, a student at Downing College. As we punted down the river, she pointed out the major sites and told us about her experiences as a student at Cambridge.  She said that she learned to punt when she was seven years old and her dad said that it was about time for her to give it a try.  Although Sarah made it look relatively easy to steer the punt, I had a feeling that it was much more difficult than it appeared.  The other boats that we passed with punters who were struggling to keep the punts moving down the center of the river confirmed my suspicions. The chirping birds, blooming flowers, and gorgeous buildings made for an extremely pleasant morning.

Our punter Sarah

Enjoying the sun and scenery

As we continued down the river, we found ourselves in the middle of a kayaking race.  We all laughed a bit at the teams running down the banks to the river carrying their kayaks over their heads.  Once they were racing past us on the river we fortunately only got splashed a few times.

One of the teams in the lead of the race

Throughout our ride we passed under many beautiful bridges that crossed over the river.  Here are two of my favorites:

Soon after these bridges we passed the most famous of the colleges of Cambridge, Queens' College and King's College.  The expansive green yard in front of the King's College Chapel and central quad was an amazing site.  Another one of my favorite campuses that we passed was that of St. John's College.

St. John's College

It was fun hearing about the intense rivalry between St. John's College and Trinity College. Sarah's stories about pranks that the students have played on each other over the years reminded me of the great Comm Ave rivalry between BU and BC.

Our trip down the river ended much too quickly and before we knew it we were back on ground.  Doug then took us on an hour-long walking tour of the city.  While dodging the great number of bicycles on the streets, he gave lots of insight into what the different colleges were like and pointed out the fabulous examples of extravagant architecture.  One of my favorite facts that he shared with us was the strict dress code that students must follow when they go to the Senate House to pick up their diplomas.  Featuring specifics about everything from clothing to hair to make-up, it was very detailed and interesting to hear about.

Typical Cambridge street

Beautiful churchyard in Spring

Senate House

After the tour, we had some free time to explore the city on our own.  We headed to a cute cafe to grab some tea and then to a local market that was taking place in a nearby square.  I had my usual daytrip lunch of a traditional Cornwall pasty and finished off the break with a nutella crepe.  We had lots of fun stopping in many souvenir shops to check out the coat of arms associated with each college.

Later in the afternoon, we had the opportunity to visit King's College Chapel.  The chapel took over a century to build and was began by King Henry VI.  Today, it features the largest fan-vaulted ceiling in the world and some of the most spectacular stained glass and exterior detailing I have seen.

Candle inside the chapel

Stained glass located over the alter

After exploring the interior of the chapel, we took a walk down to the river to watch punters pass by.  We had a good laugh as three children attempted to canoe down the river getting into the way of many passing punts.  Of course, the two older brothers in the canoe were giving their younger sister a hard time all the while.

Catherine, Me, and Brittanee in front of King's College

Watching the punters below

The river became quite crowded after lunch

Avoiding a near collision

All in all, I absolutely loved every minute of the trip to Cambridge!  Punting and exploring the quaint city, made for one of my favorite trips of my time abroad.