VIRTUAL CAMBRIDGE SPECTACULAR!

Ah, Cambridge in the Autumn... But what's that you say? You've never seen Cambridge in the Autumn? Well, my friends, the experience will soon be virtually yours.

Here's Laurie, beckoning us through the back gate of Kings College. Let's go!

Ah, the Kings Kows in their verdant pasture.

Hey, that looks like a bridge!

Hey, that looks like a Cam! And here we are standing on our first Cam bridge.
It's the Kings College bridge, and from here we can see...

Kings College! Breathtaking isn't it?
That's the big chapel on the left.

Kind of hard to imagine, non?

I still can't.

Ah, but there's the front gate of Kings. Let's pass through and see what we can see!

The City Centre!
Here's looking left (a.k.a. north;
and note Great St. Mary's in the middle -- we'll come back to that),

and here's looking right (south). Maybe we'll head this way

(after a little rest).

Onward! Past the Cambridge Wine Merchant (students get double or nothing discount on a trivial persuit question), and past St. Catherine's and Pembroke as well...

And here we are at the Anchor! It's one of the more famous pubs in Cambridge.
Established in the 18th century, it's right on the water.
May we suggest a ploughman's lunch with some tasty cheese?

Here's the view from the Anchor -- note the punts. They're the funny-shaped little flat boats.
Every college has some punts on the river, and you can pay a little to go punting on the Cam.
You get a flat boat and a big stick. We haven't tried it yet, but it looks fun.
Looking closer, you might also see some cows on the island over there. We're not sure who they belong to. Possibly Darwin College, which is just to the right of our view.

And a half-block upstream (farther south) from the Anchor is the Student Union.
If you don't like the architecture you might still like the view from the 3rd floor.

Hey look, more punts!

Heading back north, we pass by Cambridge's second famous pub, the Eagle.
This is where Watson and Crick (co-discoverers of DNA) used to have pints and discuss their ideas in a less-formal and more-drunk environment. The back room of the Eagle is called the RAF room: It's ceiling is covered with graffiti from servicemen stationed there during World War II. The property was donated to Corpus Christi College in the 16th century.
May we recommend a juicy bowl of meat?

A bit farther north and we're at the central market. A lot of little vendors plying their wares.
A hardcore local merchant informs us that the goods at the market are industrial bilge, but we'll get to him later...

Speaking of industrial bilge (and cheap, tasty food), here we are in Sainsbury's!
It's the only supermarket in the City Centre, and it's pretty quality.
Lettuce is tiny here. But may we recommend the Kinder Eggs?

Yet farther north, and we've arrived at the Cambridge Cheese Company.
Wow.
This is the shop in which we found the aforementioned local merchant who disparaged the market. And he has every right to do so. He has the finest quality assortment of cheeses, honeys, ciders, and various other comestibles that one could imagine. He is also a veritable goldmine of information about other quality establishments (or the lack thereof) in Cambridge. Apparently there is only one pub that serves the best locally produced ale, and now we know where it is. Thank you cheese man, and thank you for the 3/4 kg of delicious cheese.

Heading back south, and speaking of quality local establishments, here we are at the Cambridge University Press bookshop. Need I say anything about the wealth of knowledge that is the CUP? Perhaps I should mention that students recieve a 20% discount...

And here we are, as promised, back at Great St. Mary's Church (just across the street from the bookshop). This is the central church of the University of Cambridge. University officials must live within a 20-mile radius of this church; otherwise its association with the University is historical.
Well, now we've made a nice circle and covered many of the sites in the Centre. Let's head back over the Cam back toward Clare Hall.

Here's an interesting gate which leads to Trinity College's courtyard.
More accurately, it leads out of said courtyard, as this gate is only used by graduating students on their way to the graduation ceremony. It's called the Gate of Honor. Note the cool sundials.

Back over the Cam. Hey look -- a punt! This is a view from a Trinity College bridge, looking toward the Clare College bridge and in the background is the Kings College bridge which we crossed over on our way into town. Remember the Kows? I bet they're at least on their third round of cud by now.

Our current path takes us right past the University Library, which is a massive and ever-expanding building. It contains every book published in England since 1912, and many others as well. It's also a half-block away from Laurie and Lewis' house!

Speaking of Laurie, here she is...

and here is her house!

We hope you've enjoyed your virtual tour spectacular of Cambridge. Join us next post for an exciting episode in which Lewis goes to class and Laurie executes countless exciting tasks.