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Cambridge is pretty

Posted on September 19, 2010 by marialachica.
Categories: Blogging.

I visited Cambridge yesterday for the first time. Two hours car journey from Basingstoke, but completely worth it.

A Spaniard that I know is moving to Cambridge very soon. His level of English is not that great and when we spoke he was a bit afraid that he wouldn’t be able to get his point across with the estate agents or understand the technicalities. I suggested that Jon and I could go and spend the weekend in Cambridge, give him a hand with the dreaded estate agents and visit the town at the same time. And so we did, except for the staying the whole weekend bit. We went there and back on the same day.

I am not sure what I was expecting from the city. I suppose I wanted to compare it with Oxford, but it has been a very long time since I visited Oxford, so I wasn’t going to be able to make a proper comparison between both places. So in the end, I thought the best thing would be to just judge Cambridge on its own.

From the point of view of someone who has just spent about 8 hours there and probably only seen the typical touristic places, I can say I was very impressed. I am fully aware that there is more to Cambridge than colleges, punts, students, bikes and tourists – but I didn’t get to see that part of the city. Nevermind though, because I liked what I saw.

Lloyds bank building Cambridge

Inside Lloyds bank building Cambridge

Kings College Chapel Cambridge

Kings College Chapel Cambridge

River Cam and punts

I really liked it and maybe I’ll go back again some time…

Now I have to go back to Oxford soon, so I can compare :P

7 comments.

Comment on September 19th, 2010.

I rather like the feel of Cambridge; IT was sort of a high class bohemia, without the crusties. Instead of crusites, you have students trying to sell punting rides.

Of particular note was the joy of watching the tourists trying to master the punts, and the ensuing crashes; Also it was good to watch the more skilled punt masters navigating the endlessly rotating tourists with skill and ease.

That one dude was so useless, he just didnt have a clue. no comprende!

Comment on September 19th, 2010.

I’m glad you liked it, but it’s too bad you didn’t plan to come a few months earlier! I’m a walking Cambridgepedia and make a terrific guide.

Comment on September 19th, 2010.

Yes, that’s a shame.. If only I had known! There are so many places to visit and so many people to see!!

Comment on September 19th, 2010.

I love Cambridge! :D
I am actually now going to apply to university, and 90% sure one of the choices in my UCAS will be “Christ’s, University of Cambridge”. I’ve been twice to the city and I love it so much.
My parents are rather anti-Britain (basically because I am pro-Britain and will move there leaving them behind in Spain), kind of despised London (liked it, but saying there were better cities and that it was so stressful) but when they arrived to Cambridge, they were like “OMG, this is amazing!”. They even joked about moving there if I am accepted by Cambridge. Of course they won’t, but at least now they go around saying how much they loved Cambridge. When I remind them that, incidentally, it is in England, they say “uhm, yes, but it’s not the same as London”.
But this is a general confusion, I guess.
I’m going next week to Bristol, then Newcastle and Durham, then Scotland (Edinburgh and St Andrews), but according to most of my family and my friends, “I’m going to London”. I only land in London for half an hour, in LCY, to do a flight connection. But that doesn’t really sink in their minds. For them, Britain is England and England is London. :rage: /rant off

Back to the point, I’m glad you liked Cambridge. It’s lovely.

Comment on September 19th, 2010.

Ì loved Cambridge, Morti can tell…it is my fav city in UK :D

Comment on September 19th, 2010.

@Sergio, I know exactly what you’re saying! Despite living in a small village quite outside London for three years, my family kept saying to everybody that I was IN London. Now I live almost 40 miles further away, but they still insist that I DO live in London xD

Good luck with getting into that College!

Comment on September 19th, 2010.

Well…I’ve never been there.. :-(

I went to Oxford a couple of years ago but It was Easter and there wasn’t a soul there..pretty boring.

We are already planning a lot of UK short trips for next year I shall include Cambridge due the good comments!

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