Cambridge

Yesterday the whole group went on a day trip to Cambridge.  It was stunning and I absolutely loved it.  We got to take a train there, my second train after the historic train rides in Boone, and I decided that I love traveling by train.  It was so quick and easy and it was a nice change of pace to be able to see where we were going.  Don't get me wrong, I love taking the tube, but when you're on the underground you have no idea where you actually are.  Once we got to Cambridge I was a little disappointed at first. Then Mark, our program director, told us that Cambridge was actually in the middle of the town and the train station was out on the outskirts.  We walked in towards the campus and the buildings were absolutely gorgeous.  We got to look around at the different colleges and even see some of their chapels.  Kings College Chapel is by far the most beautiful thing I have ever seen in my whole life.  There are 26 stained glass windows and the ceiling was gorgeous.  It really made you wonder how people built extraordinary buildings like this back when there was no machinery.  After our chapel tour we went out to The Eagle.  It is a famous pub for several reasons.  First, Watson and Crick announced their discovery of the structure of DNA from a booth that we were sitting right next to.  And secondly because in the second World War, American airmen and women would go to this pub a lot.  They signed the ceiling of the pub so it was a cool place to visit as an American, and the food was really good.
After the pub we got talked into punting.  Punting is when you sit in a small boat and a punting chauffeur uses a giant pole to push the boat up and down the river.  It was a great way to see more of the colleges because a lot of them have giant walls that block your view from the front, but when you are on the river in the back you can see so much more.  Our tour guide was a hoot to and told us a ton of fun stories.  The weather was a little sketchy  yesterday, no rain but a ton of wind, so our poor punter had to work twice as hard to push us around the river.  It was a blast though and I'm so glad that I got the chance to go punting.  Today, I'm off to the Tower of London which I hear is amazing.  I heard a rumor that some of the Crown Jewels are in the Tower so I'm hoping we get the chance to see them!

Cambridge

King's College Chapel Interior

Kings College Chapel