#307: Cambridge University (pg 29; 2nd Edition pg 3)

 

July 2, 2022

Cambridge University!

I was super excited to visit Cambridge, a 45 minute train ride from London, because it is the very first thing listed in the 2nd Edition of 1000 Places. How fun to get Checkmark #1!

Cambridge is one of Europe's oldest universities, built just 40 years after Oxford.  It is made up of 31 colleges, 16 of which are of medieval origin.  

King's College, pictured here is one of the most impressive buildings to explore. 

The chapel is 289 feet long and the vault is 80 feet high.  The fan vaulting was completed between the years of 1512-1515.  Over the next 30 years, 26 sets of stained glass were installed.

The Coat of Arms is the Royal Arms of England the Dragon of Cadwallader (Wales) represents the Tudor family of Henry VII's father. 

The dark oak Screen houses the organ and was a gift of Henry VIII.

Henry VIII's initials are inscribed on the Screen as well as those of Anne Boleyn, his wife and queen at the time.

The Great East Window depicts the passion and crucifixion of Christ and below the window sits "The Adoration of the Magi" painted by Rubens in 1634 and gifted to the College in 1961.

The Fellow's Building was designed in 1724 by James Gibbs.

Exploring the grounds.  The area of grassy strip lying between the backs of the big colleges and the banks of the Cam is known as "The Backs." 

One of many bridges that cross the Cam.

Another view of the Cam, where you can see dozens of people punting on a nice day.

We were lucky enough to be there on graduation day!  So fun to see people decked out in their graduation robes.

The Eagle, where students have hung out for centuries.

The first book was printed by Cambridge University Press here in 1583 and continued to print consecutively until 2013!  This bookshop is also the longest continuously operating bookshop in all of England; they first started selling books in the 1580's.

The streets of Cambridge. 

The Mathematical Bridge links the two parts of Queens' College across the Cam.  It was first built without using any nuts or bolts.

VERDICT:  I loved Cambridge.  It's definitely worth seeing.  It's so steeped in history and it's a great little town that's charming to walk around and easy to navigate.  And it's a quick (~45 minutes), easy, relatively inexpensive train ride from London.  COST:  King's College is 11 Euros (~$13)/adult.  So next time you're in London, make this one of your day trips from the city!

#306: Canterbury Cathedral (pg 16; 2nd Ed pg 13)

 

Wednesday, June 29, 2022

We hopped on a train from the St. Pancras station in London and headed to Canterbury!

Our first glimpse of the Cathedral (which is undergoing renovations at the moment so parts of it are covered in scaffolding, but much of it is uncovered as well and can be seen in all its glory.)

Dave in front of the entrance..... let's go inside!

One of the most significant and notorious events to ever take place here was the murder of Archbishop Thomas Becket in 1170.  The murder came after a long dispute between the Archbishop and King Henry II which ended with the King ordering four of his knights to set off for Canterbury and kill the Archbishop.  Soon after this event, miracles were said to take place and this Cathedral became one of Europe's most significant pilgrimage sights. 

We loved exploring the cloister.

The Cathedral consists of the Nave, Cloister, Chapter House, site of Martyrdom, Bell Harry Tower, Quire, Trinity Chapel and the Crypt.  We explored all of it.

And then explored outside which was equally as beautiful and historic.

Tip:  If you ever go to Canterbury Cathedral, don't leave until you've walked around the town.  It's charming in every way.  Lots of windy old streets, fun shops, tasty restaurants, stone walkways, a little river with bridges and punting and more.

And definitely don't leave before you walk over to St. Martin's Church, the oldest church in the English-speaking world.

St. Martins Church is still in use.  And it surrounded by a beautiful cemetery.  While it may sound morbid, I love exploring and walking around old cemeteries.  I love examining the tombstones, reading the names and dates of of their lives, wondering about them, thinking of the people who lived and died there.

And also make sure to stop by and visit St. Augustine's Abbey. 

Cost:  A R/T train ticket from London to/from Canterbury is ~$45/person.  Admission into the Cathedral is 14 pounds/adult. 

Verdict:  While this may not necessarily need to be on everyone's list, I definitely think it's a must do for Catholics and others devoted to Christianity.  It has been one of Christendom's chief places of pilgrimage ever since Becket's martyrdom.  It is also the starting point of the famed Via Francigena, the ancient pilgrim trail.  Even if you aren't religious, if you are anywhere in the United Kingdom, this is worth going out of your way to see and visit.  

#305: Curacao (pg 1078 2nd Ed)

 

Dec. 29, 2021

Greetings from Curacao!

We spent the morning exploring the town and could immediately see and sense the Dutch influence.

If the shoe fits....wear it!

Our first glimpse of the town from the other side of the pontoon bridge.

Walking across the floating pontoon bridge - very cool!

This is inspired by the famous bridge in Pares "Pontoon des Arts Bridge" and some have claimed it as "the most romantic and instagrammable love stop in Curacao."

Locks of love looking over the town.

After exploring the town, we made our way by cab ($8/person each way) to "Tug Boat Beach" on Caracas Bay because I heard this was one of the best diving and snorkeling spots on the island.  Although I'm a certified diver, everyone I was with was a snorkeler, so we were more interested in the latter.  Tug Boat Beach, as it is known, has a sunken tugboat that is shallow enough to be able to snorkel around and is surrounded by loads of colorful fish!

The beach itself is very eccentric!

We spent several hours at the beach, so after a while, we ventured out and explored our surroundings a bit more and literally stumbled across this ancient fort!  It was amazing!

Fort Beekenburg was built in 1703 in order to protect the entrance to the bay.

We had the entire fort entirely to ourselves and loved exploring it all!

A view from the top.

This fort (and the people that manned it) warded off many attacks from English warships, French buccaneers and pirates. 

This Fort has seen  A LOT of history over the past 300 years!  Over time, it changed hands from one country to another but once it was returned to the Dutch, it served as a military outpost until the mid 1800's when it was finally dismantled.

The fort was inaccessible between 1927-2005 since the land around it was used by an oil company but it is now accessible and an incredible place to explore, especially because you can climb all the way to the top of the tower!

Looking for Pirates.....

Goodbye Tug Boat Beach, Caracas Bay and Fort Beekenburg.

We sure loved spending the day with you!

Curacao at night.

The pontoon bridge sure knows how to wish everyone a Merry Christmas!

VERDICT:  Tug Boat beach was great for snorkeling (and I'm sure for diving too!) and the Fort is absolutely worth exploring.  But don't come here if you want to lay out at the beach.  There's no sand -only rocks and the chairs cost $3 to rent and are falling apart and old and super uncomfortable!  But the down town area was lovely and absolutely worth visiting.  And there's more of the island I would love to see.  Curacao is definitely worth a visit and is a place I'd enjoy coming back to!