DAY-16: Cities Of Knowledge Oxford & Cambridge
Day – 16: Thursday, September 7, 2017
Starting Location: Cardiff, Wales, UK
Ending Location: Cambridge, England, UK
We were on the road around 10 AM and were headed for some learning. By the end of the day we would be able to say, in addition to Navy and Pitt, that we had been to Oxford and Cambridge.
We crossed the Severn and were back in Jolly Ole England; not sure where that phrase came from.
Our first stop was to be Oxford, home of England's oldest institution of higher learning.
We entered town and found a parking lot allowing us time for a walking tour. (NOTE TO SELF & OTHERS: Big cars and underground parking garages are not compatible.) After a couple of tries we finally found a straight drive-in park that worked after we had turned the outside mirrors in, still a tight fit.
Once above ground we acquainted ourselves with the surroundings and were on our way. Within a block the aromas of a cooking mecca surrounded us. It was an open air market place with every imaginable spicy, aromatic food being prepared and served (except for Southern Fried Chicken). Other stalls sold magic carpets and some sold 100% cashmere (a real bargain).
After checking our walking GPS and a few city maps we found the university. We walked amongst these very old buildings and watched as students and staff moved along not so differently than one might see at Florida State, UVA, USC or KU.
Sheila searched out the Bridge of Sighs though it turns out that lots of places have Bridges of Sighs so we're not sure if this is the proper bridge.
Special note was made of the Geometry classroom, not sure how many different formulae and shapes they had when Oxford originated.
From Oxford we continued on to Cambridge, our home for the night. We checked in at The Varsity Hotel, settled into our room and then hit the streets to be educated.
We went to the River Cam in search of Steve's company SolidWorks, but couldn't find it, oh well, they've probably moved without letting us know and his office is in the real Cambridge anyway.
Next we found the avenue of colleges, Trinity College, King's College, St. John's College to name a few. In case you were wondering, Churchill College is in the suburbs. As school was in session visitors weren't permitted to wonder amongst the college grounds. Just like at Oxford the students and professorial types were abundant, many scooting around on "firebolt" broomsticks.
We deferred our "punt on the Cam" tour but as it turned out, the weather for tomorrow didn't cooperate.
Our last stop for the afternoon was at The Eagle Pub, as recommended by the desk clerk in Cardiff.
Well it was a good recommendation, this was an old pub, basically in some form of pub business for about 350 years. The pub is noted for several things, for one it is supposedly haunted though we saw no apparitions (not enough beer consumed). From the days of WWII the RAF has called this a home-away-from-home with many posted mementos of note.
Perhaps the most notable claim to fame is with the "discovery" or perhaps identification of DNA. The story goes that in the 50's two professors after spending as many as 6 nights/week in the pub announced to the world the discovery of DNA. In tribute, the pub has an Eagle DNA beer on tap; that's what I had, it didn't make me smarter but it was an enjoyable pint for the afternoon.
We returned to the hotel and had dinner in the Six Bar & Restaurant on the roof-top of the hotel (6th floor in case you hadn't guessed).
Sheila had salmon and spinach while I had a ribeye with mac & cheese.
The restaurant had an interesting series of lithographs. Each depicted a large/famous international city, e.g. Auckland, Sydney, New York, London, Hong Kong, Kitty Hawk (well maybe not), etc. and depicted three notable structures and one notable drink. For Boston the drink was what else but a "Cape Codder".
You'll have to ask Sheila about the "East India Drink".
After dinner we returned to our room for the usual, though the night wasn't so usual as at about 11 PM the fire alarms went off throughout the hotel. With that of course fire doors started slamming shut. This certainly got everyone's attention but after a few minutes the alarm stopped and everything returned to normal.
We were on the road around 10 AM and were headed for some learning. By the end of the day we would be able to say, in addition to Navy and Pitt, that we had been to Oxford and Cambridge.
We crossed the Severn and were back in Jolly Ole England; not sure where that phrase came from.
We entered town and found a parking lot allowing us time for a walking tour. (NOTE TO SELF & OTHERS: Big cars and underground parking garages are not compatible.) After a couple of tries we finally found a straight drive-in park that worked after we had turned the outside mirrors in, still a tight fit.
 |
Special note was made of the Geometry classroom, not sure how many different formulae and shapes they had when Oxford originated.
From Oxford we continued on to Cambridge, our home for the night. We checked in at The Varsity Hotel, settled into our room and then hit the streets to be educated.
We went to the River Cam in search of Steve's company SolidWorks, but couldn't find it, oh well, they've probably moved without letting us know and his office is in the real Cambridge anyway.
Next we found the avenue of colleges, Trinity College, King's College, St. John's College to name a few. In case you were wondering, Churchill College is in the suburbs. As school was in session visitors weren't permitted to wonder amongst the college grounds. Just like at Oxford the students and professorial types were abundant, many scooting around on "firebolt" broomsticks.
 |
| Local newspaper. |
We deferred our "punt on the Cam" tour but as it turned out, the weather for tomorrow didn't cooperate.
Our last stop for the afternoon was at The Eagle Pub, as recommended by the desk clerk in Cardiff.
Well it was a good recommendation, this was an old pub, basically in some form of pub business for about 350 years. The pub is noted for several things, for one it is supposedly haunted though we saw no apparitions (not enough beer consumed). From the days of WWII the RAF has called this a home-away-from-home with many posted mementos of note.
Perhaps the most notable claim to fame is with the "discovery" or perhaps identification of DNA. The story goes that in the 50's two professors after spending as many as 6 nights/week in the pub announced to the world the discovery of DNA. In tribute, the pub has an Eagle DNA beer on tap; that's what I had, it didn't make me smarter but it was an enjoyable pint for the afternoon.
 |
| Eagle "DNA" |
Sheila had salmon and spinach while I had a ribeye with mac & cheese.
You'll have to ask Sheila about the "East India Drink".
After dinner we returned to our room for the usual, though the night wasn't so usual as at about 11 PM the fire alarms went off throughout the hotel. With that of course fire doors started slamming shut. This certainly got everyone's attention but after a few minutes the alarm stopped and everything returned to normal.
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