The first stop was Cambridge.
The first activity when we arrived at Cambridge was punting. It's basically sightseeing while riding on a boat, like a gondola. It was raining when we arrived there. So imagine about 10 big umbrellas on a tiny boat. And taking pictures at the same time. In the cold rain. But, it was a nice experience. I even got to see ducks swimming close-up! (^_^)
Punts. I have no idea who or what these punts are named after (^^;)
The Bridge of Sighs, which is named after the bridge in Venice.
The Mathematical Bridge at Queen's College. There is a myth that this bridge was originally erected without any bolts or nuts. Then some students who took it apart couldn't put it together again. That's why they now have bolts.
And in case if you can't visualise how a punt with 10 open umbrellas looks like, just look under the bridge (^^;) The ones in front are still lucky to get a nice view; I was sitting at the back staring at the punter's legs! And when the punter started explaining "in front of you is the bridge which...", there was no use turning around since all the umbrellas were blocking my view. So, if you ever go punting: SIT RIGHT IN FRONT AND DON'T PUNT IN THE RAIN!
On the left is Clare's college. On the right is King's College chapel which I will be visiting later on.
And how can I forget about the ducks? I've actually heard ducks quack!! (^__^)
After punting and some lunch, it's touring the place with a tour guide.
This is Great St. Mary's Church. I have wanted to climb up the tower but we didn't have time (T_T)
Entrance to King's College.
Front view of King's College chapel. I didn't have a picture of the side view, but I found a good one on the Internet here.
We were not permitted to use flash within the chapel, so sorry about the dark blurry photos. The photos do not do justice to the splendour and grandeur of this building. The feeling that I had when I stepped foot into this chapel is really overwhelming. You really must be there in person to feel all those vibes. According to the brochure, this chapel is 88 metres long and 24 metres high. And according to the tour guide, this is the very last chapel in England with a Gothic architecutre before Renaissance took over.
Who knew that stained-glass windows could be so fascinating? The tour guide said that all these stained-glass are original, and this is the only church England to retain the originals. They buried it safely somewhere during the World War and took five years to put them back together.
A pipe organ, which is a gift of King Henry VIII. You can also see the breathtaking fan-vaulted ceiling from this picture.
There was also an acoustic orchestra playing when we were there. And the stereo effects were superb. The pipe organ was also superb. There weren't any mics or amplifiers by the way.
Outside Trinity College, by the room where Sir Issac Newton used to study. Note the apple tree outside, which is planted from supposedly THE apple tree as a tribute to Newton. Obviously, the tree won't be this bare if I've visited this place some time later in Spring.
And a view inside Trinity College.
I'll end this post with the round church.
And more ducks! (^o^)
