We had been wanting to Go Up to Cambridge and see the Darwin exhibit at the Fitzwilliams Museum there. So we checked the train schedule and figured we could get up there about 11:00 and would have to leave about 3:00 PM. Not a lot of time, of course, but there was little choice.
So we got to the King's Cross train station with what we thought was plenty of time. But the ticket machines would not take cash or our credit cards (they only take European cards with a chip in them). All the ticket booths have long lines behind them. We were distraught, but walked on down to the track to see if there was another way to get on.
Luckily for us, a ticket seller was open and empty, so we quickly bought a ticket at about 10:10. I asked if we could make the 10:15, and he said yes, but "Don't dawdle. I know that there are a lot of things to see here at King's Cross, but you should go right to the train.
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| From Cambridge and London, Sept 2009 |
We just made it to the train before it took off. (More on almost missing transportation later. Doreen made us almost miss our plane home!)
It is an uneventful 45 minute non-stop train to Cambridge. School had not started yet, but there were some kids in our car that I think were going up to school - but Doreen was more sceptical. It was funny to see these kids (none older than 22) jabbering and teasing each other on the train.
We made it to Cambridge and got to the museum
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| From Cambridge and London, Sept 2009 |
without a problem.
The exhibition was interesting, and well curated. But it seemed as if it were just an excuse to have paintings and sculptures with a focus on Natural History. Doreen especially enjoyed a sculpture of a gorilla carrying off a woman. If you are in Cambridge, go to the show. It was fun.
We wandered around the rest of the museum, which had a great collection of all sorts of stuff. Arms:
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| From Cambridge and London, Sept 2009 |
plates, china, ancient religious paintings, old Italian masters and famous English painters. They even had a good collection of impressionists, including this one from Camille Pissaro named Piette's House at Mountfoucault:
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| From Cambridge and London, Sept 2009 |
We then went to lunch at The Anchor on the recommendation of a fellow Board member who went to school here.
They had a beer celebrating the 800th (Octocentenial!) of Cambridge:
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| From Cambridge and London, Sept 2009 |
(I Got that kid to smile, but I think that this was his natural disposition)
We had Fish and Chips:
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| From Cambridge and London, Sept 2009 |
and watched the punters on the Cam:
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| From Cambridge and London, Sept 2009 |
while we ate:
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| From Cambridge and London, Sept 2009 |
The Anchor is famous:
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| From Cambridge and London, Sept 2009 |
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| From Cambridge and London, Sept 2009 |
after lunch we wandered from one college to another. At first we just looked in through the gates:
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| From Cambridge and London, Sept 2009 |
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| From Cambridge and London, Sept 2009 |
But Trinity College let you in for free, so we took a couple of photos there:
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| From Cambridge and London, Sept 2009 |
We ultimately did pay to get into King's College:
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| From Cambridge and London, Sept 2009 |
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| From Cambridge and London, Sept 2009 |
We wandered about Cambridge a while longer. We certainly would have spent more time there if I did not have the meeting arranged. But we made our train in good time:
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| From Cambridge and London, Sept 2009 |
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| From Cambridge and London, Sept 2009 |
and we made it back in time for me to make my meeting.
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| From Cambridge and London, Sept 2009 |
We ate at a place called Texture that night, but that will have to be the subject of another post, as this one is getting sort of long.
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