#2 Cambridge, United Kingdom
Cambridge is our current home. It’s best known for the University that resides at the heart of the city - The University of Cambridge. This University is the second oldest in the English-speaking world and the fourth oldest surviving University in the world. Second to Oxford in age only, not academics. :) Additionally, it has the second most Nobel laureates of any university (just behind Harvard, the Cambridge of the West). And a dozen of these laureates hail from the Department of Biochemistry - where Michael is currently a PhD student.
Enough about the University, join us on an adventure as we take a brief look at our favorite landmarks around the city.
The River Cam
Previously known as the Granta, the river Cam winds its way through the middle of Cambridge and heads north where it meets the North Sea at King’s Lynn. During the warm summers and freezing winters, if you’re up early enough, you might be able to catch boat clubs out on the river training for Bumps. Because the Cam can be very narrow in some areas, side-by-side boat racing is impossible (from a safety standpoint). So in the 19th century, the University boat clubs introduced Bumps. Without getting into the intricacies of the race, basically all the boats line up single file and start rowing at the same time. The objective is to overtake the boat in front of you. This race takes place over 4 days and if you “bump” the boat in front of you every day, you win blades (a fancy oar with the crew names and dates hand painted). If you get bumped every day, unfortunately, the reward is spoons. Check out the awesome St Edmund’s crew below; who’s that mustached man in the stroke seat?
In addition to rowing on the Cam, there are other watersports such as Punting. Punting dates back to a time before oars were ever thought of, a time where they only had long sticks to push off the bottom of the river to move their boat. Nowadays, they still haven’t upgraded to oars however, people at least use metal poles instead of the wooden sticks. Checkout the picture below if you still don’t get it. Disclaimer - We have no idea how punting came about but the story at least sounds cool, right?
The Mathematical Bridge
The Mathematical Bridge is our favorite bridge in Cambridge. The bridge is much admired because of its intriguing design -- it is constructed entirely out of straight timbers, but has an arched shape. The Mathematical Bridge is a wooden footbridge across the River Cam, connecting the old and new parts of Queens' College in Cambridge. Which is why we love it so much, the bridge also connected our old lives with our new life. Moving to a different country is not an easy task but we found a way to connect our old with our new.
The Time Eater
The ‘grasshopper’ that sits on top of the clock is actually a ‘Chronophage,’ which means time-eater, gobbling each minute up as it passes with a jaw that snaps shut. The time eater clock also known as the Corpus Clock because it was created by a former student at Corpus Christi College, Dr. John C. Taylor.
“Taylor quotes, ”People say the most important invention for mankind was the wheel. I think that’s untrue – I think the invention which changed mankind most of all is the clock. The wheel is the servant of mankind, but clocks control us.” ”
What invention do you think changed mankind the most?
This is our favorite picture of the time-eater. Suzy is constantly trying to capture the reflection of King’s College in her pictures. Did you notice the reflection right away?
We could continue to write pages and pages about all of our favorite things to do and see in Cambridge, but you’ll just have to come visit us here and we can take you on an adventure.
Reset. Adventure on.
Local Recipe: Tofish and Chips, check out it on Instagram @Adventurous.Herbivores
