Heat Wave!!

Britain has been basking in sunshine and temperatures close to 80 degrees F.  Yesterday, today, tomorrow and possibly into Saturday.  Jackets, umbrellas, scarves: OUT!  Spaghetti straps, sandals: IN! (Unfortunately I have neither of the latter but it's okay since there is little humidity and our apartment does not directly face the sun).  Students are returning for the start of the fall term so there are even more young people around.

People are queuing up for a try at punting.

So many punts on the Cam a collision is sure to occur.

The weather is so warm the porters have shed their jackets--but not their bowlers!

"No lad, this is Trinity College, not Trinity Hall."

We assume these young lovelies are definitely members of Trinity College 

and not disobeying the rules.

Too bad we will probably not experience all this very unusually dry, warm weather.  We're headed north for the weekend so we will pack our raincoats.  Three days of no rain in Scotland is too much to hope for.

King's Lynn and Hunstanton

In pursuit of seeing another part of England, we set off on Saturday Sept. 24 to see the coastal area called "The Wash."  This is area is due north of Cambridge and accessible via train to King's Ferry and then a bus to Hunstanton.  On a map of the UK The Wash looks like a little bay along the eastern coast which then flows into the North Sea.  We wandered around King's Lynn after about an hour's train ride from Cambridge.  The town is at the mouth of the Ouse River and once upon a time had been more prosperous than it is today due to its membership in the Hanseatic League.

Explorer George Vancouver in front of the Custom House (today's Tourist Information Center)

The Coasthopper (a bus, not an insect) took us from King's Lynn to Hunstanton, about 30 minutes away.  This is the westernmost resort town in Norfolk.  It did not disappoint.  It is billed as a Victorian resort and looked every bit the part from its neat homes to its lovely gardens.

One of the main attractions is the walk along the beach with the the water on one side and the striped cliffs on the other.

The red layer--called red chalk--is limestone and has many fossils as does the white layer of limestone above it.  We didn't see fossils but we did notice how lumpy the red rocks were--like bits of dough smooshed together.

Looking out to the sea, we saw birds that looked and acted like small pelicans diving straight down for a meal. Further in the distance we could faintly make out a cluster of wind turbines near Skegness on the western side of The Wash.

(The faint white images towards center left are the turbines.)

The cliffs dwindled away and we climbed up to the North Promenade for a different view of the sea and several other landmarks: the Lighthouse and the St. Edmund Chapel ruins.

We read a lot about St. Edmund in this area.  King Edmund of East Anglia was killed by the invading Danes in the 800s and was revered as the first patron saint of England.  

Trinity Hall

Grocery shopping is a daily activity since even though the number of items I need to purchase is small, their weight in my backpack is not insignificant.  The time required for  shopping is minimal so I usually meander through the town first before going to Sainsburys.  Last Friday the door to Trinity Hall (not to be confused with Trinity College, the biggest college and the one founded by Henry VIII) was open so I walked in.  A porter--or gatekeeper--is always nearby and I waited to ask--politely!--to visit but since he ignored me, I made my way to the door.  He certainly did not ignore me then but barked something that caught my attention.  I told him what I wanted to do and he cautioned me to stay on the footpaths.

Trinity Hall is one of the oldest and smallest colleges here in Cambridge.  It was founded in 1350 to train clergy after so many had died in the Black Plague. Like many of the colleges, the plain outside walls give no hint about the beauty of the courtyards inside.  One of the gardeners had been cutting the (perfect, green) lawn and I asked him about the flower beds.

The colors were extremely bright and this bed in particular caught my eye since it looked like sneezeweed had been planted there.  Other common flowers are sedum and verbena bonariensis--only it seems better behaved here and does not spread all over.

The gardner (much friendlier than the porter) said the flower beds can continue to look lovely until about mid-November.

The Road to Grantchester

I had been told by a lady at the tourist office that the walk to the village of Grantchester just southwest of Cambridge was time well spent so with map in hand I headed off.  After making a few wrong turns I almost made another one following a couple into a nature preserve.  That's when an elderly lady appeared and asked if I was looking for the path to Grantchester.  I replied that I was and that was my last contribution to our conversation for awhile.  She pointed me in another direction but in the same breath began to talk to me about her garden and "her "birds.  Her border garden was lovely with lots of Chinese lanterns ("physalis") and fuschia that were as large as small shrubs. Local children had asked to pick the berries of the Chinese lanterns and she told them to wait until she found out if they were edible.  I told her we had eaten them as a garnish at one of our college dinners and that they were both lovely and delicious.  I wanted to tell her how magnificent her fuschia were but I couldn't get a word in edgewise.  She asked if I could hear her birds and said that they knew it was time for her to feed them.  She went on to describe feeding the geese that had nested by the river:  a loaf of whole grain bread and an extra piece for the leader.

She was convinced that the geese understood her when she told them she had no more bread and had to head home.  I felt like I had encountered a proverbial "bird woman"--a lovely person in need of some company.

Finally on the footpath, I watched another walker playing catch with her dog.  The collie seemed to love 

retrieving the stick, laying it down before her, racing around in a circle, and then crouching down on all fours awaiting the next toss.  The owner said this was simply the dog's nature, no human training involved.  So much energy! So much fun!

The footpath is through a meadow where cows graze.  No fences separating us.  They didn't bother me and I didn't bother them.

Grantchester is known for its thatched roof houses.  Thatch is made from the reeds and sedge of the fens (marshes).  I don't know how long a thatched roof lasts; I did notice that the thatch seems to be covered with a wire netting.

I ate lunch at a local restaurant called the Rupert Brooke which was named for a British poet of the WW I era who had lived in Grantchester for awhile.  One of the specials of the day was "deviled whitebait on leaves with white mayonnaise."  I knew what leaves and mayonnaise were but I had no idea about "whitebait" other than it must be some kind of fish and "deviled" sounded tasty.  To my dismay I was served a bowl of many little whole fish all arranged neatly on a bed of lettuce.  It was disturbing to eat something that was staring back at me but I did--quickly--and made a hasty retreat back to Cambridge.

Street Scenes

Even though English is our common language, sometimes street signs can leave me scratching my head in puzzlement.  For instance:

There are no zebras (and that's "zeb-ra" not "zeeb-ra") in the area, humped or otherwise. It just means that there is a bumpy (like our speed bumps) striped pedestrian crossing area marked on the street.  I'm   still figuring out all the zigzag markings.

Then there's:

You most definitely want to take it easy when you are driving and see such a sign.  A vertical post comes rising out of the ground apparently to slow you down.  Hitting one makes for a very bad day indeed.

I had no idea what this sign meant (I hadn't noticed any flies) except that I knew I didn't want to be spied upon by a closed circuit TV.

Fly tipping refers to dumping waste illegally and apparently this area by the river is a popular spot for such activities.  

And lastly, just a bit of English humor.

Ely-Revisited

This trip to Ely was a repeat for Tom but it is an easy train trip from Cambridge of a bit more than 15 minutes.  Riding the train definitely brings back memories of Germany only this time there's no reason for us to get lost.  We spent part of the trip talking to some charming young ladies from Italy who were here studying for a month.  They were eager to practice their English; we wish we could have learned some Italian.

Fens abound around Ely and in those fens are the eels.  Eels are everywhere in Ely and celebrated in the local art.

A mosaic eel made from pottery bits in Jubilee Park.

The sign says "The Way of the Cross" but I think the eel motif is present too.  This cross is in the Cathedral.

We visited the Lady Chapel as Tom had done before but this time spent more time looking at the walls.  The chapel was badly damaged during the time of Henry VIII when statues were removed, windows broken, and figures in alcoves were beheaded.  Now the chapel takes its theme of "brokenness" from the physical damage.

The Fitzwilliam Museum

Cambridge's Fitzwilliam Museum is a classical art museum that according to guide books is the best for antiquities and art outside of London.  I would say the inside architecture of the building with its many kinds of marble and statuary is worth a visit in and of itself.

Over the two side doors to the galleries is the coat of arms for Cambridge University.  In the center is a book lying horizontally.

We certainly did not see all the galleries or listen to the entire oral guide but we did peruse a number of galleries before museum fatigue set in.  One gallery had botanical illustrations from years ago.  I was surprised to see that a begonia that has recently become popular in our gardens has actually been around for a long time.

Cambridge Botanical Garden

Friday the 16th was a fine day so I decided to walk to Cambridge's Botanical Garden which is about a 50 minute walk from our apartment.  My first impression of the 40 acre garden was that it could use a few more volunteers to clear out the weeds but maybe that bed (the one showing when plants from around the world were introduced to England) wasn't as high priority as some others.  There were areas of huge trees

Thuja plicata

as well as many small gardens including a rock garden built about 50 years ago.

What caught my eye was a sign that said if the garden were constructed today, it would not use  limestone, perhaps because areas with limestone are becoming rare.

One interesting fact I learned is that Cambridge, receiving only about 55 cm of rain every year (at a bit under 22 " that's far less than Ohio's annual precipitation), is one of the driest areas in England.  Who knew any part of the British Isles wasn't soaked to the bone??  This explains why I haven't needed my umbrella more often.

Miscellaneous

Here are a few random thoughts.

Politics:  What I glean from watching the news here is that the problems are very similar to what we are experiencing in the States.  We've heard reports about rising unemployment in England. Currently the rate of increase is very high although I do not know actual numbers.  There is a threatened strike later this year by government employees about pensions (sound familiar?)  Transportation services among others could be shut down.  That could definitely hurt since trains and buses are an integral part of life.

Housing:  A report on TV said there is a housing shortage here and that new homes in London are very small.  My sense is that there are some protected land areas and some are saying the government has gone overboard in refusing to let homes be built there.  Okay, this is not like the US at all.

Library:   We are heavy library users so it wasn't long before Tom found out where the local lending library is.  It's located in a downtown mall--very convenient!--and no trouble at all to get cards even though we could not produce an envelope with our current address on it.  There's a cafe in part of the library, just like in our bookstores, and it appears that part of the library is a service for the unemployed. The downside is that our Columbus collection (and I'm sure Dayton's too) trumps Cambridge's hands down.  The selection of books, books on CD, and movies isn't as large and checking out CDs and movies entails a charge of 2.50-2.75 GBP.  Hooray for our public libraries!!!

Friendliness:  I have yet to meet a grumpy service person!  Grocery clerks, library employees, post office workers, bus drivers have all been unfailingly courteous and friendly.  Perhaps it is because there are so many visitors to Cambridge that they know we're all learning how to live here.  Most of all I notice it at the local Sainsbury's (grocery store) since I go there day after day.  The check-out clerks show no sense of impatience as they wait for customers to bag their groceries before going on to the next person in line.  Lovely!!!

London--9/10

Our day trip to London almost did not get underway.  We were waiting on the wrong side of the road for the bus to take us into Cambridge to catch the train!  Luckily the bus driver understood our mistake and laughed along with us as we boarded on the left (correct) side of the street.  (This just confirms my belief that my driving in England would be a huge mistake).  The train trip to London is quite fast--about 45-50 minutes which is less time than it would take us to walk from our apartment to the Cambridge train station.

Our goal was to see London from the streets since the weather hadn't paid attention to the forecast and was actually sunny and warm.  We took the tube (underground) from Kings Cross to Westminster station and joined the hoards gawking at London's iconic sights along the Thames.  The tower containing Big Ben and Parliament were on one side of the river.  I thought I had recorded the chimes of Big Ben at noon but alas! I have yet to master the video button on this camera.  The Parliament building is massive; I wonder if our Capitol and Congressional buildings take up as much space.  We decided to take a boat trip along the Thames to see what we could see from the river.

It's hard to miss the London Eye--the huge Ferris Wheel built to celebrate the millennium.  The guide told us it is already being remodeled to include WiFi in each of the "eggs" seating 25 people!

The next attraction for me was Cleopatra's Needle.  It was a bit jarring to hear this obelisk referred to in this way since I had thought Cleopatra's Needle was in Central Park which we have a family history of visiting.  I later read that this is a sister obelisk to the one in NYC, both coming from the same Egyptian city Heliopolis.

Our cruise took us to the Tower Bridge before we headed back.  One could probably spend the whole day exploring the Tower itself which is off to the left side but we simply took many pictures.  We were lucky to see the bridge open for the sailing ship passing through.  The Thames is the longest river in England at 215 miles; it flows west to east and drains into the North Sea.  Currently there is someone attempting to swim its length.

Of course there were many other noted buildings we could see at least in part from the river: St. Paul's Cathedral, the replica of the Globe Theater and the Tate Modern being three of them.  There is quite a mixture of old (stone) buildings and new (glass) all butted up next to each other.

After our boat trip we decided to walk along Whitehall, a short distance with lots to see.  Opposite Parliament is Westminster Abbey, site of THE wedding this spring.  The church was closed except for evensong which would be given later.  Over one of the doors (not the main one) on the front of the building were statues in honor of 20th century martyrs including Oscar Romero and Martin Luther King Jr.  We decided to keep walking after a quick stop at the gift shop.

Whitehall is the center of government so perhaps it should not have been surprising to see so many statues commemorating military leaders looking gallant astride their horses.  Then there was another statue which, much humbler, is more representative of war.

Continuing on Whitehall we passed the barricaded Downing St.  All we could do was to take a picture through the bars of #10.  Lots of unsmiling guards all over the place.

One of the side streets led to the Churchill Museum and Cabinet War Room.  The War Room was the underground bunker where Churchill met with his war cabinet during WW II.  Although it was well fortified, Churchill knew it could not withstand a direct bombing hit. The Churchill museum is  all about Winston. Both museums were very good with lots of modern audiovisual displays.  What came across was that Winston was not an easy man to work for--he kept extremely long hours and expected his staff to do likewise.  Also, what a gift for language he had!  One display says the war was fought as much with his words as with guns.

Museum visiting is exhausting so we had afternoon tea at the museum cafe.  As the British would say, lovely!!  Those little cucumber sandwiches, cake, and tea  helped us keep going for another couple of hours.

From the museum we headed back to Whitehall and continued on towards Trafalgar Square. This "square" which from what I could see was really a circle, reminded me of Paris' Arc de Triomphe.  Lots and lots of visitors around a monument celebrating a military victory.  In this case it was Lord Nelson's victory over the French and Spanish fleets at Trafalgar in 1805.  Nelson died in the battle and his body, placed in a casket filled with brandy, was brought back to London for a state funeral.  The tall column shows Nelson at the top.

Our outing ended with a look back at where we had started.  The rain had come, umbrellas were out  and it was time to head home.

9/11 in England

All week long there have been shows on television remembering the events of 9/11.  Today the church we attended also made reference to the anniversary and asked that as a stand against terrorism,  people sign a letter in support of a political prisoner in Iran.  The newspaper we bought--The Independent--focused every section on various aspects of 9/11.  The opening article, "The American Dream and the missing years" talked about how we have changed as a nation--no longer are we a nation of infinite possibilities and ever growing prosperity.  In London's Grosvenor Square, site of the American embassy in England, Prince Charles and David Cameron spoke to the British families who lost loved ones in the attack (67 British died in 9/11).  Nearby, about 100 members of radical Islamic groups protested by burning an American flag.

Audley End House

Thanks to my intrepid friend Barbara who had no fear of driving over hill and dale (and the M11), I was able to visit the beautiful home I had glimpsed from the bus window on my ride into Cambridge two weeks ago.  Audley End is a Jacobean mansion, built for the entertainment of King James I by Thomas Howard aided by a bit of embezzlement of the King's treasury.  What exists today is only a third of the original size; the house was simply too large for people to maintain and today it belongs to the English Heritage foundation although the contents are still in the possession of the current Earl of Brayford.  During WW II the home was a secret training station for Polish soldiers.  Inside the house--where no photography was allowed--the most impressive room was the great hall with its high ceilings, intricate oak carvings, fireplace, animal heads, and many portrait paintings.  In addition to the bedrooms, drawing rooms, and libraries, there were rooms filled with stuffed animals and birds. Apparently it was very popular at one time to send away for fauna of many regions to put on display.  In addition to the house we visited the grounds which included the formal garden or Parterre at the rear of the house, the walled kitchen garden with its many espaliered fruit trees, the kitchen, and the stable along with horses Jack and Captain.  The flower gardens looked to be in full bloom with many of the same kinds of flowers we enjoy--only ours tend to look worn out by this time of year.

The River Cam flows in front of Audley End

Garden with Fountain 

More of the Parterre

Espaliered Apple Trees

Kitchen--So many pots and pans!

The stable--a beautiful building in itself

Workshop Underway

Colleagues started arriving for the workshop Tom has been organizing so that has meant many opportunities for dining out.  Sunday evening we went to the Castle Pub which is located near the highest elevation in Cambridge which isn't very high.  The beer and wine were good (can't remember the name of the beer) and not very expensive.  No mushy peas or soggy chips this time.

Since I have a whole week's experience in Cambridge, I was a tour guide for some women who have come to enjoy the sights while their husbands are giving or listening to talks.  I was able to see some new  locations as well as ones I walk by daily on my way to Sainsburys to purchase groceries.  Apparently a famous sight is that of cows munching away on grass with Kings College in the background. We found the cows but they would not pose for us in front of the college.  The "rough" grass is where the cows graze on the near side of the River Cam.  If you look very very closely you will see half of a body between the two kinds of grass.  The man is punting on the river, that is, steering a flat bottomed boat with a pole.  It's a popular activity in nice weather. The lush green grass on the other side is part of Kings College lawn and may be walked on only by fellows (lecturers and a few others in the colleges).  The gothic looking building is Kings College Chapel.  Every Christmas Eve a concert by the Kings College singers is broadcast live across the country.

The other new destination for me was Wren's Library.  What we were able to see was only one side of a four sided building. And definitely no pictures inside so I took a picture of the gates we walked out of.  A variety of manuscripts were on display: beautifully illustrated pages from Bibles, Shakespeare's folio, Newton's Principia, and A.A. Milne's Winnie the Pooh. Other than that, it was a high ceilinged room with lots and lots of old books on shelves.

Because Tom is one of the organizers for this workshop and because a featured speaker had given his talk during the workshop, we were invited to a dinner in his honor in the Mountbatten Room of Christ College.  The room was modest with a few pictures of famous people associated with the college on display.  Lord Mountbatten's picture and sword are on the far wall.  The food was good--roasted tomato soup, halibut served on something similar to seaweed (it grows in mudflats), vegetables, and perhaps the most interesting, tarte tatin with a scoop of clotted cream.  Clotted cream is almost like butter: very dense, slightly sweet, and most assuredly, very rich.  One attendee said we were to eat it only as a garnish.  I noticed there was none left on his plate.

Errands and Outings

Just like at home, Saturdays is the time for errands.  We needed to go to Barclays (the bank of choice for the Institute) and on the way over stopped at one of the colleges just to have a look.  This college, Gonville & Caius (that's pronounced "Keyes" and I have no idea why) is of particular interest to statisticians because the dining hall has a stained glass window commemorating R.A. Fisher who was prominent in the early development of the discipline.  The window (the one with the colorful squares) is an example of a Latin Square Design which is used in the design of experiments.  Fisher worked primarily in agricultural experiments like trying to determine optimal fertilizer regimens.  We were given an unscheduled tour of the dining hall by a porter of the college.  These men (we haven't see any women in this role) serve as gatekeepers to the colleges so it's best to keep on friendly terms with them.

(Tom with graduate students)

Later in the afternoon we met with Tom's graduate students and colleague who are all here for the workshop beginning on Monday. After walking around Cambridge and seeing some of the colleges that were open, we had dinner at a local pub, the Eagle.  There's a bit of history to go along with the food: Watson and Crick used to meet at this pub on a daily basis to talk about their work on DNA; there is plaque commemorating their table.  We ate typical pub fare: fish & chips with cool (not warm but also not cold) beer.  The fish & chips were served with "mushy peas."  The menu's description, not mine; but they were as unappetizing as it sounds.

Note to inquiring minds wondering about British fashions.  We have walked past several groups attending weddings and although we saw people fashionably dressed we have yet to see any "fascinators."

Bright Blue Summer Day

I don't think I've ever experience such a fine summer day as we did yesterday here in Cambridge.  Not a cloud in the sky all day long and no need for a jacket let alone a raincoat.  After a morning of "chores," I went to a small art gallery in Cambridge called Kettle's Yard. It was the home of Jim Ede, a former curator at the Tate Gallery.  Jim and his wife Helen lived there from 1957-1973 and the house is on display just as it was when the couple lived and entertained there.  Works by artist friends (Ben Nicholson, Henry Moore, Miro, Brancusi, and others from St. Ives) were in every nook and cranny as were Ede's collections of ordinary beach stones and bird feathers.  The ladies who volunteered at the home (called "invigilators") were delightful to talk to -- friendly and full of tidbits of information.

London Day Trip

Equipped with guidebook, water bottle, umbrella, and small snack, I set off for London yesterday with the wife of a colleague of Tom's.  Getting to London involved a cab to the Cambridge station, a train ride of about 50 minutes, and a subway trip to our museums of choice.  Half the fun(?) of getting to a destination is figuring out how it can be accomplished in minimal time and money.  I'm not sure we accomplished either but we did get to where we planned to go.  There is a cluster of museums-- the Victoria and Albert, Natural History, and Science--all at one stop on the Piccadilly subway.  Another attraction is that these museums ask for only a small donation so that return visits are quite possible--and necessary since they are huge.  We started off at the V&A which is a museum of decorative arts.  The museum grew out of the Great Exhibition of 1851 (celebrating the Industrial Revolution) and was named after V&A when the present building was opened in 1909.

My way of seeing a museum is to start at Point A and follow what looks interesting.  The Modern Glass exhibit was okay (Chihuly--he's everywhere!!) but not great.  What was more interesting was the architecture exhibit next to it and then the view of the castings that the museum is famous for.  It's  a little hard to miss the huge plaster cast of Trajan's column celebrating his conquest of what is now Romania since it could be seen from several floors (Note. Guess Trajan didn't want his exploits to go unnoticed. This picture shows only half the column).  The room was also filled with castings of sarcophogi of the Medieval Age, gates and altar pieces.  The idea was that the castings would provide models for art students who couldn't afford to travel to see the originals.  This room was reminiscent of the castings we had seen at the Carnegie Museum in Pittsburgh. Plaster casting must  have been a big business in the 1800s.

The second museum we visited was the Natural History Museum and like all museums with dinosaurs, it was packed with families.  We steered clear of the dinosaurs but did spend a lot of time on an exhibit of human biology.  I wasn't as impressed with it as my companion was--it seemed like it was from the 1980s and many hands-on exhibits didn't work.  However, it was very frank in its discussion of human heterosexuality and even touched on the question of abortion, two topics I'm not sure would be seen in general American museums.  What did look appealing to me was something new called "The Cocoon" which  talked about the collections at the museum.  We had to leave at that point (and even then missed the train back to Cambridge) so it will be something to see on a return trip.

(The black stump in the foreground of the picture is from an ancient tree which was growing about the time of the early reptiles.)

With all the museum visiting we did plus the trip to a mall afterwards, we didn't really see "London Outside."  I hope to go back with Tom and just walk and walk and walk...