Our visit to Cambridge!



Graduates



Our bus left at 10 that morning. Our latest departure for a day trip yet! (Meaning sleep in J ) Suzie (another student from UWS) met us at our place and we all walked down to the bus together. She lives in London, commuting in everyday and had never been on the collage lane campus before. She had had to catch a coach out from London just to get the coach into Cambridge! At home Suzie is based on the Bankstown campus. Like most of us UWS students we hadn’t met before we got here, but we’re all very friendly J. Cambridge isn’t far from Hatfield; I believe the bus trip was only about 45 minutes. This trip was organised as just a drop off pick up, do your own thing during the day kind of thing.  We had previously downloaded an audio tour of the area thanks to Shannon for looking it up. Gemma was particularly interested in on titled “the death and disease of Cambridge”... We gave it a go for a little while but found we were easily puzzled by which end of the street we were meant to be at or which building we were looking at. So we got distracted by a fudge kitchen and we were able to watch fudge be made… with a few samples as well! We would have been there for a about half a hour just watching them stir and layer the fudge, and the classic double chocolate fudge was to die for!!

Gemma and I officially have a weak Australian Accent. We were talking to the fudge maker man, first I asked a question, then Gemma had a little convo with him. He was nice answered our questions enthusiastically… then Shannon asked a question and straight away his excitement took off and asked Shannon if she was Australian. Gemma and I were like “What”, what about us! Lol it appears we are letting the Aussies down.



Gemma on Queens Road



After lunch in the pub – Gemma and I decided that we defiantly wanted to see Clare college and Burrell walk! Yeah you heard me! Clare and a Burrell in Cambridge - - you can imagine my excitement. We parted with the group, inviting anyone who wanted to join… I don’t think others were quite as excited as I was to see Burrell walk!

 Some of the colleges are not open to visitors but we trekked on and came across Clare collage, it was rather pretty and today was partly open to the public. A magnificently detailed aged building gathered in a quadrangle. Gemma and I had noticed that there was a door open in the corner that a lady had just exited from and we thought it would be fun to walk around inside.  We’d agreed upon being silent… because we weren’t sure if we should be there and if anyone heard us speak they would know we weren’t meant to be there. Just inside the door was a small foyer, a door leading to an office, and a stairwell. Ofcourse we headed up the stairwell and it was difficult to hold back the laughter. Gems heart was beating out of her chest as we continued past several other offices; one which had the door slightly ajar. We got to the top of the staircase which had narrowed even more... there was nowhere to go. Just a window… which had a handle! :D Gemma opened it and we giggled and whispered as we agreed that we needed to get out there on that roof. First Gem and then I, thinking ‘this is crazy!’ The two of us were kneeling on the side of the roof in a college at Cambridge. We all know the rules, “pics or it didn’t happen”. In an attempt to take the evidence photos we would count to 3 and pop up above the balustrade then pop back down and giggle. We had to do this 2 or 3 times to ensure a quality shot. You can only imagine seeing two girls (one in red I might add- not exactly an inconspicuous colour) pop up take a picture and pop down. Thrill of the day for sure! J.

Looking at the Map in front of Clare Collge

The Gates to Clare Collge

The Offices we walked past up the stair well

Gem and I on the Roof of Clare Collge - See the excitement

View from the Top

We were up the Top there, infront of that White 'dome'

As we headed to Burrell walk, not far from Clare collage we kept an eye out for signage. Because basically a photo with the sign was all that was really required. Half way down what we thought was Burrell walk (there was no sign to confirm just our interpretation of the map) was the Cambridge University Library.  As we’d gotten a thrill out of being places we weren’t allowed we tried to get into the core of the library which was restricted to students. So we followed a guy in through the front door again following the ‘don’t speak rule’ and just did exactly which this guy did in front of us. Inside was a large desk with turnstiles that were manned for checking student ID’s; our man went right, and down some stairs. Excited we followed... we then noted that the sign said locker room. Instantly nervous, my thought was that we should have followed a girl and that we were going to end up in the men’s bathroom but we didn’t; Once in there we’d realised that this room was just row after row of lockers for students to leave their stuff  in so they didn’t have to take it into the library, only problem, you needed a student card to operate them. Our undoing was near so feeling slightly foolish we kept going. Found a row of lockers which had no one in it, stood there for a bit, pretending to use them. Then after a few moments (of not talking because we’d be found out as soon as we spoke) we were ready to laugh. So in a hurry to get out of there without looking like idiots I said the first British phrase I could think of: “you’re right?” Gemma nodded and we walked out with foolish grins on our face heading across the entrance into the exhibition room to view the exhibition of old Bibles. That was cool! Funny miss print in one that had “thou shall commit adultery”. Whoops on missing the ‘not’.

Continuing all the way along Burrell walk, still unable to find a sign, I noticed a group of boys in uniform. I’m  going to make the call that they were fresh off the field from soccer/football (depends where you are from) training. So the plan was to walk back, but slow-ish and look lost-ish so they would catch up and I could ask for directions. (Basically I just wanted to chat to Cambridge students). It worked. A group of about 5 stopped to help once I asked where Burrell Walk was. They were very helpful even though I probably looked like an idiot asking where a sign is so I could get a photo (I explained that it was my surname) they were also fun to look at all pretty in those Cambridge uniforms! ;) Erin you would have loved them! They pointed us to a sign for Burrell field... even better than Burrell walk J

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BURRELL FIELD! - Thats My Name!

We ventured in to St John’s College, ignoring the visitors are not permitted sign, following at a distance (we sound stalker-ish don’t we) a man in a graduation robe. He looked important so we knew we wanted to go where he went. Following the path we almost entered residential halls, avoiding running into people and risk getting kicked out we detoured and walked through the courtyards of the collage and came across the Bridge of Sighs which Gemma had hoped to find all day. Even better than finding it was that we were on in, ‘illegally’. It is a replica of the one in Venice, Oxford also have their own replica.

Finally finding our way out of the colleges we ran into other members from our group and together we headed towards the Fitzwilliam Museum, but got sidetracked and decided to go to Evensong inside the Kings college cathedral instead. Evensong is a service in the church that includes the boys choir and a short message and hymns! Gemma was able to get some photos of the architecture on the roof, even though photography was prohibited. The Fitzwilliam museum was closed anyway and we would have missed it. Something to add to that ‘next time’ list.

We finished up the day by meeting others in an Italian pizzeria before heading home on the bus. It was a huge day, and we perhaps left heaps undiscovered, but enjoyed all that we did get to.

Gemma On the Bridge

Kings Collge

The Fudge Guy

Claire xx