England Trip part 7 - Cambridge

Wednesday

Time to say good-bye to Kate and Dave. They brought us to the Bournemouth Trainstation just before noon.

This was not (yet) our train.

So Kate took another photo.

From the slowly moving-out train through the window. Gosh, we had such wonderful times. Thank you!!!

I tried to take a selfie until our "neighbor" asked whether he could do it.

When James had gone on his morning walk he had also done the shopping. So, here is lunch. We ate half each and then switched.

The trains are really quite modern with digital signs telling you all sorts of things like the next station or security warnings etc. Some of the trains have more coaches but the platforms at some stations are not that long so the signs tell you in which coach NOT to be if you want to get out.

I always enjoy watching the landscape go by. It is not so easy to take a decent photo.

Approaching London. Waterloo to be exact. Here is the London Eye.

And some of the new modern buildings in the back.

Waterloo station. From here we have to take the Underground to King's Cross with one change.

We had a little time at King's Cross so James tried to find the toilets. He came back not having been able to go in. The turn style wanted 35p. He didn't have the right coins. He wanted to use 50p not expecting a return but it wouldn't take it. Bummer.

But He came across Platform 9 3/4 from the Harry Potter movies. Everybody tried to get photos there.

From King's Cross it was a train again. James produced dessert. Same as the main course: Eat half and switch.

Top: Eccles Cake

Bottom: Apple Turnover

We arrived Cambridge around 4 pm and had a short walk to our hotel. Location, location. As always James did very well. But a cup of tea was very much needed.

We venture out to find a pub. This is the day where England will play in the quarter finals of the World Cup. Can't miss that. This is our hotel. We are told there is a pub straight across and one a little further on our side of the street which is a little bigger and surely will show the game.

Quite a big pub. We were lucky when we arrived it wasn't so full (yet) and we got a table with a pretty good TV view. Shortly after there was "standing room only".

I don't know why people mock English food? I love pub-food. Beef goulash with mashed potatoes and perfectly steamed veggies = like a mother would make it.

I missed to take a video of the first goal. Everybody jumped up. This VIDEO is not very exciting but I wanted a pub experience. Sorry.

We left at half time. No TV in the hotel lounge but we watched the second half in our room.

Thursday - time to do what we came for. 

We had a map and decided that walking to the Cambridge University Library was too far with my knee condition. There was still a lot of walking coming in the rest of the day. We decided to take an Uber. Surely England has Ubers too. James had downloaded the app on his England phone. In no time one picked us up. It was very convenient and worth every penny of the few pounds. 

The library opens at ten and this was a quarter past. We were impressed with these posts to keep cars out.

We were sent to the basement were we had to get library cards. James at applied at home but did it again here. The lady in the office behind the glass on the left was helping somebody but as soon as she was free she was helping us. Could not have been any nicer and more helpful. I decided to ask whether I needed a card too or whether I could just accompany James. Oh no, had to have one too. We both are now happy owners of free for one week library cards of the University of Cambridge. 

Back to the entrance where we can only go further by swiping our cards. All is working very well. We are send to the third floor. I am given a key for one of these lockers to leave my purse, and exchange it for a number. Then we are buzzed into the room.

We waited for about half an hour for them to get "the item" and then led to a table where we can put it on a pillow. We are allowed to take photos of everything but of course without flash.

And what is it you ask? James had found out some time ago that his grandfather, who had gone to fight in WWI shortly after his wedding and had been killed in 1915 before James' mother was born, had made a photo album in 1913 which somehow ended up here. We were eager to see it. I took a photo of each photo (very difficult to see captions) and will "process" all that when back home. It might take a while. It was so interesting.

We took our time and felt like Professor Gates on one of our favorite TV programs. The whole library experience was great. 

We are done and making our way back wandering along the halls. Incredible.

It's almost 12:30 and we decide to follow the way to THE TEA ROOM.

Soup of the Day: Carrot & Coriander for £2.10 - but chunky bloomer & butter for 55p extra.

(bloomer is the bread)

I would have called it a cafeteria but doesn't "Tea Room" sound so much better?

James is researching what we do, where we go, next.

After swiping our cards again on the way out, there we are. I asked James to take a photo of me ... because I just think those posts are so clever. When I looked at it I broke out in a hysterical laugh. Christa with the peg leg. Doesn't it look like I only have one?

Thank goodness I have two. James takes another photo.

I think this blog is long enough. I have to make another about the rest of the Cambridge experience.

Hope you enjoy this. I think I will when I read it again and again when I can no longer travel.

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2022-10-28

I just realized that I never uploaded the report about the Album. Here is the PDF.