Cambridge, England

CAMBRIDGE, ENGLAND

This is one of my favorite cities in England. It has the edge when it comes to beauty,
history, and culture. My younger sister
went to University there, Clare
College, and was lucky to
end her academic career teaching at what must be one of the most prestigious
schools in the world with its 31 colleges.
Over the years, I have got to know Cambridge
well, and I am going to share with you, some priceless information.

It is only a 45 minute train ride from Kings Cross Station
in London. I would recommend staying there, and my
three top properties are the Doubletree by Hilton, which is central and on the
riverbank, the Hotel du Vin, central, a lovely boutique hotel with character,
and the Crowne Plaza, central near all the shops.

There are more museums in Cambridge
than anywhere else, outside of London. Eleven of them, all free. The Botanical Gardens are worth visiting,
rated No.2 behind Kew
Gardens. My
favorite tea & coffee shops are the Botanic Garden Café, Courtyard Café at
the Fitzwilliam Museum, (our favorite museum ) Fitzbillies, and the Orchard Tea
Gardens. A famous bar is the
Eagle. Go look at the World World 11
fighter pilots signatures on the ceiling.
Good restaurants are the Bloomsbury, in
the Crowne Plaza Hotel, the Graffiti in the Hotel Felix, and the Riverside
Brasserie at the Cambridge Garden House Hotel.
Two good ones in the centre of town are Jamie Oliver’s (famous young
British chef with his own television show) and Browns.

If you rent a car, there are some wonderful county pubs and
restaurants in small villages around Cambridge. You can enjoy lovely gardens, and thatched
cottages. Here are my favorites. The
Three Horseshoes, at Madingley, the Tickell Arms in Whittlesford, the Plough in Coton, the Red Lion at
Hinxton, the Crown and Punchbowl in
Horningsea, and the Cricketers at Clavering.

There are three theatres and three concert halls in Cambridge. During the summer, there are many free lunch
time concerts at various colleges. Visit two stately homes, Anglesey Abbey and
Wimpole Hall, and also Ely Cathedral. Nearby drives to villages with stunning
architecture are Long Melford, medieval, Laverham, Elizabethan, and Stanford,
Georgian. The Imperial War
Museum at Duxford draws a lot of visitors.

Cambridge
is a wonderful place to walk around. A
must is the 2 hour tour of King’s College and Queens College,
only given at 11.am. and 1.00 p.m.
There is also a Ghost Tour every Friday at 6.p.m. Find out why Corpus
Christi is the most haunted college in Cambridge.
I have never done this, I don’t fancy seeing a medieval lady in a long
white nightie with ruffled lace sleeves floating by.

Take a punt on the river Cam. A punt is a flat bottomed boat which is
usually propelled with a long pole. They
were developed in medieval times as work boats for use in areas of water too
shallow for conventional keeled craft.
A one mile section of the River Cam known as the College Backs is one of
the most beautiful lengths of river in England. Highlights are King’s College Chapel, the
Wren Library, and the Bridge
of Sighs. You
can also take the hop on and hop off double decker bus which stops at 21
places, including the American
Military Cemetery

www.visitcambridge.org

Cambridge
is a truly diverse city with something for everyone. I love shopping in the unique cobblestone
streets with Tudor architecture. Most
of the town is closed to traffic, and you will see lots of bicycles with
students going between colleges. There
is everything from exclusive small
boutiques to John Lewis Department Store.
St.
John’s street and All Saints Passage is home to
the stunning entrance to St.John’s College where tourists and locals alike are
drawn to the outdoor and well established All Saints Arts and Craft Market held
there every Saturday. Tucked away next
to the market you will find All Saints Passage, well worth a visit for the
cheese shop, delicatessen and luxury lingerie boutique.

You could spend a week in Cambridge and really enjoy yourself since
there is so much to do and see especially if you drive out to some of the
surrounding villages. Having dinner at a
village pub is a must.

Take a tour of Kings College Chapel and feast your eyes on
Rubens’ masterpiece, the Adoration of the Magi.

This is a very “social” town because of the University. My sister goes to more black tie affairs than
I have hot dinners.

A good place to visit all year. The Christmas services in Kings College
are famous.

Maureen Jones

All Horizons Travel/Frosch

825 Santa Cruz Avenue

Menlo Park, CA 94025

650-961-2340 direct

www.allhorizonstvl.com

Maureen.Jones@Frosch.com