Friday, December 11, 2009

10 Things to Do with the DC Editors in Cambridge

This post is brought to you by our friend Sarah, who visited in September. She's far more on top of things than we are; she wrote months ago about seeing Darwin everywhere, and about our trip to the British Cheese Festival. And, well, I haven't written much of anything lately. Sorry about that, with particular apologies to the 1-7 of you who still check weekly to see if we've updated. The good news is, I'm about to start working on our year in review book, which means I'll be writing some stuff up retroactively. Anyway, enough of that. Let's get on to Sarah's ....


10 Things to Do with the DC Editors in Cambridge


1. Let KT and JT tell you where to go. They live there and have seen enough of Cambridge (and enough of their friends being tourists in Cambridge) to have a good idea of what's good, what you might not know about and what will probably let you down.

2. Go on an official Cambridge tour. Yes, it costs money (always a downside when I'm traveling), but it will give you some history of the town and university and help you to better find your way around.

3. Shop in the market square. Sure, most of the items for sale aren't unique, but the market has been there for hundreds of years, and the food can be really yummy.


4. Visit Trinity College Library. They have a 1st edition of Sir Isaac Newton's Principia with Newton's own notes for the 2nd edition, A. A. Milne's handwritten manuscript for Winnie-the-Pooh, and plenty of other treasures tucked away in glass-topped cases in the cavernous Wren Library.

5. Check out Cambridge's museums. I only made it to two--the Fitzwilliam Museum and the Sedgwick Museum of Earth Sciences. I count at least six more to choose from the next time I'm in town.


6. Punting on the Cam. Much of the university, and the river Cam, are tucked away behind college walls. By punting--with beer or cider in hand--you can see some of the hidden bits.

7. Visit the Cambridge Botanic Garden. The garden was begun in 1831 by Charles Darwin's mentor, Professor John Stevens Henslow. Even in late fall, it was beautiful.


8. Go to evensong in King's College chapel. Even the nonreligious can appreciate the amazing architecture in the dim of candlelight as they listen to the choir.

9. Let KT cook for you. I'm still salivating over the apple chicken.

10. Pet Cambridge's kitty cats. They're everywhere.