All things bright and beautiful: (2018) Cambridge, UK

I don't remember when I first heard of Cambridge, though that must have been in my secondary school years. It might be by virtue of the renounced Professor Stephen Hawking, a holder of the Lucasian Chair of Mathematics at Cambridge, popularly known as the Chair once held by Isaac Newton. I still recall reading a Scientific American article on the remarkable Professor Hawking and his work. Or I might have come to know of Cambridge through Xu Zhimo's romantic poem "Farewell again to Cambridge", a set piece in the Chinese Language curriculum in Hong Kong. Or even, it might be because of any of the countless number of scientists at the University who had made ground-breaking discoveries.

While I had been to Cambridge on a couple of occasions in the past, each of the visits was fairly brief and I had not really seen quite enough of the university. So it was with delight that we planned a trip to Cambridge while we were in the UK several summers ago.

"Looking for dreams? Push with a long pole and roam towards greener pastures..." (Farewell again to Cambridge by Xu Zhimo, my translation.)

Many tourists are attracted to Cambridge by its fame as a world-leading academy. Some come to see the grand architecture of its centuries-old colleges. Many come with a curiosity whether here one can find an atmosphere of knowledge and learning unmatched by other places. Some make the trip as a sort of pilgrimage to walk the streets on which many a Nobel laureate have done the same in the past or even present. Still others want to try out punting on the famous River Cam.

For those wanting to see beautiful historical buildings, there is certainly no lack of such in the city.

Downing College Chapel

The Maitland Robinson Library, Downing College

Perfect place to spend a summer afternoon, either with company or in solitude --- Parker's Piece common

Of the many colleges of Cambridge, Selwyn was the one that I was particularly interested to visit. Established in 1882, Selwyn is relatively young compared with many of the colleges in Cambridge. But its red-brick architecture is certainly one aspect in which it stands out. In this respect, it bears a resemblance to is sister college, Keble College, at Oxford.

Entrance of Selwyn College

"Stand firm in the faith; Be courageous" (1 Corinthians 16:13)

Porter's lodge, Selwyn College

Selwyn College Old Court

Selwyn College Chapel

Selwyn College Hall

Trinity College was another college I wanted to see, a reason being the long list of distinguished physicist among its alumni, with Isaac Newton at the forefront. A pilgrimage on my part.

Cambridge spires

Great Court, Trinity College

Fountain, Trinity College Great Court

Dining Hall, Trinity College

Down the years people have found pleasure in making comparisons between Cambridge and its supposed rival, Oxford, in all sorts of aspects --- academic achievements, the number of Nobel Laureates among their members, who has won more in the annual Boat Race, etc. It is true that the two universities have their own distinctive traditions. A bizarre one is which end of the boat the punter stands. In Cambridge, the punter stands on the flat till at the stern end, while in Oxford the punter stands inside the punt at the narrower bow end. Inexplicable.

Punting in the Cambridge way --- with the punter standing on the flat till at the stern end.

View of King's College Chapel, one of the most recognizable images of Cambridge

Punting under the Queen's Bridge or "Mathematical Bridge"

Mathematical Bridge

Having tried punting several times before, I was fully aware that it is something a lot harder than it seems. Not only is handling the pole very strenuous, one is prone to either run the punt into the riverbank or go nowhere. So this time, we decided to play the full tourists and share a chauffeured punt with other visitors. That makes it a much easier way to "look for dreams", as Xu Zhimo's poem goes.