Missing Blogger Returns!

Sorry I took a little hiatus there. We're operating at fever pitch here - as Keith said, we're smack into the round of "last times," and it would impossible for me to express how sad that makes us. We've had such a good time here - really better than we had ever expected. We've grown so fond of life here. I feel a bit like Cinderella with an eye on the clock, and midnight is fast approaching.

While Americans were being trampled at the mall, we spent the media-created Black Friday (don't get me started on THAT one) in lovely Cambridge. One of the nicest things about living in London and our flexible schedules is that we can decide we want to go somewhere and be on a train 30 minutes later. So Friday morning, we headed to St. Pancras Station to hop on the Capitol Connect train to Cambridge, a journey that took less than an hour.

Oxford, which we wrote about in early September, and Cambridge are Britain's oldest and most prestigious universities. They're both made up of a number of colleges - you eat, sleep and take your classes within the confines of your college. Of Cambridge's 31 colleges, Kings College may be the most famous; it certainly is breathtakingly beautiful. Look at the lush green grass, so well-tended in late November.

Cambridge celebrates its 800th anniversary next year. Can you imagine? What a thrill to walk those streets, amid those fine old buildings and think about the people who have passed through - Prince Charles, Sylvia Plath, Isaac Newton, Charles Darwin, Francis Bacon ... the list goes on. Tall cotton, as we say back home.
We spent quite a bit of time walking the winding stone streets, dodging bicyclists. Bikes seem to be the preferred mode of transportation in Cambridge - they're all over town. I would love to have hopped on one myself.
We spent a big chunk of time in the Fitzwilliam Museum, not far from Cambridge city centre. This museum, started with a bequest from Richard, VII Viscount Fitzwilliam of Merrion in 1816. He left not only his valuable collection but money to keep the museum going. Many refer to the Fitzwilliam as the finest small museum in Europe.Is isn't large, but it houses an eclectic collection of antiquities, painting, sculpture and decorative arts. They have a fine collection of Italian Renaissance art, which I love. We really spent too much time there because by the time we got out, it was starting to get dark – which it does about 4:15 p.m. here. That meant we didn’t get to see the River Cam or walk over the Mathematical Bridge, which was something we really wanted to do.

It was very intimidating being in the presence of such great young minds. While waiting at a crosswalk, we spotted some graffiti. Here's how geniuses deface public property.
We walked back into town, browsed a few shops and stopped for a cup of coffee because a chill was starting to set in.
We both fell in love with Cambridge and wish we had time to go back. I’ll bet it’s gorgeous in the spring.

We hopped on the train to head back to London and when we arrived, we walked a few blocks to a favorite restaurant for a "last meal." It's called North Sea Fish and it's one of our three favorite "chippies" in London. It's a lovely, quaint restaurant - you have the feeling of eating a fancy dinner at your great-aunt's house. Portions are huge - in fact, Keith and I split a small platter of cod and chips and were plenty full. When you're at North Sea, always, always save room for dessert. Their traditional English desserts are wonderful, especially the Sherry Trifle and the Bread and Butter Pudding with Warm Custard. Split that, too. North Sea is famous for big portions!