When at Cambridge, there’s an infinite number of things to do and see and even more things to do and see if you travel around the United Kingdom! For the first three weeks, I stayed in Cambridge and explored the city. The second half of the program (the final three weeks), I stayed in the city during the week and traveled on the weekends.
I snapped a picture of some of the buildings in Pembroke College (I think they’re dorms, but I’m not sure):
Cambridge is, in and of itself, a university city, or at least it is when you’re in the program! The city is easily walkable, a pleasant sight in the warm sunlight, and full of other colleges to visit. But wait, what’s a college? Isn’t Cambridge University a university?
I think of a college at Cambridge University as a mini “university” within the umbrella university. Similar to how American schools have different departments for different subjects – like how Hopkins has a School of Engineering, or of Arts and Sciences – Cambridge has “colleges” that function in a similar way. However, each college offers all sorts of majors and is not restricted to any given subject area. Students apply to a certain college within the university. For example, if you apply to Pembroke College at Cambridge University, then Pembroke College – not Cambridge University – will review your application.
Each college has its own plot of land within the city, and all the colleges are popular places to visit! However, the ones that draw the most tourists are Trinity, Kings, and St. John’s. My program, the Pembroke-Kings Program, granted me free entry into Kings College with my ID card, but those without a Cambridge-issued card need to purchase an entrance ticket.
The front entrance of Kings College (I don’t know the guy in the pink shirt, but he added a nice pop of color on that rainy day!):
Trinity College was unfortunately closed for renovations when I arrived, but fun fact: Queen Elizabeth II was visiting Queens College in Cambridge during the first or second week of my program! She drove by Pembroke College and I wanted to catch a glimpse of her, but I couldn’t.
On a brighter note, I was able to enter St Johns College and look around. I have a friend who studies there during the year, so she gave me a special tour around the college, including into places where tourists aren’t allowed entrance. We visited the library – a must-see for any college student! – as well as the college bar, but the highlight was climbing up the spiral staircases to the top of the St Johns Chapel to get an aerial view of the city. Tourists aren’t allowed up.
Using a large iron-cast key that I thought only existed in movies, my friend opened an inconspicuous door and turned on the lights. The stairs to the top were claustrophobic, spiraling upwards for infinity. The stone wall, which I clung to for support, was riddled with pockmarks and cobwebs gathered in the corners. After having climbed for a solid 5 minutes, I thought we had reached the top when my friend led me out onto a small terrace, but we were only halfway there.
My views from the terrace. It was gorgeous but we weren’t anywhere near the top yet!:
The second staircase we went up was steeper and narrower than the first one, which I wouldn’t have imagined possible but somehow it was. This set of stairs took longer to climb than the first, likely because I felt like I would trip up the stairs with every step I took.
When we got to the top and flung open the door, the wind roared in my ears and I couldn’t believe my eyes. It was almost sunset and the birds-eye view was gorgeous.
A view from over the top of the railing, which I had to stand on my tippy-toes and stretch my arms to get! You can see the Kings College Chapel to the center-right of the photo (the beige, gothic-style rectangular building):
My last memory of Cambridge was bittersweet. We wanted to go punting one last time but were unable to rent boats from the Kings College Porters Lodge because they were all out of commission. Instead, we sat at the Kings College part of The Backs, the green area that runs alongside the River Cam and across the river from many of the colleges. We piled onto a white sheet we had spread on the grass and watched the sunset, the sky turning pastel hues of pink and purple and orange and blue. Kings College glowed. I don’t think I’ll forget that moment, not for a very long time.
My favorite picture of that moment, taken from The Backs, overlooking the River Cam and Kings College: