Pictures!

Here are the pictures that would have gone in that last post:

The family on a walk to Grantchester the first evening we were in town.
Emily, Matthew, Papa B., Mama B., Deb, Nathan, and me.

The walk to Grantchester is idyllic. It's basically a two-mile walk through pastures and meadows along the Granta River (same as the Cam, but it changes names). It's very green and feels very English. One thing Nathan noticed right away was the birdsong. Do you remember the opening scene to the new Pride and Prejudice movie, when the sun rises over some trees and a field and the birds are singing? That's pretty much what the walk to Grantchester is like.

Nate the Tree Climber had to give this one a shot. Check out that crazy neon algae in the water!

Dusk in Grantchester.

The following pictures are from my solitary walk the next morning. It was early (about 7am), before most of the city was awake and about, which meant there weren't throngs of tourists.

This is along the 10-minute walk from our flat to the city center.

This is also along that walk.

The Mathematical Bridge at Queens' College.

St. Catherine's College, where I stayed when I studied at Cambridge one summer.

A shot of King's Parade, the main street in the city center where many of the most impressive buildings line up.

King's College Chapel, which is probably our favorite building in Cambridge. It's beautiful and imposing.

The summer I was last there, this walled church garden caught my interest. It was always so quiet and secluded and pretty, and to add to my fascination, I couldn't get in because it was always gated shut. So on this day, I stuck my arm in and took a picture. :)

A look down the street along the wall of that garden. I believe Matthew and Emily's building backs up on this street.

If there is one thing I wish I'd done more of on this trip, it's spending some time by myself. It happens so infrequently at home that it feels very restorative when I get to do it. So this morning out on my own was very nice.