Punting in Cambridge.
What do you do when you have less than 5 hours to spend in Cambridge?
The sunny weather helped us decide immediately.
We went on a punting tour along the river Cam.
A great way to enjoy a sunny day and learn a lot about the history of Cambridge and (especially) the history of the colleges that form the prestigious University of Cambridge.
The tour takes approximately 45 minutes to 1 hour and we chose the shared chauffeured river tour (they also offer private tours) from “Let’s go punting” company.
We paid 17 pounds each (it is a bit cheaper if you book it online).
The punt boat is a square-ended boat with a flat bottom that resembles in a way the Venetian Gondola.
Punting in Cambridge is the number one activity to do, if you have only a day to spend there.
Our punt chauffeur guided us through the history the Cambridge Backs and its bridges.
The Cambridge Backs is the area along the river Cam that is occupied by some of the most prestigious colleges of Cambridge University.
The scenery is outstanding and only if you see the Backs, you can see one of the most recognizable views of the city, the view of the chapel of King’s College.
There are two ways to see the Cambridge Backs:
Either you need to be a member of Cambridge University, or you need to go punting!
Some of the most famous alumni of Cambridge that we got to see the colleges they attended, are/were:
Ian Turing at King’s College
Sir David Attenborough at Clare College
Stephen Hawking at Trinity Hall College
Was it worth it? Absolutely yes!
We then had a late lunch at the historically famous Eagle pub in Cambridge and it has a great story.
This pub is said to be the oldest pub in Cambridge
It was back on 28 February 1953 when Francis Crick who worked at the nearby Cavendish laboratory announced that he and his colleague James Watson had discovered “the secret of life”.
What did he mean? the double-helicoid structure of DNA and how it carries genetic information.
The truth was, that they based their work on chemist and X-ray crystallographer, Rosalind Franklin.
The pub is also famous because it used to be the haunt of British RAF (Royal Air Force) and American airmen during World War II.
During their evenings out, they used candles, lipstick, charcoal and Zippos to write their Squadron’s numbers into the ceiling. This came as a tradition until the end of WWII. Some never returned from the war…
Until next time ❤
