Peterborough Cathedral

West Front

Peterborough Cathedral is Norman and is famous for its West Front, its spectacular 13th century nave with painted ceilings, and the later addition with its fan vaulted ceiling.  It is also famous for its inhabitants - Katherine of Aragon is buried there; Mary Queen of Scots was also buried there  but was moved to Westiminster when her son became King.

Chorus arriving for Evensong Service

As I was touring, the organist was practicing and the change ringers were dinging as well.

I didn't stay for the Evensong service, but as I was leaving I saw the choir in their billowing robes (it was really windy) arriving in the distance.   I have been to this service elsewhere and the choir does make a grand entrace, but I don't know if it is always from the outside since I have always been seated inside.

At the loo I saw this interesting sign.  I knew that cities had foreign partners, but toilet twinning?!

Audley End House and Gardens

View towards Audley End House

Temple of Concord

Peach trees

Grape vines

Audley End is named after Sir Thomas Audley, who was given the land after the monastery dissolution by Henry VIII in part for his help with Anne Boleyn.  Audley End House is palatial and very Downton Abby, with a whole service wing complex as well. The grounds are of the landscape park variety (designed by Capability Brown). 

Tea House Bridge

Herbs/Fruit Trees

The kitchen gardens were the best part, particularly the glasshouse for vines and fruit trues.  For someone who likes espalier (training fruit trees on a wall or even wire) the gardens were heaven.

I took the bus from the train and the driver forgot to tell me to get off, so I also got to get a driving tour of Saffron Walden.  It was actually very cute so I was glad to have seen it.  Very old and quaint medieval market town, and there were even some castle ruins.  It is named after the saffron crocus, the growing of which was a 16th and 17th century industry.

Victoria and Albert

It was another coldish weekend and something indoors seemed desirable, so back to London for another museum.  This time we went to the Victoria and Albert Museum.  It was in a different neighborhood and also featured design. There was a trendy show on the fashion of Alexander McQueen which was sold out until May, but we got there early enough to get day of tickets for 3 hours later.  Filling up the time was no problem, the museum was huge and we were there from about 11 to closing at 5:30.  We then took a long walk, seeing the Royal Albert Hall and the glistening and golden Albert Memorial then walking through Kensington Gardens (via the Diana memorial) and along the pond (filled with interesting waterfowl) to Hyde Park.  Our goal was Chinatown but we passed a promising looking Ramen place and went there instead.

The day before we took the bus to a nearby village (unfortunately not charming) to hear John Bryden - Noah's Edinburgh piano teacher - practice the Mozart Wind Quintet.  He is doing a concert to thank donors of a new Steinway but we will be back in the US by then.

Eclipse

Live feed

Viewing event

Solar Eclipse Viewing

19 March 2015
There’s a 90% solar eclipse this Friday morning, 20 March Maximum extent occurs at around 9.30am. Various methods of viewing the eclipse will be available in Trinity College outside B2 Great Court from 8.30am on Friday. All welcome!    (bring a small mirror if you can) To get an idea of how to view the eclipse safely take a look at what we did in 2004 for the Transit of Venus <http://www2.eng.cam.ac.uk/~hemh/transit.htm> You’ll see what the mirror is for.  Hopefully the weather will be OK!

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The above announcement was sent to all of Engineering.  Mark and I still remember seeing a similar level of eclipse back in NJ, so we were very psyched.  Of course, the weather forecast was for clouds until 11am, which was after the eclipse would be over.  Nonetheless, we  went over to Trinity College around 9 to see what was up and there was a hardy group of fellow revelers there despite the clouds.  The event was hosted by some random Engineering professor who apparently does this sort of thing as a hobby.  We waited around for the 30 minutes until peak, but since it was already cloudy it didn't seem to get much darker.  

Trinity College Library

Inside Trinity Library

The Trinity Library is very famous and was opening early with a special eclipse exhibit, so we decided to go over to that and hope that some clearing of the sky would happen.  Unlike Emmanuel College (my college), Trinity scores high on the wow factor.  You walk through a corrider and emerge into a courtyard, with the library straight ahead.  Gasp worthy. The ground level is a covered cloister, while the actual library is on top.  When you actually go into the library it is time for more gasps.  The pictures don't do it justice.  In addition to the eclipse things, we got to see various possesions of Isaac Newton (including his own Principia copy) and a handwritten Winnie the Pooh book.

Trinity College Main Court

Happy Spring

At 10:00 we reemerged back to the cloudy outdoors.  The crowds at the event viewing had really thinned, but our host kept encouraging people to stay as the clouds were thinning.  And we were rewarded for our patience about 15 minutes later when the cloud cover was light enough that we could actually glimpse the eclipse for a teeny bit now and then.  And because it was so so cloudy we could look directly.  Or so he says, and I haven't lost my vision yet.

Just as predicted, the sun did come out around 11 and it turned into a beautifully clear day.  I was very taken with the daffodil cupcakes that I saw in a window - it was also the first day of spring.

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Another visitor, another meal

This time it was John Reppy visiting (another former Bell Labs person, who previously had a Cambridge sabbatical and who we in fact saw here in January).  He is now at UChicago and kindly offers us lodging and supports our gluttony when we do the fall dropoff.

John's visit to Cambridge was an occasion to try out Midsummer House Restaurant - the local Michelin 2*.  I was a bit skeptical as the menu didn't look that exciting and the 1* we went to for my birthday was very disappointing.   But luckily I was wrong. 

We arrived at 9pm (that was the only time I could get a reservation).  As soon as we were seated the first of many custom trolleys was brought by.  Just as I suspected, I found a youtube video of the first: the Champange Trolley. Next, before we even got any menus, the little dishes started arriving.  That was a clever move because they were so awesome that when we had to choose between the 7 or 10 course meal (our only options), we went for 10. This
was foolhardy as with all the extra food before and after, the meal was more like 20 courses.  So between being out of training and it being near 1am by the end, I couldn't quite manage.  Mark, on the other hand...  Oh, and we also had the accompanying wine flight (although Mark and I shared one).  That was well worth it, the wines were obscure and amazingly well paired with the food (and in fact often didn't taste good without the food).

This professional review actually nicely captures our experience.  We even had some of the dishes mentioned (the beetroot/goat cheese, and the scallop/quail egg).  We also had lots of truffles, I guess it is that time of year.  One of the desserts was very similar to something we saw on Heston Blumenthal - a chocolate dome in a hard shell that dramatically dissolved when the sauce was poured over it.

It was quite interesting to compare this place with the 2* we had gone to in London.  They are definitely in an equivalence food class somehow, and we got the extravagant tasting menus at both places which led to meals that went on for 4 hours!  But while the London place was all elegance, this place was theatrical bordering on tacky.  Although the chef was British the staff was mostly French and hard to understand.  They also did some arcane things. Since I had made the reservation  they asked me if I was in charge.  What this meant was that I was the only one who had prices on my menu!  In NYC it used to be that only men were  given the menus with prices, so I guess this was an improvement.  But when it was time to leave only the females were given chocolates for the road.

The walk home was interesting, since we have never been out that late.  The pub that we had been to for dinner with John during his January visit was overflowing and could be heard blocks away at almost 2 am.

Anyway, a fun dinner, but I am still recovering today.

Be the Ball

Today on our walk to the center of town we saw football players encased in plastic bubbles.  "Be the ball."

Be the ball football on Parker's Piece.

Last night was the Emma Wine Tasting.  The first hour was a huge number of wines to taste, as much as one liked.  Followed by a buffet dinner for 2+ more hours.  We sat with all the Italian fellows and had a jolly time.

Saw my first tulip earlier this week, was very excited until today when I saw some pictures of spring and cherry trees in Seattle.

Cambridge Colleges

Master's Lodge, Christ's

Entrance to Christ's

We haven't been at all good about trying to achieve our goal of seeing all thirty-something colleges in the University.  So we knocked 4 off the list last weekend, getting up early to take advantage of the nice sunny morning before the rainy afternoon.  We didn't realize it was the half-marathon so didn't think we could even cross the road to get to most of them, but eventually we found the crossing spot and managed to execute our plan.  The colleges are like cloisters.  You enter off the busy road through a big gate in a wall (the Porter's Lodge), and when you enter the college it is like going through the rabbit hole and emerging in another world.  Typically you enter through the oldest "court" which is a square of very old buildings with green space in the middle (those famous lawns).  Then you go through more gates to progressively newer courts, passing various gardens and standard buildings like the Master's Lodge, Chapel, Library, Tutorial Offices, Residences and (Dining) Halls.  Many things are not open to the public. Eventually you end up in the newer parts of campus which have modern buildings.  Some of the colleges front the river and in fact span over to the other side.  Their age and who studied there is truly amazing.

We saw:

• Christ's College: Founded 1505.  Alums include Charles Darwin and John Milton.



Entering G&C



G&C towards Senate House

• Gonville and Caius College: Founded 1348 (4th oldest). Alums include Francis Crick and Stephen Hawking.

• Trinity College: Founded 1546 by Henry VIII.  Alums include Isaac Newton, Niels Bohr, Ludwig Wittgenstein, Bertrand Russell, and even Prince Charles.
 

Trinity Gate

 



Entering Trinity

 

• St. John's College: Founded 1511.  Alums include William Wordsworth.

St. John's

St. John's across the Cam

We've also been to

• Emmanuel College (my host college, founded 1584)
• Queen's College (noted in a prior post, founded 1448)
• King's College (founded 1441, visited most recently last night for the following concert)

Foundation Concert: Haydn Celebration

Saturday 14 March 2015, 5.30pm

The Chapel

John Wallace, alumnus, is a well known and virtuoso exponent of Haydn’s ground-breaking trumpet concerto. Haydn’s Mass in Time of War is one of his celebrated late mass settings.

• Haydn: Te Deum
• Haydn: Organ concerto in C
• Haydn: Trumpet Concerto in E flat
• Haydn: Paukenmesse – Missa in Tempore Belli