Day 3 – Cambridge

I had a full day and the first one spent completely in Cambridge. It seems I’ve already been here a long time by the way.

My first stop was Jesus College. I wanted to visit there since I read that’s where Cranmer was a fellow. Really nice campus . . . and quiet. There weren’t many people on the quads. The chapel there is very impressive, really striking to the eye, especially when you first walk in.

I noticed on the bulletin board just outside the chapel, that after a special service in December, “whiskey will be served.”

I got real low on energy not long after Jesus College. Maybe the full days are catching up with me a bit. But I visited the Round Church and bought a couple books there. The church there is a hotbed of evangelicalism.

Then I visited Trinity College, and that place got my energy back up. Henry VIII holding a stool leg on the gate was a good start. (That’s a hallowed undergraduate prank.) The main court (quad) is breathtaking and the largest in either Cambridge or Oxford.

But the highlight of Trinity and of the day was visiting the Wren Library. All the old, and I mean really, really old books! And an 8th century copy of the Epistles of Paul on display -- I felt like getting down on my knees when I saw that. My jaw nearly fell out of my head.

By the way, Trinity College is a great place to visit if you’re on a budget – no admission charges for anything. And you can get into more things than at other colleges. Most here won’t let you into their library at all.

Later on, I saw the King’s College choristers walk into their chapel in their top hats. And I went to the Sung Eucharist there. It was a nice service. And walking between the two lines of the choir as I walked back to my seat after taking communion was an experience. (The fellows take the sacrament, then the college members, then the normal people, then the choir.)

But if you want a lot of singing, go to Evensong instead. I’m still glad I went, though.

Oh, for those who are interested in such things – they use white wine.

The sun finally came out today by the way. But even at 1pm, it was so low it seemed like it was setting. Then the wind kicked up and it got cccold. There’s been a lot of talk about a possible snow. But Weather Underground says it’s unlikely here. Some English seemed to get as freaked out by snow as Texans.