We had a great meal on Thursday night in the oldest pub in Canterbury complete with blackened oak beams (as you can see in the photo)and nice pub food. The group was a mixture of marine people and DICE people (university of Kent). There was a good blues band playing and later we sat out in the beer-garden as it was a lovely evening - apparently it is always like this in summer in England! I didn't believe them and just as well, as it poured with rain when we got to Cambridge the next day. But we saw London Bridge and St Pauls from the train on the way through. I love it - sighteeing from the train.
We are staying in a gorgeous set of rooms in St John's college - the other photo is the view from one of our mullioned windows. Our bathroom is in an octangonal tower just like the rooms in my favourite childhood book "The little White Horse". The doorways are all pointed gothic arches and we have a painting of a be-whiskered gentlemen on the wall, no doubt some important benefactor. It is fabulous. I can feel some gothic mystery is about to happen although the punters on the river introduce a way too cheerful note. We cross the Bridge of Sighs on the way to breakfast.
Last night I had a nice girls evening with an old friend from our Oxford days while Hugh chatted with Zoology people in yet another pub. It was great to catch up with Usha and meet her offspring for the first time. She is going to take us to the Senior Combination Room for lunch in college today which should be fun - I hope I get to pass the port.
Hugh and I explored the college a bit this morning and I nearly had a heart attack in the chapel, as the organ started playing suddenly while I was inspecting a tomb of some important long dead person. I jumped about three feet in the air as it felt like the gates of heaven were opening right before me! See what I mean about the gothic atmosphere! I can hear the bells ringing now so I had better go and put on some finery for lunch.
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