The Tale of Wanderings in Cambridge – an experiment in story-telling

Well as the title says, this is an experiment in story-telling. I shall tell of my trip to Cambridge, with pictures. But it wouldn’t be of chronological order, nor would all the pictures actually be linked in real life as how I’m about to tell them. So we begin…

The day starts early, this train being much emptier than the trains to London. It is a grey and overcast day, and cheery, cushy red train seats seem appropriate on such a day. Not so much on a hot summer day.

It is still early when we arrive, that awkward time between morning and lunch. When it isn’t quite time to have lunch yet, but too late for breakfast. We stop in our tracks and survey our surroundings, while I snap away at King’s College…

Look, a tea shop, are you thinking what I’m thinking? Why yes, tea is most appropriate at any time of the day, unless of course you happen to be severely caffeine intolerant, as I am. But well…

A spot of tea it is. And what lovely Turkish apple tea it is… Deceptively red in colour, its looks not betraying its identity. But one sniff and realisation hits, it is indeed apple, there is no mistaking about it. A bit of sugar does the trick, balancing the tartness of the apple, and it all goes down rather nicely with sweet desserts.

Oh but where to next? We, unlike the well-dressed lady in a taupe coat and brown heeled boots, do not have the luxury of time to sit and take in the surroundings.

A heavy wooden door in a quiet corner of town beckons, come in and have a look it pleads. The girl pushes the heavy door open, it is rather dark inside at first, a small room with a relatively small stained glass window, not very exciting looking. But wait… there’s more..

Is there somewhere I could sit for a while, just sit and be quiet and still in this secluded room? Alas, the seats are marked and reserved, I dare not trespass any further.

We make an exit from the place and venture into a church, it is a cold day, one not very suited for venturing about outdoors unfortunately.

We take our seats towards the back section. There is a choir group gathered in the church, sounding heavenly even while only doing warm-ups.

I spy a mythical looking creature on the armrest of the pews. If I were a young child, I’d imagine my attention would ever-so-often wander to these mythical creatures carved into the pews during the sermons, different pews having different creatures on them, how interesting.

Ah but it is time to leave the warmth of the indoors, and out again we go. A place full of old buildings and character to explore.

A gate, with one door open. Shall we see what lies beyond? Why ever not…

The day continues, our feet tread the cobblestoned streets exploring places till they tire. Night sets in and it gets colder. Time to get back on the train and head home.

We board the train, all too happy for the warmth and cushy seats it provided. Seated on the seats, legs stretched out, heavy bag placed on the table, we were tired but contented.

Afternote: Okay, the story didn’t actually pan out as whimsically as I would have liked it to. Then again my life isn’t exactly a fairy tale, no matter how much I try to spin it. This post was without too much “spinning”. Perhaps another time then, I really ought to be getting some sleep, early start to the day ahead.

Advertisement