Tuesday 4 November 2008

Postcards from Cambridge







Lady luck was shining on me last week because Emin decided he needed to go and do some work on his house in Cyprus, so not only do I have peace and quiet at home, I also got to spend the afternoon in Cambridge. I dropped him off at Stanstead airport and it was only 20 more miles to get there. The only small draw back was the lovely Leyla! but hey the sun was beginning to shine.
Cambridge is the town where I was born. It is where my parents met, my mother worked at the Sedgwick Museum and my father was studying his PhD at Sydney Sussex so he spent many hours completing his research in the Sedgwick.
My mothers family lived a few miles north of Cambridge and have done so since Elizabethan times, I think it is why I am drawn to flat wide open spaces with water. The Fens to many, are a desolate place, but I love the wide open beauty of It all.
Cambridge is my most favourite town in all of England, some run it a close second, places like Bath and York, but Cambridge is more egalitarian unlike the other Varsity town, Oxford, there is not such a pronounced 'town & gown' feeling. The shops are a million times better too my first experience of Biba was in Cambridge, and Heffers (sadly now swallowed up by Blackwells) was always the most wonderful book shop. Market square is always bustling and the river Cam is a haven of peace and tranquility. The colleges are amazing, not just their age but the way they so effortlessly interlock and unite the town.
Cambridge is also home to some wonderful museums including the Fitzwilliam and best of all Kettles Yard.

3 comments:

materfamilias said...

These photos are wonderful, and almost as fab is the way you've organized them into "postcard" vignettes -- what did you use to do that?
More and more, I'm thinking a trip to England should be on my list, not just to visit the rellies but to see all these great sites you point out, along with the galleries and the shopping!

indigo16 said...

I copy and paste into word, then 'select all' copy and paste into paint, then save as a photo!
Much easier than it sounds but it reduces the size of the images jpeg so they are much easier to store. Plus it's a good way to jazz up what I felt were quite average images.
I am glad you are coming round to visiting, there are some amazing cities here.
I will be posting piccys from York in December after our family get together.

materfamilias said...

It does sound a bit complicated, but such great results. I'll have to add it to my list of things I should try someday.
Look forward to seeing the pics of York!