I really enjoyed my visits to Cambridge. The bus trip from Sylvia's was long and I had to be on the bus by 8am so it was the school and college trip too. Each time it was a double decker. Sometimes it was unheated so that the windows had to wiped with whatever was handy. But what you could see! People making their beds in upstairs cottage windows, into gardens over the tops of walls, across wide, flat fields and through the hearts of waking villages.Then the bus would dump us unceremoniously right in the centre of one of the two oldest university towns in England. Why anyone would even consider driving I don't know.
What replaces the cars is the constant stream of people on bikes who ride quite assertively as if hitting pedestrians won't hurt much. As a tourist, the sight of piles of bikes leaning against walls and gates is charming. I don't know if they are pinched on a regular basis but I don't need to care.
There were two highlights of my first visit; a punt along the Cam and Carluccio's restaurant. First the punt. This is David and he had the job of pushing a large flat bottomed boat with me, wrapped in two blankets trying not to shiver, along the Cam behind all those prestigious colleges that make up the University of Cambridge. He kept up an interesting commentary which turned into a riveting discussion about the place of universities in the world. He had the charm to apologise for not sticking to his description and said that it was the best punt he'd had! Try to find him from this photo but you will have to lie on the ground at his feet and look up and back. It will be worth it!
The second highlight of my three trips was the opportunity to lunch at Carluccio's. Antonio Carluccio is a London chef who was born in Italy and I fell in love with his persona by watching a series of programs he made as he wandered around Italy with his stout walking stick. So I was drawn to try his restaurant when I visited Sylvia in 2010 and it didn't disappoint me.
The ambience is a wonderfully relaxed and people are happily eating and talking all around. The service is efficient but warm and the food is simple and delicious. Everything tastes! So happy but frozen to my very core by the river ride, I headed for Carluccio's and was eating my pate and cornichons and drinking a large glass of red wine before I began to thaw out. I had pasta Puttanesca then Tiramisu for dessert. I usually find this a bit too rich (who moi?) so decided to dress it with a shot of espresso which cut through the dish like a hot knife. mmmmmmm.
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| Bicherin |
Then next time I followed lambs liver and mashed potatoes with a coffee combination that was heaven. A dessert and a coffee at the same time plus FUN! On a little tray appeared a cup, and 3 jugs - espresso in one, another of cream and the last full of thick rich chocolate. then you just mixed it in your cup. Genius! Check it out for yourself.
http://www.carluccios.com/menus/cambridge
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| Tiny Victoria sponge cake - oh yes, and lavendar hearts. |
In the UK is a large business called John Lewis Partnership. John Lewis is a chain of department stores and Waitrose is the supermarket arm of this very successful enterprise. The staff all have shares in the firm and many other benefits and the stock is usually considered top class; you know, the best. The service is always good to excellent and the shop in Cambridge is a little beauty. My passion is fabric and there is an area where all kinds of dress fabrics can be found. This is where I went to participate in a Cath Kidston workshop. A group of us ladies sat and cut out hearts of material that we then sewed together and stuffed with lavendar. Gorgeous; so were the nibbles provided by the John Lewis catering service. Charming and fresh and delicious and up my end of the table. Many of the other ladies didn't seem too keen to bog in. There were individual Victoria Sponge Cakes. Someone had to eat them. Above are the hearts and below the lovely teachers. xx
So there you have my Cambridge and I haven't even mentioned the art galleries and the buildings and the museums. tut tut. XX
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