Random thoughts and photos of my journey through life…
The second-oldest building in Cambridge, The Round Church was built around 1130 and is one of only four round churches in the country.
Officially named The Church of the Holy Sepulchre, Cambridge, it is thought to be architecturally inspired by the rotunda in the church of the Holy Sepulchre in Jerusalem. Since 1994 there have been no regular services at the Round Church – the congregation having outgrown the building.
12 Comments CherryPie on Nov 17th 2017
After breakfast we loaded the car and made our way to reception to settle the bill. As we suspected they had added the Champagne to the bill twice although it was shown in two different ways so we nearly missed it. It took the staff some time to figure out what was amiss but they got there eventually. We headed into Cambridge arriving at G. David’s antiquarian bookshop just as it opened. We browsed around for a while but on this occasion I wasn’t tempted to buy a book but Mr C was.
Once we had finished browsing we made our way to St Bene’t’s church. In the church’s entrance porch a homeless guy had made his bed and was trying his best to keep out of sight and not be a ‘nuisance’.
On our way back to the hotel car park we stopped off at Patisserie Valerie for a quick drink, which turned out to be not very quick at all. Although the place was almost empty, the service was painfully slow.
When we got into the car it was like stepping into a freezer. There had been a respectable frost overnight and the car park was in shadow so it had not warmed up in the sunshine. We set off towards home with the intention of taking a diversion when we saw a brown sign. We didn’t see one for some time and began to think we might be out of luck when we saw a signpost for The Battle of Naseby. We visited two monuments to the Parliamentarian generals Fairfax and Cromwell and then headed towards Market Harborough for lunch where along the way we spotted a third related site for the Royalist general Prince Rupert and stopped to have a look at that too.
In Market Harborough we stopped off in a delightful tea shop for lunch. The food was delicious when it arrived but the service (in keeping with the weekend) was again rather slow. Afterwards we visited the town square, St Dionysius church and the war memorial before continuing on our homeward journey.
24 Comments CherryPie on Nov 15th 2017
After a good nights sleep we made our way across the courtyard to the breakfast room. The food options were extensive and the quality of the breakfast was fine but the service was disorganised. We were given the cooked breakfast menu to peruse and the waiter came back very quickly by which time Mr C was away from the table looking at the buffet table. The waiter asked me if we would like to order off the cooked menu. I said that we hadn’t decided yet and he said he would come back in a few minutes. He didn’t. We had to flag someone else down to take order. When the waiter came back he struggled with our order because he did not have pen and paper to write it down. He had to come back to double check the order, by which time Mr C was back at the buffet table using the toast machine. Luckily I had been attentive when Mr C made his order and was able to correct the mistakes of the waiter. Eventually our breakfasts arrived correctly as ordered.
A couple was seated on the table next to us and they ordered tea and coffee which was delivered. They then went to to the cold buffet table to choose some breakfast options but whilst they were away their tea and coffee along with the cups and plates were cleared from the table and they had to re-order!
After breakfast we embarked on a walking tour around Cambridge taking in many points of interest. The morning air was rather cool and Mr C had forgotten to pack warm coat so he got rather chilly. We called into John Lewis to see if he could find a suitable fleece or jumper. Whilst there we had morning coffee, the service was exceedingly slow… We ventured further into the shopping centre looking for somewhere else that might sell a suitable garment. Whilst Mr C was pondering, I looked up and noticed the perfect shop for a warm garment; ‘The North Face’. After a bit of searching Mr C was able to find a suitable fleece for his requirements. Whilst walking around the city we encountered several demonstrations including one about the Catalonian situation and another by the Anonymous group of political activists.
We then made our way to Fitzbillies for lunch. Fitzbillies makes the ultimate chelsea bun (to a secret recipe). The queue was as long as my guidebook said it would be so we took the advice and ordered a takeaway to enjoy on the river bank.
Just as we had finished enjoying the tasty delight, Mr C exclaimed ‘Oh No!”. I thought a bit of stickiness from the bun had landed on his trousers but it was even worse. A bird had flown over and sent him a sticky message. What a good job he had finished eating the tasty delight before the bird decided to drop by.
We continued our walk along the river pausing to watch punters on the river Cam before making our way to King’s College Chapel. The chapel is stunning and despite the number of visitors, it was peaceful. On the way back to the hotel, we returned to John Lewis to pick up a couple of items we had noticed earlier in the day, taking in another slow refreshment break. Back at the hotel we weren’t really surprised to find yesterday’s empty champagne bottle and bucket still in the room.
We had chosen to dine in a pub that was close to our hotel. The food was good, honest, home cooked pub food. Whilst we were dining the pub, filled up with students arriving for a pub quiz. The atmosphere was vibrant and full of life;however we decided to move to the pub next door before the quiz got into full flow. There were some colourful characters in the new pub, including a rather aggressive man who made me feel quite uncomfortable. He was arguing with the friends that he came in with. He left coming back some time later with a takeaway that he ate in a pub that serves food!
Next a buzz of students entered the bar, boys and girls in pairs with their middle legs tied together, buying shots and G&T’s whilst giggling with laughter as they squeezed themselves into an impossibly small corner of the bar before taking selfies with each other as they were leaving for their next pub.
16 Comments CherryPie on Nov 14th 2017
Despite good intentions we set off on our journey to Cambridge later than intended. This meant we had to break for lunch on the motorway. The services in that part of the world are limited so we opted for a sandwich in Greggs.
We arrived at the hotel at 13.30 to find that our room was already available so we unloaded the car and put our cases in the room before heading into the centre of Cambridge. The champagne that we had ordered to be in our room on arrival, with a view to us enjoying drinking it before we went to dinner, was not there. We thought perhaps it was a little early and that it would be there when we returned from our afternoon in the city centre.
We walked across the Jesus Lock footbridge and through Jesus Green to the centre which was heaving with people who obscured the buildings and architecture as they rushed around. The atmosphere was warm and vibrant but I was struggling for photographic inspiration. We visited two excellent bookshops, one of which was the Cambridge University Press. Both had extensive Religion/Theology sections and I ended up buying a book from each. We stopped off at a cafe for a drink and a naughty cake before returning to the hotel to freshen up for dinner.
Back in our room we found that the champagne had still not arrived. Mr C called reception who were a bit bemused leading him to take the booking confirmation that showed the pre-order. They were still bemused and advised that he would have to pay extra and would we like Prosecco. Mr C advised that ‘No! we would not like Prosecco as we had paid for champagne’. The hotel receptionist could not get through to the bar but eventually the champagne arrived and was left in its bucket with two glasses to the side. The tray was taken away… As an aside the champagne, although pleasant, was not as good as the Prosecco we had enjoyed in Ravello.
We found dinner in the hotel to be average and the service a little chaotic. We ordered an aperitif after being asked if we would like one. We waited and waited, eventually it turned up just a couple of minutes before the starter arrived, with wine arriving just a few minutes later. “Would we like to try the wine?” “Ermmm… No! we would like to drink the aperitif first!” The plates for the starter were cleared and then there was a long delay before the main course arrived. When it was time to order dessert we ordered profiteroles to share. The waitress advised that it was small to which I said, “how small,” the waitress replied “OK”, and walked off…
Once we had finished our dinner we retired to the bar area where we encountered some very strange characters including a man wearing high red ladies boots and carrying a red handbag. He left with a lady who had a deep manlike voice who I had overheard bemoaning her circumstances to the bar tender. I only heard snatches of the conversation but her circumstances seemed quite odd!
When we returned to our room we found that, due to the removal of the tray, condensation from the champagne bucket had flowed all over the dressing table…
16 Comments CherryPie on Nov 13th 2017
Spiritual success comes by understanding the mystery of life; and by looking on all things cheerfully and courageously, realizing that events proceed according to a beautiful, divine plan.
Paramahansa Yoganada
8 Comments CherryPie on Nov 12th 2017
The poppy fields as described by the ‘War Poets’ are a poignant reminder to me of the lives that were lost in both World War One and World War Two and also the lives lost in more recent wars.
Poppies to me are a simile of the lives that were lost. They are vibrant, standing strong and bold yet fragile and defeated by a heavy downfall or a spring breeze. They remind me of the fragility of peace and freedom and how easily our freedom can be lost.
Reflection on World War One (and the more recent World War Two) serve as a reminder of what might have been if the outcome of those wars had been different…
In Flanders Fields the poppies blow
Between the crosses row on row,
That mark our place; and in the sky
The larks, still bravely singing, fly
Scarce heard amid the guns below.
We are the Dead. Short days ago
We lived, felt dawn, saw sunset glow,
Loved and were loved, and now we lie
In Flanders fields.
Take up our quarrel with the foe:
To you from failing hands we throw
The torch; be yours to hold it high.
If ye break faith with us who die
We shall not sleep, though poppies grow
In Flanders fields.
Lieutenant Colonel John McCrae
1915
10 Comments CherryPie on Nov 11th 2017
2 Comments CherryPie on Nov 10th 2017
