We spent about five hours walking about Cambridge which is situated on the River Cam and is about an hour train ride from London’s King’s Cross station and worth both the time and cost to get there and back.  Cambridge, an important town since Roman times, became the gathering place of various religious orders beginning in the 11th century and at the beginning of the 13th century it also became home to various religious scholars who departed Oxford University because of religious disputes.  Wow, religious disputes.  Apparently not a new development.

Anyway, the city center is a fabulous collection of medieval architecture housing the city’s 31 colleges.  The focal point is the Chapel at King’s College which was established by Henry VI in 1441.  I have been fortunate to visit a good number European cathedrals and find them fascinating for the architecture, the length of time (and thus the huge commitment) it took to build them and the amount of humanitarian good that could have been done with the same amount of money.  In any case, the King’s College Chapel interior may be the most striking of those I have seen.  It’s fan vaulted ceiling is absolutely gorgeous and the painstakingly made 26 sets of stained glass windows that took a mere 30 years to install are also beautiful.

So when you get this way, don’t miss Cambridge.  By the way Cambridge City, Indiana near my home town, your name makes absolutely no sense.

The Pope arrives tomorrow and will spend his London time in our neighborhood at Westminster Cathedral and Hyde Park so we will depart for a weekend in York.

Cheers.