Seize the Day

My time here in England is short. It's time to do all those things on my list that I've wanted to do, but haven't prioritized. 

Mike and I had really wanted to spend some time walking some of the coastal path trails while we were here. We've done tiny bits, although never as much as we would like. Family vacations are always a compromise, and we've got a daughter who hates walking. One weekend in September the weather was perfect, so we took a train out to the closest coastline: Cromer and Sheringham. I got one last look at the cute little beach huts and we enjoyed a beautiful coastal walk. 

I have been in England for over 15 months and haven't gone to afternoon tea. That just seems wrong. Yet, I actually don't like tea. And even for a huge carbohydrate addict such as myself, it seems like a lot of carbs in one sitting. Scones, white bread sandwiches, cakes and pastries, all in one meal. I decided to give up the notion, and instead indulge myself with a slice of cake from one of the best cake places in town. My slice of almond-raspberry cake was really good, and it came on a cute little vintage plate to boot. That's as close to afternoon tea as I'm getting. Plus, now I feel justified in going out for a scone or piece of cake another time or two, as I didn't gorge on a whole platter of treats at one sitting. Notice how I've turned eating a piece of cake into an exercise in restraint?

I'm trying to make sure I spend a lot of time these perfect fall days walking around beautiful Cambridge. It's a town full of beautiful views.

 I'm also finding a little time each day to enjoy the fall season.

Possibly Cambridge's most famous pub is The Eagle. It's one of the oldest in town - it dates from the 14th century, was the place where Watson and Crick announced their discovery of DNA and also has a ceiling signed by American and British WWII pilots, using lighters and candles. We'd always planned on visiting, but just hadn't quite made it there until the other week. Being a bit of a tourist site and central to the university, it's almost always crazy busy, so we sneaked in before the students were back in town. It's worth going to once. I saw the plaque commemorating the DNA discovery, saw the WWII ceiling and memorabilia and enjoyed the perfect old English pub experience. But truth be told, there's a lot of better food in Cambridge and a lot of equally quaint pubs.

Another must-do in Cambridge is to go to the evensong service at Kings' College Chapel. It's a chance to sit in the beautiful cathedral and listen to the famous Choir of Kings' College, all for free. The cathedral itself has been described as a "gravity-defying hall of light." The early-evening light shines through the stained glass, which banks the whole cathedral. It also has a beautiful fan-vault ceiling. I can only defend myself taking this long to go because the service is at 5:30pm, with the queue starting at 5:00 - right when I'm always home making dinner. But yesterday my family ate a little late.

I found this youtube video showing the choir singing at Kings. Of course, they weren't singing Christmas carols yesterday, but you get the idea. If you are just interested in seeing what the choir looks like in the chapel, the video pulls back from close-ups about a minute into it.

Have you seen all the must-sees of where you live? If not, why not?