Cambridge

A couple weekends ago, Brandon and I took a 45 minute train ride up to Cambridge - one of the oldest universities in the world (since the 13th century!) Cambridge is made up of 31 colleges, all with adorable architecture.  We took a walking tour of the city to get a good feel for the college town. DNA and gravity was discovered here! And Stephen Hawking lives and works in the mathematics department at two of the colleges! And the student acceptance rate is 20%... We took some photos of the more famous colleges, Queens' (named for multiple queen patrons):

The Dining Hall (previously for students, now for special events)

William Morris fireplace in Dining Hall

And Kings! Famous alumni include Florence Nightingale, the poet John Keats, novelist Virginia Woolf, and Wilkins & Franklin (DNA discoverers).

The best part of King's College (I think) is the Chapel, built over a century - started by King Henry VI and finished by Henry VIII (the one with 6 wives.) The choir screen in the center of the chapel has Anne Boleyn's initials, so historians date the completion of the chapel to her years as Queen: 1433-1436. The chapel has the largest fan-vaulted ceiling in the world and some of the most pristine medieval stained-glass. The glass was put into storage during World War II and painstakingly reassembled in the 1950s.

King's College Chapel

Roses are symbols of the Tudor dynasty (King Henry VIII)

Notice the crowns - Henry VIII wanted visitors to know who was in charge!

The greyhound on the right of the crest below the glass is also a Tudor symbol

Cambridge had the prettiest grounds of any university I've ever seen - but you weren't allowed to step on the grass! Michigan students would protest. No frisbee, outdoor classes or drum circles? :(

Bridge of Sighs at St. John's College with punters on the River Cam

We ended the day trip with a proper English tea, Brandon's first! The empty tiers proves he likes it.

Very proper, indeed

Oxford is next on our UK list. But we have some international destinations planned first, so stay tuned!

New Berwick, Scotland

With all the craziness of the January trip to Michigan, I completely forgot to post photos from our day trip to New Berwick when we were in Scotland! We hired a local guide who took us on a short, 20-minute train ride outside Edinburgh to the sleepy town surrounded by the North Sea. We hiked up an extinct volcano to capture breathtaking views of the town and the sea.

World War II lookout - Scots shot down Nazi planes from here

Napoleonic War lookout

Wind gusts of 30mph couldn't stop us for living in the moment!

Copper deposits

Cleo chasing a pheasant through the field

Our tour guide took us to the local whisky shop, fish & chip shop and centuries-old streets. It was a beautiful day without any rain (for once!) I highly recommend New Berwick to anyone visiting Edinburgh. Couldn't get enough of these views!

We ran around on the beach while watching the sunset on the lovely beach town.

Cleo loved Scotland!

Thanks again to Brandon for his great photos! Edinburgh and New Berwick are our favorite cities we've visited since living in London. :)