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Frequently spotted around Cambridge: a gaggle of camera-toting tourists huddled over these kinda-cool relief maps of the city centre trying to work out how to get from where they are (in this case under Great St Mary's tower in the centre) to their favourite coffee shop. Astonishingly (the epidemically-omnipresent) Starbucks has not been ringed in dayglo-orange by the council on this map despite their best efforts in cookie-cutter-corporate-branding of the city centre. These relief maps are great reproductions though and very realistic - the most recognisable bits being King's College chapel top right and Trinity College Great Court (a la the race in Chariots of Fire, although the film actually used Eton College school) in the foreground. The only innacuracy as far as I can tell is that, unlike the actual city centre buildings, this isn't covered in pigeon s***.

Of course, the true beauty of this map is that, whilst any photoblogger can snap their city's best bits, only a really lazy one can give you the whole city centre, to scale, in one shot. Voila!

Tickets


The Arts Picturehouse bar - great place to chill and read or work - and of course, the cinema has the best independent film line-up in the area.

Madonna in the Meadow


Love this. In fact I love all Maya's stencils. This one was on the garden door at the back of the Fitzwilliam - in the meadow there; can't remember what it's called. It's been scrubbed a long time now. Here's an interview with the artist.

Herds of Wildebeest...





"She used to drag her mattress beside her low window and lie awake for a long while, vibrating with excitement, as a machine vibrates from speed. Life rushed in upon her through that window - or so it seemed. In reality, of course, life rushes from within, not from without. There is no work of art so big or so beautiful that it was not once all contained in some youthful body, like this one which lay on the floor in the moonlight, pulsing with ardor and anticipation."
Willa Cather (1873 - 1947), The Song of the Lark

I hate to see boarded up windows; symptoms of dereliction. The ground floor of this building near the city centre is a furniture showroom but the rest is like this. What a waste - I'd live up there like a shot. You can just imagine the vibrant thrill of having the view of this resplendent city framed by these. Sadly this body isn't exactly youthful and hasn't vibrated for a while...

Sky King and the World of Tomorrow!


(A post from several years ago but I'm feeling nostaligic...)

Remember 1936? No? Well now you can - with this fantabulously lush, phat and most-wicked tricycle ever recreated. Walking past King Street Cycles (a great independent store) yesterday I had to stop and stare. Iconic design cues down to the last detail. Even I know we've had a retro-bike fad for a couple of years now - exemplified by such uber-rad machines such as the Schwinn Sting-Ray - but I had no idea trendy toddlers could live the cool-cat dream on a rockin' repro '36 Sky King. It's almost worth begging/borrowing/stealing a child just to have a reason to buy it... Almost.

No Peeking...



One of my favourite streets in the city, Orchard Street is one of several in the my area that have either botanical or biblical names such as Elm Street, Adam and Eve Street, Eden Street and Paradise Street. This is because they are all in an area that used to be the Garden of Eden allotments - small vegetable gardens and orchards grown by locals. This particular street is one of the prettiest in Cambridge in my opinion. The cottages here originally housed the servants of a very large house - the garden wall of which was directly opposite their front doors. You'll notice they have no upstairs windows at the front (there are two tiny rooms in each roof!) this was so the occupants could not look into the garden and see the gentlemen and ladies taking tea or enjoying an arboreal ambulation... Given the prices these places go for, even in a recession, you'd have to be a chambermaid of means to live here now...

Like Buses...




... there's never any when you need one and then 53 turn up at once. A Cambridge phenomenon - a nautical taxi rank. These are at the main Scudamores boatyard of an early evening when most tourists have gone to their hotels leaving the punts ready for the morrow's trips. But as you can see here, there are plenty of takers for part II of the punting day - the romantic journey on the sleek, sun-kissed Cam through the water meadows over to Grantchester followed by the moonlit return. It's a trip that's bound to kindle / re-kindle the flame of ardour. Mind you, memory fades over time. And it's been a long time...

Peak District



Ok, so it's one of the most photographed buildings in the UK but what Cambridge photoblog would be complete without a shot of King's College chapel? It is truly stunning from every angle. The foundation stone of the chapel was laid by Henry VI in 1446 but it wasn't finished until the reign (and death) of Henry VIII in 1547. Just in time for me to take this shot.

Shoot! Missed...





This shows the wall of Trinity College's Whewell's Court (built 1859 - 1869) facing you as you walk up to the end of Jesus Lane. Or scream along it in a German fighter plane releasing a hail of bullets before pulling up and heading off back home as one frustrated Luftwaffe pilot did in WWII. The results are still visible as you can see. The bicycle's injuries weren't fatal I understand...

Abbeyness



Just outside Cambridge is Anglesey Abbey. Dating from 1600 and built on the foundations of a 12th Century priory, it is now owned by the National Trust. It was for many years owned by Huttleston Broughton, 1st Lord Fairhaven and the wonderful interiors are a reflection of his taste. It's very interesting - especially the huge collection of paintings of Windsor Castle, spanning 350 years. I must admit though - culturally improving though that is, I simply prefer to wander with friends around the 100 acres of grounds and gardens. The views are stunning, the walks fascinating (not least the colonnade of Roman Emperor statuary) and there's a very picturesque watermill where you can buy your organic home-milled flour. Essential for all my home baking...