The day started muggy and early with a long coach ride out to
Cambridge. I think no one tried to stay awake this drive because everyone
(myself included) were fast asleep within minutes. As we entered Cambridge,
people slowly began to wake to see the buildings of Cambridge University. While
OSU is still probably much bigger, it seemed like the town of Cambridge was the
entire University (and basically it is). We didn't stop to get out here though;
we kept driving.
When we finally stopped, it was at the American Cemetery. In the
dreary weather, the mood was very serious and solemn. As we entered, we came
face to face with row upon row of crosses and Jewish stars. Every tombstone
represented some young man who died far away from home. As we walked past some,
I saw that the men were from many different states. Every once in a while
though, I would pass a grave with no name and I felt a pang of sadness. There
was a small building on the grounds. Inside was stained glass windows with all
the medals of honor a person can receive for their service and all the seals
from the states. There were the war plans on one giant wall with a beautiful
mural. Walking out of the building, there was a long wall covered in the name
of the soldiers whose bodies were never found, many of who's airplanes were
shoot down. Again the men came from just about every state and there were even
some famous names among them like JFK's brother. The only reason to really
smile when faced with such death were the small gold flowers next to some of
the names that meant that their body was eventually found. Some of the small
flowers were brand new, which is crazy considering how much time has passed.
There was a giant flagpole at the end of the grounds, but in light of the Sandy
Hook tragedy, the flag was at half-mast. The cemetery was full of symbolism as
well. For example, there are 21 flowerbeds because when you add the numbers in
1776 it equals 21.
After a humbling morning in the cemetery, we went back toward
Cambridge University. The town itself is seeped in important buildings and
memories. We passed by the famous Cavendish labs and went into the bar where
Watson and Crick announced their discovery of the double helix structure of
DNA. We also learned that Cambridge students, while surely bright, are still
just college kids who like to do crazy things like party for all night at the
May ball and climb to crazy heights for fun. I can't believe the rules they
used to have though, and still do. Students used to have to wear their robes
whenever they were off campus, and they still do when they eat in one of the
dining halls. Students also had to have a strict curfew, and when one student
wrote about the seven ways to sneak in, the dean replied that there were
actually over twenty. The first college we saw was Trinity. The outside of the
dorms was nice, but I could not imagine having to run around the quad in the
freezing cold to go to the bathroom! The contest to run all the way around
before the bell finishes its twelve strokes seems much more fun. The next
college we went to was King's College. One of the most memorable things for me
was the fact that they had an apple tree related to the apple tree Sir Isaac
Newton sat underneath when he came up with the theory for gravity. Sadly it
didn't make apples, but somebody always tied an apple to a string and hung it
up...or they tied a banana. The King Henry statue also doesn't have
his scepter. Instead, he wields a mighty chair leg (which I guess it's
better than the other things students put in his hand when the school took away
the chair leg).
Also very memorable was the strange clocks you could see in the
window of one of the buildings on the main street. A rich man who liked clocks
made this gold clock with the creepiest giant grasshopper on top that moved the
clock along. Apparently, every hour, the grasshopper's mouth opened and you
could hear a chain falling into a coffin. It supposedly represents that time
will keep going on, but your time will end. Sometimes, I think Brits are kind
of weird.
I had some real British food today! We went to the Eagle pub
(where Watson and Crick made their announcement) and ordered some fish and
chips. The piece of fish was huge! I honestly couldn't eat it all. We also got
to watch as some men made fudge from scratch (and of course, we tried some
too).
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