University Botanic Garden & King's College Chapel

Peonies in the University Botanic Garden

Today I woke up fairly late at 10:00, got ready, and went into the Fitz again. Since I only got to see a small part of it the other day, I wanted to go back and see some more. Today I looked at lots of paintings and old furniture, mostly British and Italian. Very cool. After that visit, I cycled to the University Botanic Garden, which isn't too far from work. The garden was nice, but didn't really meet my expectations because not a whole lot was actually in bloom so even though there was a lot of greenery to admire, I would've liked some more color.

 

After that, I cycled aimlessly and found a Subway. I decided it would be a good idea to get some grub that was familiar, so I got a tuna sandwich, some salt and vinegar chips (they don't have sour cream and onion chips here--my staple with Subway sandwiches--and I've never had salt and vinegar, but they were actually okay), and made my way down to the river where we punted last Saturday. Ian told me I should do that and just hang out and I'm glad I did. That was probably my favorite part of the day because I was under a tree and the weather was perfect and I just got to people watch. I did feel a little lonely, though. Everyone else was with friends or their significant other, of course. I've noticed that couples really like PDA here and I think that's nice. Not the kind of PDA that grosses you out, just the kind that makes you think, "Awe... they must really be in love or at least like each other a lot." Hahaha. Everyone was out today. I mean, every house in Cambridge must have been empty. I am continually amazed by how much time people spend outdoors just hanging out, not really doing anything in particular. The green spaces are just covered all of the time--every five feet or so there's a couple or a group of people just shooting the shit, as it were. Hopefully they all put on sunscreen today; I forgot and got a little sunburnt.

So then I walked around a bit in the market again, really just covering the same territory I have in the past few days. While down there, I did get a ticket to go to the King's College Chapel. It was amazing. How did something like that get built in the 1490s? Just think--that chapel was being built when the United States was only first being discovered! It was so beautiful; I can't even describe it. The intricate detail and the history of the place is crazy. I like to think about all of the people who must have passed through a place like that. It makes you feel incredibly insignificant, which I think is a good feeling to have sometimes. Ya know... to stay humble.

I was planning on going to Evensong, but I would've had to wait a few hours and I was just so tired from riding and walking around so much that I decided to go to ASDA, get some food and snacks, and come home. Tonight I've been pretty bored and tired both, but I rented the Blind Side from iTunes and watched that. I think bedtime is calling me.

I'm not sure what I have on the agenda for tomorrow. I feel like I've just been running around for the past week and have been unable to really take anything in because I'm so focused on doing so much. I want to do everything I can while I'm here, but I don't want to be worn out from both doing everything and worrying about doing everything! So maybe tomorrow I will try to get in a real workout--I'd like to go running/walking, so I need to ask Carrie and Ian if they know of a good trail that is sort of secluded. Evensong is at 3:30 tomorrow, so maybe I'll also do that. A good way to wind down the week/weekend.