|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
The best way to absorb the ambience of the university town of Cambridge in England is to hire a chauffeur-driven punt and cruise along River Cam, says Rachna Singh
THE very name of Cambridge elicits a reverent sigh from students and academicians all over the world. But on a bright summer day the University town of Cambridge in England presents a sight that does not conform to its image of studious Cambridge scholars going around with their noses buried in a ‘tome’. One can see hordes of students moving around the town and enjoying themselves- eating ice candies, cycling and strolling. As a young student shares conspiratorially that a summer weekend is a celebration time and all roads on a bright summer day lead to River Cam. One can see several youngsters carrying picnic baskets and rucksacks towards the banks of River Cam where boats, too, glide down the river at a leisurely pace. And these boats are not
like any other boat. These are square-ended with a flat bottom and no
keel and are propelled, not by a paddle, but by a five-metre-long
pole. It looks like a gondola without a canopy. These boats are called
punt and punting is a Self-driven or chauffeur-driven punts, offering various options like a champagne and strawberry tour or a Thai food cruise are available on River? Cam. The boatmen on the punt are usually well informed and act as guides. The punts were introduced to Cambridge as pleasure crafts in Edwardian times. Their origin goes back to medieval times when they were used in areas of water, too shallow for rowing a conventional craft. In present times, a glide down the river showcases lush green ‘weeping willows’ on the banks of the rivers and students sitting under trees with picnic hampers, soaking up the sun or reading a book. Apart from students,
locals as well as tourists cruise along in punts, enjoying the sun and
the flutter of a summer breeze as they nibble at strawberries and sip
champagne from fluted glasses. Ducks, moorhen and regal-looking swans
add a quaint touch to a scene that The middle part of River Cam, called the ‘College Backs’, is extremely popular as there are eight colleges and nine bridges along this 1.5 km stretch. The ride takes one past the sprawling grounds of famous colleges like Queen’s College, Clare College, Trinity College, King’s College, St John’s College and the oldest of them all, Peterhouse College. At the upper end of the Middle River, one emerges from under Silver Street Bridge into Coe Fen where one can moor on the common opposite Darwin’s House. This is the house where Charles Darwin wrote his famous Origin Of Species. Out of the eight colleges on the river, St John’s College has the most impressive river frontage with its 19th-century Gothic revival architecture. In fact, with its turrets and central cupola, it looks like a wedding cake and has been nicknamed as such. Most punt chauffeurs then point out a high-ivy covered wall of King’s College that looks vaguely familiar. This is the site where the famous ‘quidditch’ match in Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone was shot. The picture-postcard beauty of the college is further enhanced by the ‘Bridge of Sighs’. The punt cruise also
passes the King’s College with its famous chapel. It is said that
that although the construction of the chapel was started in 1441 by
Henry VI, it took hundred years and five kings to complete this
beautiful chapel. Its stained-glass windows and Ruben’s ‘Adoration
of the Magi’, gracing the altar, The punt also glides along the sweeping lawns of Clare College awash with the bright colours of summer blooms. This college is said to have the finest gardens in Cambridge. Also nestled on the banks is Trinity College, built by Henry VIII in 1546. It was designed by Christopher Wren and is known to be the wealthiest college in Cambridge. But this is not its only claim to fame. The college is also famed for having in its library the notes and documents belonging to its most famous son Isaac Newton. In fact, punt chauffeurs often enthusiastically claim that the grounds of the college actually contain the offspring of the famous apple that led Newton to postulate his famous laws. Next is the Mathematical bridge of Queen’s College. This bridge, almost completely made of wood, is said to have been built by Isaac Newton in 1749 and that too without the use of any screws or pins. But this claim should be taken with a pinch of salt as the bridge was actually reconstructed in 1867 and again in 1902. But the fact remains that scientific geniuses as well as literary greats like Tennyson, Byron and Bertrand Russell were students of Trinity. In fact there have been 31 Nobel laureates on the Cambridge alumni. While a glimpse into the lives of these great men can inspire awe, a punting tour can leave cherished memories of a day spent in Cambridge.
|
|||
|
|
|||
