Week 7: Climbing Through Cambridge

This week I got to climb on the roof of the King’s College Chapel!  To fully appreciate how cool this is, understand that, in order to get a roof tour, I had to know people who know people who know people.

King’s College Chapel was constructed between 1446 and 1515

Interior of the chapel

Before going out on the roof, my friends and I had to sign a form saying that King’s College wasn’t responsible if we plummeted to our deaths.  Then we climbed more than 100 worn, spiraling stone steps to the top of the chapel.  

Five Reasons to Love the Pembroke-King's Programme (With Pictures!)

I have tried to avoid gushing too much about the Pembroke-King's Programme on this blog, largely because I can't find words to express what an honor and a delight it has been to be here.  My fellow students have described their experience with the PKP as "the best summer of my life," "like a fairy tale," and "like a dream."

Here are five reasons to love PKP--for the most part, I'll let the photos do the talking!

(1) PEMBROKE COLLEGE

The oldest part of the College was built in 1355

Top Secret Week 6

I attended two plenary lectures at the Cambridge Union Society this week, both of which dealt with British and American intelligence during the Cold War.  The first was by a historian of government named Lord Peter Hennessy.  (Yes, that’s LORD Peter Hennessy—you don’t get those back in the States!)  The second was by Professor Christopher Andrew.  Both lectures were fascinating.

Interior of the Cambridge Union Society

Fun fact: the current Master of Pembroke College, Sir Richard Dearlove, used to be the head of the British Secret Intelligence Service (MI6).  Guess I'd better not try any funny business while living here!

The following highlights of the week have also been declassified...

London

On Sunday, August 8^th I took a trip to London!  I had visited London several times before, so rather than dashing around like a crazy person I was able to soak in a small number of things. 

My group’s first stop was the British Museum, which is enormous and completely overwhelming.  I could have spent days in that building, marveling at relics from a huge number of regions and time periods.  Highlights were the Rosetta stone (which allowed archaeologists to decipher Egyptian hieroglyphics), statues and friezes from the Pantheon, and Egyptian mummies.

Interior of the museum

Punting My Way through Week 5

This week I finally went punting!  King's College allows PKP students to borrow their punts, making the enterprise less expensive.

I hadn’t thought to look up any punting tips beforehand, so my friend and I had to figure it out as best we could.  I managed not to fall in the river, but my friend did topple backward into someone else’s punt!  The punt’s occupants and the onlookers on the bank all found this highly entertaining, I’m afraid.

View from the front of the punt

A Morning Walk Through Cambridge

Cambridge is a beautiful city.  Even though I have been walking around it every day for several weeks, I’m still amazed at the natural and architectural beauty that greets you everywhere you turn.  To show you some of this beauty, I’d like to take you along on my typical morning walk to class. 

My walk begins when I step outside into the grounds of Pembroke College.  The College is made up of many interconnected courtyards surrounded by beautiful buildings. 

Sometimes I eat breakfast in the dining hall.

Week 4: Olympians and Poets

Unsurprisingly, this week has carried an Olympic theme.  

On Monday, I attended a lecture in the Cambridge Union Society on “The Olympic Ideal.”  One of the speakers was an Olympian named Cath Bishop.  She is an alumna of Pembroke College, Cambridge, and she won a silver medal in rowing in the 2004 Olympic Games.  

I was intrigued by her description of life as an Olympic athlete.  She had to take scrupulous care of her body: she avoided crowded spaces and even family members to keep from catching an illness.  And she trained seven days a week for years on end: by the time she retired, she had rowed a distance equivalent to several times around the Equator.

The Cambridge Union Society