London, Part 5

“Justin!” “Jeff!” and a hearty handshake broke forth. Justin is a good friend of mine from high school. He’s a history graduate student at the University of Cambridge. I had mentioned that I would be in England, so he offered to give me an insider’s look at Cambridge.

Cambridge, the university at least, has been around since the 13th century. It is split into a number of colleges, each of which have their own buildings and faculty. Interestingly, the university itself is public, but most (all?) of the colleges are private.

Justin pointed out the myriad old buildings on the way to his apartment. When in a town such as Cambridge, where everything is so old, it is difficult to maintain perspective: a “new” building might be 200 years old. Still, the university is not just medieval stone chapels; a number of modern buildings dot the land as well.

While talking with me prior to my trip, Justin offered to show me an “authentically Cambridge experience.” I knew that it would involve food and other students at the university, but I was expecting something like a large gathering at a pub. The reality couldn’t have been more different.