Grateful in Cambridge

Three days in Cambridge and in the morning I head out to Canterbury.  I am getting comfortable. Mr. Rogers was on my shoulder the first day reminding me to "Find the Helpers."  Which I did, once confessing I was near panic!  Most people have been kind and I've been very grateful.

I've attended Evensong services at King's College, Queen's College and St. John's College.  They were all beautiful and I think before long I'll be reciting the Apostle's Creed with a proper English "akcent"!  I heard my new accent as I said "the Holy Catholick Church" - which makes me snicker.

Mastering the bus system here has been a challenge, my brain is getting a real workout, but how appropriate for Cambridge, this seat of great learning.  I was walking near a couple of students happily chatting and listening to their conversation - ha!  I couldn't even understand what the heck they were talking about.  Well Darwin was a student here. And Isaac Newton. DNA was discovered here.   Steven Hawking works at the University of Cambridge NOW!  

There are several colleges devoted to theological education and most colleges in the University have their own chapel.  Plus, in the city centre, there are gobs of old churches, all currently active.  Faith and even church life is a big deal here.  This place is old.  OLD.  There are some more modern colleges, like the one Winston Churchill founded, but most are so old they are built like castle walls around a green common space.  Each one is like a fortress with a gate for entry, to protect from the bad guys.  Like when I studied church history and realized the church had quarreled since the beginning of time and yet survived, seeing the fortress gates helped me lighten up about our need to have a guard outside the door for our school chapel in Beaumont.

I am learning to be frugal, which is hard since I am used to buying what I want.  But I want my money to stretch since the dollar converts poorly to pound sterling.  AND,  my bag is stuffed, so I can't accumulate anything else. As much as I loved Cambridge I did not buy one souvenir.  My memories will be my souvenirs. No telling what all disciplines I'll learn on this trip.

I have been so grateful for the kindness of strangers.  I've shared breakfasts with two young couples one from Germany and the other Boston.  The German woman, Diane, suggested a restaurant called Fitzbillie's, she said it was mentioned in a Pink Floyd song.  I was thrilled that she assumed I would know who Pink Floyd was!!!  And thankful that they were as interested in what I had to say as I was in what they had to say.  The Boston woman, Emily, looked like she was about 21and she is working on her PhD, in Cambridge for a conference on nano-technology.  Yep, lots of brains around here.

But fun too, ya'll Pink Floyd are from Cambridge!!!  So here's a little ditty from The Wall.

Pink Floyd's The Wall