Feb 17th

Today we headed out to see the colleges of Cambridge. We caught an early train to get there on time and it didn't take very long at all. On the way there, we stopped by Platform 9 3/4. They have a little deal set up there and we all took pictures. We got there in a little over forty five mintes then had about a 25 minute walk to get to where we were meeting the tour guide. We got there without any major problems and we were on our way. We first walked to this cool old college that had some really nice grounds. In the middle of the Quad there was a big patch of grass that only the member of faculty could walk on, and the baby ducks that liver there. Through one end, you entered a hige open space where the monks who used to live had a large pond that they kept stocked with fish. This was an easy way to make sure that you had fresh meat all year. There were also a ton of mallards that had taken residence there, and it was there bady's that were allowed free reign. From there we walked through another college which was pretty special. This college had the first working model of a computer. It was the first machine that could store data in memory, and then use it again. The coolest part of this college was that two men named Watson and Crick worked there. These men were famous for discovering the structure of DNA by using some fancy Xray work. That was pretty cool. We walked over to the next college, King's College and had a look at the Church that had been built there.
I think that its' worth noting that Colleges here aren't the same thing as back home. Where a college back home might have something to do with what type of degree you're getting, here its about lifestyle. The various colleges all had students doing different things, and the existed as self contained entities. The goal of the college was to make sure that the students would never have to leave its grounds for any reason. For that purpose, all the colleges had some sort of church built on site, to which attendence was mandatory. King's college has by the biggest and is very elaborate. The celing is very impressive, as is the stained glass. Very pretty. Once we were through there, the tour was done. Myself and a small group walked over to the river in town and took a couple of pictures before heading to a pub to get some food. We went to a place called the Eagle, very famous.This was actually the first place Watson and Crick told people about thier discovery of DNA.
I sat back at the flat for a while once I got back before going out with some people to a couple of pubs. The first place was called the Balck Friars and was a really nice place. The inside was decorated with a bunch of marble friezes and it was filled with some really nice chairs. The best part about it was it was smoke free. We sat around talking there for about 2 hours before moving on. The best part of the night was that I got a couple of free glasses while I was there. I asked the bar tender where I could buy these pint glasses they use as a souvenir. They're special because they have an official stamp certifying that they hold a true pint. She ended up giving me two of them for free. I was pretty happy. After that we made our way to a place called Lam & Flag. This was a pub where Charles Dickens used to come. On the way there we passed Grongotts bank from Harry Potter as well. Its really the Australian Embassay, but I think the bank sounds cooler. We sat there for a while and headed home. I watched a little TV with some people than called it a night.