London and Cambridge
A weekend trip for another Tottenham game, this time checking out Cambridge as well!
Days at a Glance
| Date | Day at a Glance |
|---|---|
| Thu, 07Dec23 | Arrival in Stansted, train to Cambridge |
| Fri, 08Dec23 | Fitzwilliam Museum, walking tour through Cambridge campus, Indian restaurant |
| Sat, 09Dec23 | Wonka in IMAX, train to London, long walk along Stansted stream, Italian restaurant |
| Sun, 10Dec23 | Mithraeum ruins, Borough Christmas market, Tottenham game |
| Mon, 11Dec23 | Natural History museum, Chipotle, train home through the Channel Tunnel |
High-Low-Hero-Chow/Ciao*
| Ben | Maggie | |
|---|---|---|
| High | Tottenham game | Tottenham game |
| Low | Getting COVID from coughing lady on the plane | Having to rent a towel |
| Hero | Train attendant serving food | Timothee Chalamet |
| Chow/Ciao | Dosa | Dal Makhani (seriously, again) |
*A game I learned from Ben, who uses it with friends as a fun way to reflect on an experience
Journal
Thursday 07Dec23
Friday 08Dec23
After a night of grade B-sleep, we watched some NBA in-season tournament (yes, in the twin bed) before heading out for breakfast. Ben knows I've been missing breakfast sandwiches, and we found a well-reviewed food truck serving them. It was good, but still didn't quench the thirst for an American breakfast sandwich with drip coffee (where's the yellow cheddar?!)
We then started a walking tour of Cambridge, enjoying the feeling of the sun, which had hidden from us for so long in the Netherlands. The campus buildings, while beautiful from the outside, were closed off or required tickets for the inside. One of the coolest parts of the tour was the Cambridge cathedral, one of the few stops on the tour with free entry. While not very impressive inside, it had a touch screen display that had a breakdown of EVERY royal's history with Cambridge, going back to at least the 1300s. We played with it for quite a while.
Ben's favorite part of the tour was the corpus clock, this creepy grasshopper contraption unveiled by Stephen Hawking. Plated in 24 karat gold, this clock is only accurate once every 5 minutes, to "reflect life's irregularity." The scariest part is that it if you wait around long enough, it'll blink at you.
I made us stop for Chelsea buns along the way, as I'd read that Fitzbillie's was famous for their recipe. It was indeed delicious, very sticky with syrup!
As the walking tour dragged on, bored by the facades of old buildings, Ben took us on a detour to walk along the water, watching tourists enjoy punting tours (poor man's gondola). The deep green scenery and the grey skies felt a bit ethereal, so Ben joked that this was my "Pride and Prejudice moment." This came as a response to my complaints about the mud: "do you think that chick from Pride and Prejudice complained about the mud? No." While I am very "fond of walking", I'm not sure Ben should grow sideburns.
The walking tour ended at the Fitzwilliam museum, another European museum without a thesis (art, Egyptian artifacts, Asian pottery, they've got it all!) Ben was notably awestruck by the Ancient Egypt mummy portraits. He even went so far as to fact-check that these were painted ~AD 100, as he was so accustomed to European art, even centuries later, looking much worse.
The best part of the museum were their special exhibits. One exhibit was on the Black Atlantic and how the slave trade had created the funds necessary to founding the museum. The other was a moving exhibit generally about families, with pictures and paintings. It was relatively simple but I was so moved I even teared up (which Ben poked fun at me for).
For dinner we went to Namaste, an Indian restaurant designed for us, as they were vegetarian and clearly listed nut allergy risks on their menu. We shared a biryani, chana masala, dosa, and a dal makhani. This dal makhani was thinner and smokier than our previous time in London, so good! We shared a very cardamom forward mango lassi for dessert.
Saturday 09Dec23
Started our day by watching the Timberwolves win their game from the previous night, before heading to Cafe Blue Sage for breakfast, where we had a delicious Turkish breakfast. Ben's menemen was delicious. The weather was dreary and we did not feel in a particular rush to get to London, so I proposed we see a movie. Ben jumped at the idea, and as there weren't many options for an 11AM showing, we ended up seeing Wonka. This movie blew my low expectations out of the water, very fun and whimsical and a lovely way to spend a vacation day.
For dinner we went to an Italian restaurant. It had great Google reviews, but when we got there, it was empty except for the waitress who was singing along to her EDM Christmas music playlist that consisted of ~7 songs we heard on repeat (I shazamed a few for the record). The only other patron pulled the waitress aside told her she should change the music to "something Italian." She indignantly changed the music from EDM Christmas to EDM swing. He paid and left and she then approached us to ask if we had issues with the EDM Christmas. Ben and I lied and said we had no preference, and by the way we were ready for the check...! At least the pizza was tasty.
Sunday 10Dec23
We headed to the London mithraeum, roman ruins from a temple for a male cult that worships the god Mithras. They create an "immersive experience" by playing music and Latin chants. A fun reminder just how old this city is.
We headed to the Borough market for lunch, decorated for Christmas and absolutely packed. We shared pastel de natas and savory hand pies, all delicious (no soggy bottoms).
We took the tube to Tottenham, getting off at Seven Sisters station and walking with all the other fans towards the stadium. Ben and I had separate seats as he couldn't find two together. I was sitting in front of a group of Irish fans who were yelling obnoxiously the entire game. They kept getting weird stares and other fans started yelling at them to shut up. Luckily fans were in good spirits, as Tottenham crushed Newcastle in a 4-1 victory. It was a really exciting game.
After the game we grabbed burgers at a food truck boasting the best burgers in the neighborhood, and honestly I'd agree, they were delicious. Still feeling the excitement from the game, we decided to walk back to our hostel to see more of North London, walking from Tottenham to Hackney. When we got back to our AirBNB we enjoyed a flake99 for dessert. We both agreed Magnums are better.
Monday 11Dec23
We spent the morning at the Natural History museum, a huge museum with tons of weird specimens. We checked out an interesting exhibit about human evolution with various skulls of hominin relatives, before heading to the dinosaur exhibit. Tons of reconstructed dinosaurs, including an animatronic T-Rex who had been given a Christmas sweater.
To keep the London tradition alive, we went to Ben's favorite restaurant for lunch.
After lunch we walked to King's Cross for the train ride home. We considered flying home, but Ben wanted to try the train, mostly for fun, but also to see if it was more convenient given the enviornmental benefits. We ended up with "Standard Premier" tickets, their mid-tier package which provides dinner. The food was delicious, and Ben managed to simultaneously enjoy the quiche while complaining I don't make quiche for him enough. The train was more roomy and comfortable than a plane, but we had 3 transfers (Brussels, Antwerp, Breda) so did not end up saving any substantial time or hassle compared with airport logistics. But Ryanair isn't serving sticky toffee pudding.
Another fun weekend in London, and another Tottenham win! Take your bets on if we see another Tottenham game in 2024.
For the Record
| Details | |
|---|---|
| Arrival | RyanAir, Thursday 07Dec23, 9PM STN |
| Departure | EuroStar Train, Monday 11Dec23, 3PM King's Cross |
| Cambridge Accomodation | YHA Hostel, Tenison Rd |
| London Accomodation | Airbnb, Hackney London |
| Friday Dinner | Namaste, Castle St |
| Saturday Breakfast | Cafe Blue Sage, Mill Rd |
| Saturday Dinner | Caloroso Pizza, Lower Clapton Rd |
| Maisy | With Hanna and Ray and their two corgis |
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