It was Ketchikan yesterday and I will put that in a separate post following this one. I thought I would write a short post which has no nautical connotations and involves Cambridge in U.K.
The city of Cambridge is a university city, it lies in East Anglia, on the River Cam, about 50 miles north of London. There is archaeological evidence of settlement in the area during the Bronze Age and Roman times; under Viking rule Cambridge became an important trading centre. It is also famous for its Universities and I post a few photos of them. In addition, the Imperial War Museum is on its outskirts and as I have a love of aircraft, this is a haven for me.
They have almost everything that flies, from Concorde to WW 1 vintage. There is a marvellous American section too.
(Don’t forget that one can ‘double-click’ a photo to see a larger version).
This is the ‘Flying Fortress’ Sally B. Shortly after this photo was taken, she took off for a fly by of the U.S.A.F. 8th Airforce cemetery which is outside Cambridge. A visit there can’t but help one being moved.
This is a P-51 Mustang, the first long-range fighter of WW2 capable of escorting the ‘Sally B’ and her squadrons deep into Germany. The museum has at least 3 of them.
A Hawker Hurricane. Stalwart of the battle of Britain, slower and heavier than the Spitfire. The Hurricane’s would go for the German bombers, while the ‘Spits’ kept the German fighters of their backs.
I took around 50 photos, however I won’t bore you with them all. U2 spy-planes, Concorde,… innumerable. If you ever visit Cambridge, you must go there. Now the Universities….
Kings College Chapel, founded 1441 A.D.
Clare College, (founded 1326) with punts, on the river Cam.
Fancy a pint?
Clare College Bridge, built 1338 A.D.
Trinity College, (1350), famous for the “Chariots of Fire” film, which was filmed in the quadrangle.
Punts waiting at the Mill pond. One can spend hours watching the hilarious antics of would-be punters. One uses a long pole to push the punt along and it’s not as easy as it looks
Finally, a photo of Sam, Ant, Olly and Emily, all dressed-up for Emily’s christening.
Thanks for wonderful post, Captain. My wife’s father was a B-17 captain and flew the last 15 missions over Germany. He was with the 457 bomb group, 8th Air Force stationed in Glatton, England. We live in Santa Fe, New Mexico and are fortunate to see the last few flying B-17’s yearly when they come through for air shows. There is nothing like sound of their engines! Also, the p-51 is spectacular to hear and see fly.
We love your blog, pic’s and all, with a personal touch. We are avid Holland cruisers and would love to meet you some day.
Erik and Diane Madsen
We spent Xmas 2001 in London. Made the trek to the RAF Museum in Hendon. Now museum at Cambridge is on our bucket list. Thanks.
P.S. Hope to see you on WC17.
Captain,
Thanks for sharing the post. Cheers
Thank you Captain. I’ve been to Cambridge and saw the universities but didn’t know about the museum.
Beautiful pictures and such an interesting post. Thank you so much for sharing.
Most enjoyable and educational. My Husband flies Remote Controlled Airplanes – when he read this he said, “Next time we go to England, we must go here.” So, I have added it to the To-Do list. Hope your having a lovely evening.
As always Captain, wonderful pics & comment
Starts my day over here in cold Melbourne with a sunshine email
Many thanks indeed for your time & trouble.
I look forward to seeing the Amsterdam in Melbourne in a few months
Regards
Noel Bell
Thank you really enjoyed
Thank you Captain, the pictures are lovely..thank you so much for sharing them.