Cambridge

Once again I am lucky enough to spend time in Cambridge and stomp the lovely streets and look at the wonderful architecture. Staying right in the heart of the city was best of all. Being able to see Cambridge wake and go to sleep. It is a feast for the eyes, the buildings and architectural flourishes.

Our arrival at London City Airport and on the drive to Cambridge, didn't look so rosy though!

But soon we arrived and were surrounded once again in fantastic streets of Cambridge. This beautiful Art Nouveau shop front was just delightful and such a surprise. It seems so Parisian

and who in their right mind can't love bunting!!!! The streets were adorned with it.

The market at Cambridge is pretty cool but look at those clouds! wow!

Bicycles are of course the "theme" of Cambridge

But it's the buildings I love the very best

How can you not!

Brilliant fire escape from On the Corn Exchange building. 

Someone recently said that I had made up the word haberdashery and I explained that it was real and once they would have had one of these shops in every town. I love this one,  love the fabrics

All those features, carvings and creatures

Secret passageways

Intriguing shops

and details everywhere, even on the down spouts

You literally can't turn a corner without seeing something amazing in Cambridge

More streets and more buntings

Just fab! and I resisted the urge to "press" the bell!

Sometimes there is no one about

So many sentinels around the city

Breath taking doorways

Fabulous churches

and how about this pair of door scrapers

Residence in the city...yes thank you! Fab shadows!

Even the graffiti is refined

Glorious parks that take me right back to childhood holidays in England and how different it was to the Isle of Man. It felt foreign to me

That really is an unfortunate name

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twilight alley shot

and even the sense of humor to plant this in a side street....and wait for someone to notice it. This is definitely one for closer inspection. It was exquisitely made

Look at the drain pipe (down spout) and the building had dozens of them

Love this doorway to an alleyway between the buildings

Bunting, turret and boy!

The modern stuff is present but not too over whelming

I absolutely loved this. The numbering for the rooms and then the fantastic names, not to mention the really well executed lettering!!!

The streets do tell a thousand stories and have as many thousands walk along them over the years, if only they could talk

This was a quiet street and path to the church door

Another bit of Art Nouveau

This is on the door inside Kings College chapel. They have obviously had problems with people not doing that action! But what is written underneath the stuck on label?

Just brilliant, why 2?

I took this picture, as this church was full of carvings on the pews.

Literally all over them

Wonderful staircase in the worlds oldest book shop, well something like that. Lets just say really old, just to cover me

Window boxes soften everything and these really were beautiful

I just kept thinking of all the craftsmen that have worked here

It really must have been quite the building site

but look at what they made. This is Kings College Chapel from the outside

The walk down the side path to the river from the Chapel

and people punting. I did toy with the idea.....but we didn't do it.

The flowers along the path were lovely, the river was crammed with people, yet it seem serene 

and of course the favorite place, Kings College Chapel and all the glory of the place

again huge amount of detail here

Outside the sky was signalling rain

Now that's a door way arch!

I saw this doorway and it made me smile, it is actually quite small  and in the gate of an archway but you can see many people have opened this doorway in the gate. The worn wood is amazing

How about this for a doorway and door. Not forgetting the hinges and the flint work! 

So many Churches in such a small space

Even the streets are interesting when it rains and they have decorative features

Fitzwilliam College. I loved the geraniums in the boxes, regimented and jolly

Look at the flag stones, I'm sure they dip where people have walked! I love passageways and the popping out into the light beyond

What a building and a place to study!!! This is also what we saw on the other side of the walk through

Secret gardens

and happy bunting

This is a window in Fitzwilliam College and the glass is beautiful. The effect inside must be lovely.

I liked this doorway and the way the stone is on the right. I'm going to say this is a join and these were not built at the same time!

I love this handle and it looks like someone has just gone through the door, was it Harry Potter!!! Everything about the place screams of stories and centuries of them. History in North America, from when white settelers went there, is quite short. Even Canada is only 152 years....but all the history in Cambridge is so startiling to me, now that I live with a different perpective. Just fasinating! 

I honestly don't know what I'll take pictures of next time....

Because I think that I have taken all there is of Cambridge but maybe I will just sit and people watch. This row of buildings is brilliant and shows so many time periods of English History

But really the small things always pull my eye and this final door pull, beautiful

Good old Cambridge, see you next time!!!