(Cambridge, England, U.K.)
Having indulged in most of my sports interests (especially hockey and skiing) already during this year of travel, I decided that it was finally time to have a music-themed trip.
I’ve always enjoyed reading British music journalism and, as a result, have followed some prominent British musicians who don’t have as large a fan base in North America. Alas, the economic realities of the music business mean that relatively few British musicians are able to tour anywhere near my home in Kingston. If the music wasn’t going to come to Kingston, I would have to go to the music!
London is the epicentre of the music world here in Britain and I’ll be spending some very intensive days there at the end of this trip. However, I’m easing into things by spending a few days in the famous university town of Cambridge.
I wanted to see one of the ancient universities in England, so it came down to a choice between Oxford and Cambridge. They both had a lot to offer but Cambridge was closer to the location of the Paul Carrack concert that I mentioned in my previous post. My wife and I intend to see some more of England in the future; if I enjoy the Cambridge experience, we may include Oxford in one of our future itineraries. Or maybe we’ll come back here!
I only arrived in Cambridge at 3:00 p.m. today so I didn’t have a chance to see much of it by daylight. After a nap, I went for some Indian food…I am forever searching for a chicken dhansak that rivals the wonderful one I had in Chester, England, back in 2005 (I really like the version served up by Darbar back home in Kingston too). Tonight’s dhansak was good but not spectacular. The search continues!
After dinner, I walked around the city a bit. It feels safe and comfortable here; the huge university population also supports a terrific variety of ethnic restaurants. I had assumed that I’d be eating a lot of Indian food here but I saw too many other interesting places to restrict myself to dhansak (however tempting that might be).
Tomorrow, I’m taking a tour of Cambridge’s ancient university colleges and will finally see the city by daylight. I’m looking forward to sharing some daytime photographs!
Enjoy your trip, Pierre and the music. I know you’re there for some British music, but coincidentally, my brother’s band is currently touring England – remaining dates are Leeds, Manchester and London – they are touring with the Rural Alberta Advantage – here’s the scoop: http://paperbagrecords.com/artists/ps-i-love-you/
Hi Mary Beth,
Thanks for the tip on your brother’s band – that looks like a great tour, with a bunch of fun venues in France and Germany after finishing the English dates. The English dates don’t work for me (I arrive in London the day after their show) but I’ll watch for them back home!