Our First Weekend, Part II

Before I get "officially" started on today's edition of "Cambridge Capers", I thought I might briefly address a couple of comments that have appeared on the blog.  First of all, I am both blown away and blessed by those of you who are following our adventure...thank you for all your kind comments...which leads me to the fact that a couple folks mentioned they were having trouble leaving comments--I'm working on that from this end --see if it's getting any easier and please let me know.  I hope to one day know how to respond to each person individually, but I haven't quite figured that out yet.  Secondly,  several have commented on the Spicy Thai Chicken chips.  I regret to inform you that I misspoke.  They are not SPICY Thai chicken flavored chips, but rather SWEET Thai Chicken flavored chips.  Let me know if you still want me to send boxes your way.  Also, we are 6 hours ahead of central time; in other words, 3pm Central Time is 9pm Cambridge Time.  I hope the queries (as they call questions over here) are because someone would like to call--YEAH!!  Our phone has rung once (it was today - yippee!) in our 10 days here, and it was a time of grand celebration, I can tell you!!

Anyway, back to our first weekend... we visited Eden Baptist Church and enjoyed it immensely.  Something interesting we noticed...people don't often tell their name when they first meet you.  During the "meet and greet" time at church, I was sitting next to a quite friendly chap, and sometime during the service realized I hadn't even gotten his name...no, because he didn't give it.  I've since learned that that is very British, because sharing your name involves some level of intimacy, and it's not uncommon to have several conversations before learning someones name!  Interesting, because the first thing we say to visitors in the States is, "Hi, I'm _______ welcome to our church..."
After chuch, we went on a tour of Cambridge, starting at the Round Chuch, which is, well, round. :)  A couple of interesting historical notes: it was built in 1130 (!) by crusaders returning from the first crusade to Jerusalem.  It is modeled after The Church of the Holy Sepulchre, which was built by the Roman Emperor Constantine and stands (in Jerusalem) directly over the site of the Resurrection.  The street out in front of the church is a former Roman Road (no, not the one to Salvation :)), and inside the church there is a copy of the Canterbury Gospels, the oldest illustrated Bible manuscript in the world. 

From there we ventured to many a college to see many a marvel.  Among them were the statues seen in the next two pictures.  I'd tell you all about them if I could remember.  The best I can tell you is that every building in Cambridge is like looking at a Highlights (magazine for kids) Hidden Picture page.  There are more statues and symbols and busts and names and figurines and historical meanings, messages, and mysteries etched on, in, and around every building that I lost count of who was whom by the time we got to, oh, the second building.

Wait!  I just had a breakthrough...this statue is of Thomas Clarkson, who was good friends with William Wilberforce, who led the campaign to abolish slavery in the UK.  That's right, he is holding the chains in his hand, and at his feet is the broken chain...

 I think the dude on the right below is Charles Darwin--NOT the guy in the green jacket and white hair--that's Peter, the tour guide--Darwin is the statue on the right, I'm most certain.  Does it look like him?

This is St. John's College's Chapel.  Do you see on the lawn where the grass looks messed up?  That is the outline of where the original chapel stood.   The doors below are the ORIGINAL doors (dated 1511!) to St. John's College..impressive...

Brad is standing in the courtyard in front of the fountain at Cambridge University's Trinity College (founded in 1350 (!)).  The grass is beautiful, so beautiful, in fact, that no one is allowed to walk on it! Trinity College is where most of the aristocrats of British society have gone thru the centuries...Prince Charles went here among many others...an interesting note here is that Bill Gates' daughter is a student at Cambridge University...good chance she's enrolled here at Trinity College.  (I'm hoping to meet her and tell her about a great classical, Christian school in Jackson, TN!)  That about wraps it up for today...stay tuned for another exciting episode when we share about our very first visitor!