Punting on the River Cam

Took advantage of a rare sunny day to visit the lovely town of Cambridge.

Toured the chapel at Kings College.  Awesome (in the truest sense of the word).

Enjoyed a guided punt on the river Cam.  The river was crowded with boats; it was all quite festive.  There was a bit of bumping and banging, and a few close calls.

I was very glad we had a guide to navigate and share some interesting stories about Cambridge as well. 

One of my favourite tales of the day was about Prince Charles, who was a student at Cambridge in the 1960s.  Apparently, he had the same bodyguard with him through all 3 years at the college.  The bodyguard had to attend all classes and lectures with the Prince.  At the end of the 3 years, the guard felt he should be allowed to sit the final exam.  The royal family wasn't too keen on that idea, but the college decided it was only fair.  The bodyguard took the exam and, as it turns out, got a higher score than Prince Charles!

I especially enjoyed the stories about all the pranks carried out by Cambridge University students over the years.  From Santa hats and traffic cones being placed upon the spires of the chapel, to unsuspecting first year students being ushered through a phony "fire exit" door and ending up right in the river- these young people have come up with some pretty creative tricks.  We even bought a book on the subject at the campus bookshop!

The whole family enjoyed the beautiful views of the colleges from the river.  Such a fun thing to do on a sunny summer day.