The sun was shining, the tubes were not crammed with commuters, and the train to Cambridge was on time. It felt like London was giving us a farewell hug - I love this city!! But it was time to move on and Cambridge was where we had chosen to collect our latest rental car (a Vauxhall Corsa) for our grand tour of Britain.

As the countryside whipped by the window of our high speed train, I was surprised by how quickly the uniform brick housing of London had given way to fields of wheat, green paddocks dotted with grazing ponies, and bursts of colour from wildflowers growing by the tracks and fields of vibrant red poppies. It took only 45 minutes for our train to deliver us to the university town's small station. From there we picked up our car and drove into the beautiful town centre. Dale was impressed by all the old buildings which are still in use. It is easy to imagine this bustling university town looking much the same hundreds of years ago.

Despite the university holidays, it was a busy morning in Cambridge. The marketplace was full of customers perusing the stalls of fruit, flowers and Belgian waffles. The information centre had a queue of tourists at the counter, and outside students trying to earn some cash over the holidays were offering punting tours up the Cam.

Dale and I gave up on finding a map of Cambridge at the information centre (after the sour woman at the desk snapped at us), and decided to see where our wanderings took us. For 7 or 8 pounds each, we were able to enter the grounds of King's College. The chapel was gorgeous with all its many stain glass windows illuminated by the sunshine outside. The surrounding lawns were immaculately manicured, and the peaceful inner courtyard was overlooked by the lovely college buildings, all with windows flung open. What an amazing place to come and spend a few years while earning a degree. Even Dale had to admit that Knox College in Dunedin was just a poor cousin when compared to the splendour of the Cambridge colleges.

Walking down to the Cam we could hear the clunk of wood poles agains punts and the excited chatter of those sitting in the punts. From one of the bridges arcing over the famous river, we watched flat bottomed punts of different sizes being pushed along the quietly flowing river by 'punters' standing at the back with long poles reaching down below the water to the riverbed. Some of the punts were steered by professionals - the students we had seen holding placards outside the information centre - gliding effortlessly up the middle of the river. Other enthusiastic visitors had hired their own punts, and were now zigzagging erratically up the Cam. We stood watching long enough to hear some of the student guides giving their passengers amusing snippets of information about the bridges and the colleges sitting alongside. Apparently the bridge we were standing on is one of the few remaining places in England where it is lawful to duel to the death! Although the students had differing opinions as to whether that was duel by swordplay, pistols at dawn, or bow and arrow!

Continuing along the banks of the Cam we were confronted with a very pastoral view of leafy trees, paddocks of long grass, and shaggy cattle grazing, against the backdrop of colleges. We passed Clare College and Trinity College and then crossed back over the Cam to walk into the shop lined old town centre in search of lunch. We found a sandwich shop less exorbitantly priced than its neighbours and ordered toasted sandwiches - mushroom and Stilton for me and chicken and coleslaw for Dale. As we stood waiting a girl with the longest hair I have ever seen entered the cafe - seriously, it was down to her knees!! I was amazed and trying not to stare too blatantly at this strange phenomenon. Dale hadn't even noticed.