I had the privilege to spend one week in Cambridge, England. We spent most of our time around the city centre, and we got to dig into a lot of the history that the city holds. Modern day Cambridge was founded in the the ninth century, and the University of Cambridge was founded in 1209. It's amazing to consider that Minnesota is barely 150 years old, but in Cambridge, buildings from 800 years ago are still standing. The city has a lot of religious roots, so there's a number of beautiful churches and cathedrals from quite some time ago. I got to tour a little bit of St. John's College at the University of Cambridge. I stayed with an alumni of the university, so he showed us around the gorgeous campus. It's kind of unreal to see the places where Isaac Newton lived, or C.S. Lewis taught. Our group also went on a punting tour! The river Cam in Cambridge goes through parts of the university campus, so it was fun to see more of the colleges that face the river. The punting workers mostly stand on the street to sell tours, and make it seem like they gave you a really good deal, but really their price list is just way more expensive than they ever sell tours for. Regardless, the tour was a pretty neat experience. Cambridge is a wonderful city for exploring. With so much history, it was easy to get lost in the beauty and culture. Of course it's very modernized now, with shoppes and cafes or restaurants everywhere. I actually got to go to the pub, The Eagle, where the discovery of DNA was announced by Francis Crick. A couple of friends and I just enjoyed drinks and a book on the patio, so it's a bit strange to think that something that changed the world of science was announced in that very spot, just over sixty years ago. I love how much history Cambridge has! My group was pretty busy with a conference, so we didn't get to do a lot of the touristy activities, and I wouldn't mind going back sometime. It's definitely different than Minneapolis, though. Cambridge obviously has a huge college presence, and less of a creative feel in the city...maybe it's not entirely my kind of city, but it was definitely a good visit.