Day 1 22/3/08 - England

London -> Cambridge -> Hull

Highlight

• Weather was very bad, it was actually hailing.
• The car hire people were so dumb, it took us ages to get our car.
• Arrived at Cambridge when the sun was out, so took advantage of it to try to see some sites.
• Very similar to Oxford in terms of architecture and the people, I guess university towns are always similar.
• St Mary the Great. All students have to attend here when they first come to study.
• Market Square, a very boring market.
• Toured a free college... could be Corpus Christi College.
• Looked at Senate Hall and the gate.
• The tourist information was bad, you have to pay for a map of the town, which we did as we had no choice as Slokky couldn’t find his way around on the GPS.
• We were going to go in Kings College, but it was too cold and we didn’t have enough time to make it before lunch, and seeing the weather was just not fit for walking around, we decided that we needed to come back to Cambridge another day anyway.
• Walked to The Backs briefly, but the rain and wind meant that everything was gray and so we didn’t bother.
• We ran through the hailstorm to Midsummer House, where we were welcomed with warm tea and tranquility.
• Everything was beautifully and painstakingly executed. The food itself was not as nice as Le Gavouche, but very innovative and interesting in its own way. Read the reviews here.
• Stayed there for 3 hours, watching the alternate sun and rain play out before us through the huge bay windows.
• We were very glad to be able to jump in the car and go after that. We will have to do Cambridge another time.
• A very long drive to Hull. The check in was pretty easy, then went to check out the ship.
• The ship was much better than I expected.
• Spent the evening just snacking and played cards.
• Lots of people dressed up and was making a big occasion out of it too.
• The resident band was very bad.

Food

• Midsummer House lunch:
  • cheese stick
  • balsamic vinegar foam and crisps
  • green olives
  • foccacia
  • brown bread
  • Grapefruit and Champagne foam
  • Tiger Prawn, Cucumber and Cauliflower
  • Langoustine and King Crab
  • Piquillo Pepper Cannelloni
  • Sauteed Scallop, Bay Leaf, Pigs Trotter
  • Risotto of Parsley, Garlic Snail, Yeast Foam
  • Roast Zander, Red Wine and Nettles
  • Pousse Café
  • Bourbon Smoked Pigeon, Iceberg Lettuce, Sweet Potato
  • Camomile, Lemon and Ginger
  • Pear, Black Olive and Fennel
  • Coffee, Chocolate and Passion Fruit
  • Baignet with crème anglais and plum sauce
  • chocolate – mandarin, pineapple, green pepper, dark