A first, I thought I was lost, but I was actually in the UK to witness Stage 3 of Le Tour de France, from Cambridge to London.
I suppose some readers will be as surprised to see England featuring in my blog, as I was to see the Tour de France cycle through England.
Luckily, the weather was perfect, and probably couldn't have been any better. After years of humid Tokyo summers, I'm looking forward to a British one – yes, with all of its cold, rain, and overcast days.
Compared to Tokyo, where the average age of buildings is in around the 20s, buildings around Cambridge may average somewhere in the 100-year region (I'm guessing, but it feels like it). It's fun to see the amazing architecture, mostly, of course, related to the prestigious University.
I bumped into a retired Japanese couple (guess how I knew they were Japanese!), and asked them if they'd like their photo taken together (speaking in Japanese of course). The replied back, "Yes thank you! Oh wait, that's Japanese! Why is your Japanese so good!?!"—queue a long and enjoyable conversation with Mr and Mrs Takahashi. If you're reading this - こんにちは！
Aside from bumping into the nice Japanese couple, I had a quiet afternoon sauntering around the backstreets, in between the University buildings, and generally tried to remember the layout of this lovely city. I'd been here numerous times when I was a small child, for a summer school, and for rowing camps.
I hope you enjoyed this mini tour of Cambridge—stay tuned for more!