studied or lived here over the years. The first computer was built in one of the halls at Trinity College right here in Cambridge! I couldn't have found a more conducive environment to study overseas. As I was saying, the scenery here is fantastic. There are over 30 colleges within Cambridge University which are scattered around the town. Some of the most beautiful buildings house lecture halls, dormitories, and chapels for the colleges. I shelled out two pounds to walk up a tiny wooden spiral staircase to the observatory deck of Great St. Mary's Church in the heart of town. It is next door to the famed King's College. From here, I could see over a
ll the town, the river, and the surrounding area. It was truly an amazing view.
The people here are quite friendly, and it will get much more crowded once the students return to the University from holiday. Already there are so many pedestrians and cyclists.
It is a nice bustling town for a college student. The streets are rather narrow and fewer motorists venture into the center of town. This makes for an exciting atmosphere when walking around to see what there is to see. I could honestly spend hours just wandering around on a nice day. It is going to be a splendid few months in England.
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And speaking of the St. Mary's Church, the chimes are rung by the oldest society of bellringers in history. They not only call persons to church on Sunday's with their chimes but I believe each evening as well. And the clock has special significance as well...
The Cambridge Chimes
In 1793, a new clock by Thwaites of London was installed, and Revd Dr Joseph Jowett, Regius Professor of Civil Law, was asked to compose a suitable chime. We shall never know whether the result was his own invention; there is a long, but almost wholly unsubstantiated, tradition that he received assistance either from Dr Randall, the Professor of Music, or from his brilliant undergraduate pupil, William Crotch (1775-1847). It is also said that the tune is based on the fifth bar of the opening of Handel's Aria ``I know that my Redeemer liveth''. The clock wore out in a century; the one now in the tower was bought in 1892.
It is often not appreciated, even by those who know the chimes well, that although each quarter is different, the barrel revolves twice each hour:
The tenor bell is used to strike the hour.
These much-admired chimes were copied in 1859 for the new clock and bells in the Palace of Westminster (commonly collectively known as ``Big Ben'', which is in fact the name of the hour bell alone); thus the tune is also often known as the "Westminster Chimes''.
Enjoy and take plenty of pictures for those who see these things only in photographs and hear only on recordings.
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