Ryu's Blog

Last Sunday I traveled to a small town near Cambridge called Grantchester to get away from my hectic student life and free my mind from my mid-terms. It took around 20 minutes of cycling along the river to reach the town. Although this time of year is not the best time to visit Grantchester (or anywhere in UK as January is regarded to be the darkest and gloomiest month), I like the place very much. It’s a small, quiet town with little activities going on, so people who’re looking for parties, shopping, or entertainment would probably be disappointed. But those who enjoy the idyllic mood, deep meadows and open sky along with a serene river might fall in love with this place. Whenever I immerse in the vastness of the nature, I feel the power, mysteriousness, and beauty of the universe. It helps put my life into perspective as my worries, doubts, and desires appear so small and insignificant.

After freeing my mind in the wide-open field, I went to a nearby tea shop Orchard to have some tea and a delicious cake (not something I can find often in UK). Lots of past famous figures had gathered in this place before. They include philosopher Bertrand Russell and Ludwig Wittgenstein, economist John Maynard Keynes, novelist Virginia Woolf and E.M. Forster, artist John Augustus, and poet Rupert Brooke. The people I mentioned are friends with each other and often spend their time in Grantchester when they were students at Cambridge. I can see how they come to love this place. Brooke once wrote that Grantchester is a place that will remain ‘forever England’. A great place indeed.