It's My Birthday and I'll Punt If I Want To!

"There's nothing -- absolutely nothing -- half so much worth doing as messing about in boats." - Kenneth Grahame (Wind In The Willows)

Foodie moment

A couple of delicious gourmet burgers at a pub in Cambridge - Buffalo burger for Mark and Smoked eggplant Veggie burger for me. Inspired me to make my own veggie burgers when we got home and they weren't too bad at all!

For Mark's birthday dinner we decided to try something a little different and we went to a canal side restaurant called Las Iguanas which served Mexican and Brazilian food. We started with a pitcher of Sangria, so good! We then had 'do it yourself' Guacamole with corn chips (interesting concept!). For mains we tried two Brazilian specialities; THE EXTRAORDINARY XINXIM - "Exotic, creamy, satisfying. Lime chicken in a crayfish & peanut sauce with spring onion, garlic & coriander rice & fine green beans. Toasted coconut farofa to sprinkle, sweet plantains for fun." and FEIJOADA DE PUERCO - "The proud national dish of Brazil. A deep, dark, richly delicious stew of slowly braised beef, smoked pork & garlic chorizo, pork shoulder, red pepper & black beans in red wine. With spring onion, garlic & coriander rice, seasonal greens, orange wedges & a sprinkle of coconut crumbs." I'm salivating just writing about it! If this is the food of Brazil then I feel a visit may be next on the cards!

Cultural moment

As a treat for Mark's birthday we decided to do the traditional activity of Cambridge - punting on the Cam. With some cans of Pimm's in hand we rented a boat to try it ourselves. Lets just say its a lot harder then it looks, Mark did all the work and was aching in his shoulders for days after. Plus there is the balance aspect. We saw two people fall in during the hour we were on the river because their poles got stuck in the mud and they didn't let go of the poles before the boat moved off. Hilarious! As the leisurely passenger (yes, this was Mark's birthday treat not mine but he wanted to punt; ie, didn't trust me not to fall in!) it is a stunning trip, the back of the colleges and bridges over the river are amazing and every turn brings a new photo opportunity. Overall a unique but fun experience!

Wow moment

Cambridge is one to the two most famous university towns in England, and you can see why. I'm sure the quality of the education is fantastic, but the grandeur and attractiveness of the colleges and town would also be a big draw card. After walking around the town and colleges, it becomes very apparent why students would be so excited to be accepted to study here.

What we learnt today

Growing up in Australia we have a very different perspective when it comes to university. Most of us go to university close to home as they are all based in our capital cities, and therefore live with our parents whilst we study. In the UK people will choose a university in many different ways; what they want to specialise in, where they can get in to and sometimes how far they can get away from home! Cambridge is a university town and has 29 different colleges in it. Almost the entire population of the town during the university year are students, and all the housing is student housing. It sounds like such a fun way to be at universty, and makes us a little sad that we don't get to have that kind of experience in Australia. Having said that, I imagine study can sometimes be difficult with so many distractions around!