Welcome back to my Cambridge adventure.
We spent quite a while exploring the city. We made it to Cambridge via car but happily explored the city by foot and by punting. You could explore the city by bicycle, which seems to be the go-to option for most of the residents.
Now, back to my Cambridge story and the journey to become part of the elite student body of Cambridge University. As a prospective student I decided to walk in around campus.
As any future student would do when exploring around campus, I dressed up and brought a navy blue polka-dotted bowtie, the mark of a special occasion.
Today seemed like a particularly busy day as families brought their Sunday best to accompany their children on these tours. The streets of Cambridge were packed with tourists snapping selfies in front of the city’s cathedrals and historic buildings.
I walked up to the main entrance of one of the college campuses at Cambridge and kindly asked the lady who was posted up at the main door like a sentry if we can take a trip inside since we were prospective students.
She spoke to us in a genteel tone, which is what I expected from someone who works at the University of Cambridge and then she kneeled down to pet me and scratch the back of my ear.
Me : “Ma’am do you do this to all the university students?”
Lady: “Aww, aren’t you the sweetest?”
Me: “Does this mean that we are enrolled?”
Lady: “I’m afraid I can’t let you in, the sign says no dogs.”
It was at this point that my ally Danny came into my defence, as he should.
Danny: “Ma’am, we are prospective students here, we came all the way from the south of England to do our own tour of the campus. You see, this is no ordinary dog, he is indeed the most well-travelled dog on the planet and now seeks to become the most well-educated and intellectual dog in history and he has chosen to enrol into the University of Cambridge and I will be his flatmate during the semester and we will party hard and study, but probably mostly party. So we demand a tour.”
Lady: “Only guide dogs are allowed, I’m so sorry.”
Danny: “Ma’am are you saying we are not good enough to be students here?”
Danny kneeled down to my level and looked up at the lady
Danny: “See this bow tie? That means he dressed up to 9’s to come here, just for this tour.”
Lady: “That is the cutest bow tie but I’m afraid unless he’s wearing a yellow vest and you’re either blind or deaf then I cannot let you in.”
Danny: “But he is an Englishman, he has the right to go to this university.”
Lady: “Have a nice day.”
Danny: “And I’m from America, I crossed the ocean to study here!”
We walked away, tail tucked in between our legs.
Me: “Well, maybe we can try another campus.”
Danny: “As your travel companion, I advise you to wear a yellow vest and pretend to help me walk around college.”
Me: “I’m not giving up on my Cambridge dream.”
The three of us walked around the city some more, transversing through every church, clock tower, restaurant and bridge.
​​We were determined to keep going until we found a campus that accepted us but we had kept running into walls, which is what I normally do in a literal sense when I run back and forth in our house. But now was the time to stand up for ourselves, I wanted an education, a degree that I can proudly hang up on my wall that has the esteemed pedigree of a university such as Cambridge. More importantly, I had fallen in love with the idea of punting and eating hot dogs for breakfast, lunch and dinner and second dinner.
Danny: “As your travel partner, I advise you to head to nearest pub in the city and drink each bar dry and after that we eat a pizza. What do you think?”
Paula: “Yes.”
Me: “I like the idea and I can’t argue with that, still I feel a bit of a failure for not being accepted or even admitted onto the campus.”
Me: “Beer will make you feel better.”
Me: “Indeed. Let’s go get that pizza and beer.”
​Me: “Well, after a long trip in Cambridge, and an attempt to enrol into University, I can safely say that at least I gave it my best shot. I came in with a rip-roaring attitude, ate hot some hot dogs and punted my way into the heart of Cambridge. Who says dogs can’t be trailblazers? Maybe 20 years from now, we’ll see a Dr. with four paws.”
Danny: “Uhh…yea. So what’s the next trip? Bermuda? St. Petersburg? As your travel partner, I advise you to buy two one-way tickets on the Trans-Siberian Railway and stop in Moscow, Mongolia and finish in China.”
Me: “I’m there.”
Danny: “Paula? Take us to Russia.”
Paula: “Ummm..”
