Byron- Proper Hamburgers

We were going into town to go on a Cambridge Ghost Tour, so we thought we would eat before hand. A new restaurant has popped up on Bridge Street in Cambridge. If you are looking for the American burger in the United Kingdom, Byron Burger is the place to go!

It feels like an American diner, as you see in the picture below. It serves American sodas and beers. You can get a root beer float from here! I had a cream soda (proper American cream soda high fructose corn syrup and everything! Okay actually I had two- that ruined my no caffeine rule!) and my hubby have a Brooklyn beer now that he has had a taste while we were in New York City. They serve a range of hamburgers, the American way with American style sides. It was great! Jon is a lover of burgers as it is and I usually eat them when out due to my allergy so we were happy.

They had plenty of staff so you were never waiting too long to be served or get another drink. They were super friendly and attentive. It was a comfortable place to go to. It was also affordable. Not a dinner that will break the bank, just the way I like it!

The sign says Byron- Proper Hamburgers and it is 100% correct! I feel as an American I have the qualifications to make this judgement :) I have a place to go when I am home sick and just need a proper hamburger.

Bridge the Gap Walk

The Bridge the Gap Walk is an annual fund raising event that takes place in Cambridge.

If you are looking for an easy way to take part in an charity event, this is for you.

It is a 5 mile walk that goes through Cambridge and over 10 of the colleges.

It is also a great way to see the colleges for a small price. It has a lovely atmosphere and is something I will take part in year after year.

See you next year!

Maize Maze

The Milton Maze is made out of corn stalks and is open every year. Since this year is the 70th anniversary of the Battle of Britain, the theme is of course the Battle of Britain.

They are open from 18 July to 3 September from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.

Rectory Farm, Landbeach Road
Milton, Cambridge, CB24 6DA.

Spartan Race

The Spartan Race is an obstacle running event. It takes running to a whole other level. There are crawling obstacles, climbing, shocking and fire! It is a great way to switch up your running and see how fit you are!

Cambridge Shakespeare Festival

I always wanted to go to the Cambridge Shakespeare Festival but never got around to getting there until last year. It is one of the best art festivals in the UK and if you buy the season ticket like I did, it makes it more cost effective. I bought two of the season tickets which allowed me to go to 3 plays, each costing £37 and one ticket costing £15 so it saved me £8 in the end. I went with my husband to one, and took some friends to the others. 

This is outdoors so you can bring a blanket and a picnic. It does go on if it rains! There are also some seats but you will have to get there early to ensure that you get one!

I really like it, it makes going to see things like this affordable. I like going to the theatre and I like that these are in the gardens of the colleges in Cambridge.

I think this may be an annual thing for me!

Alzheimer Research Big Walk

Jane and I joined the first Big Walk and really enjoyed ourselves. It was a 10 mile walk from Great Shelford to Cambridge and back. The paths were very easy to walk and I think that this is the perfect distance for someone who is looking for a challenge but doesn't want to overexert themselves. Remember to bring water and put on some sunscreen!

Jesus Green Lido

So the weather in England doesn't always make having an outdoor pool a sensible thing. There are some but the term for an outdoor pool is lido.

In Cambridge, they have the Jesus Green Lido located on Jesus Green. It is a 100m long pool, and is very col because of the size of it but great on a hot day! It is usually open from the late May Bank Holiday to the end of September. Other that this pool, I cannot think any other local outdoor pools in the area.

Madingley American Memorial Cemetery

If you are American, you must visit the Madingley American Memorial Cemetery. Its is best to take it in at a ceremony on Veteran's Day or Memorial Day where they often have a fly by. But it is the most serene place.

This is the only cemetery in the UK dedicated to Americans who fought in WWII. There is a long wall with the names of 5,126 names of those lost in action.  There are four different statues for all the services. and this is inscribed on the top of the wall:

THE AMERICANS WHOSE NAMES HERE APPEAR
WERE PART OF THE PRICE THAT FREE MEN
FOR THE SECOND TIME IN THIS CENTURY
HAVE BEEN FORCED TO PAY TO DEFEND
HUMAN LIBERTY AND RIGHTS
ALL WHO SHALL HEREAFTER LIVE IN FREEDOM
WILL BE HERE REMINDED THAT TO THESE MEN
AND THEIR COMRADES
WE OWE A DEBT TO BE PAID
WITH GRATEFUL REMEMBRANCE OF THEIR SACRIFICE
AND THE HIGH RESOLVE THAT THE CAUSE FOR WHICH THEY DIED
SHALL LIVE ETERNALLY

The Chapel is very nice as well. Inside, there is something for all religions in there. The  stain glass in the windows are of the 50 US stats listed in order of joining the Union. There is a map of the the shipping lanes during the war and bombing targets. On the outside of the chapel, there is a map of the American airfields in the UK during the war. 

There are over 3,800 Americans men and women buried in this cemetery. There are 24 graves that have not been positively identified.

If you need a reminder on why you are stationed here, this is a good one that is not to be missed. It makes me proud to have served my country.

Race for Life

We do a lot of charity walks and runs but some of the best ones are tied to the Cancer Research UK.

The Race for Life are women only events that you can take part in.

Get the family involved!

Plus you get a free pack and water at the end!

London to Cambridge Bike Ride

Jane and I took part in the London to Cambridge bike ride in 2011. It is a 60 mile bike ride that begins with Pickett's Lock (outside of London) and ends at Midsummers Common.

We met some lovely girls from Lakenheath while we were waiting to get on our bus and they must have kept up a good pace as we never saw them again :)

I have been training in the sense that I ride my bike to and from work and around Cambridge. I am also a keen runner so I was hoping that I would be in good enough shape to get me through this.

Jane loves long walks and did cycle for an hour a day leading up to the event.

It was a really great experience. The weather was fabulous. It was so motivating seeing the amount of people who were taking part, especially the people I inspired to take part like Dean (All Star Cleaning, window cleaner for my shop) and the guys I used to work with at Amino.

My father-in-law also took part on the Marshalls team. My husband and a family friend are looking to take part that is if my husband can get a few days off work (he has a arthritis in his ankle due to a work-related accident- 2.5 ton cherry picker falling on his leg) and the family friend has to get the okay after surviving cancer.

I would love to do this again and again.

Looking for a challenge? Get a team together and tackle this :)

Chocolat Chocolat

If you didn't know already, which I am surprised because I talk about it all the time, it is a daily function for me, I am allergic to cow's milk. I found out in 2007 and it has impacted my life ever since. Think about what you ate just today. Cafe latte? Biscuit with your tea? Milk in your cereal or butter on your toast? Cheese in your sandwich? Starting to get the picture? Oh, did anything have whey in it? This is a common filler for the food manufactures and also is a product of milk. I also am unlucky because I am allergic to soya too.

Anyways, I got a message on Twitter from a lovely shop in Cambridge, Chocolat Chocolat (a shop I would instantly avoid, I mean, chocolate and milk go hand in hand, right?), asking  me "what were the weirdest combination of chocolate I had ever had?" I wrote back and said that I was allergic to milk.They informed me that they do a chocolate for people like me! I was so excited because no one ever caters to 'us'. Do you know how many times I have had fruit salad because there wasn't anything else for dessert? I am soooo over fruit salad.

Jon and I were in town for a play and stopped by to see what Chocolat Chocolat had to offer. It is such cute little shop with beautiful chocolates decorating the shelves. It was busy because it was a Saturday but the staff were very helpful, pointing out which ones that I could have. The other thing that also impressed me is that they knew the difference between the allergy and the intolerance.

I got some chocolates and maybe its because I have haven't had chocolate in a long time, they were fabulous. I think this might be my guilty pleasure when I am in town.

Well done Chocolat Chocolat!

Cambridge Beer Festival

Every year the CAMRA (Campaign for Real Ale) holds a beer festival in Cambridge. I wasn't sure what to expect but found the atmosphere to be laid back and got to try Mead (honey based alcohol- traditionally given to newly wedded couple because it was believed that it increases fertility.

You buy a glass to use for the day but if you give it back when you leave, you will get your money back. Be ready for queues but its worth it. Make sure you have a DD and they get free drinks (not very common here!).

Last year they had 200 real ales, 80 ciders and perries, foreign beer, English wine, mead and cheese.

So get a group of you together and try the ales of England.

Cambridge to Ely Walk

The Cambridge to Ely walk is a fairly easy walk, I think that the distance (18 miles) is more a problem than the terrain, it is East Anglia. It follows the River Cam starting from Midsommers Common up to Ely.

This website really gives the walk in great detail but stop in Ely!

Jane and I have walked this several times. I find it best when the weather is good but not too hot!

You can also walk from Ely to Cambridge, either way you will walk by the sailing club I belong to so make sure you wave!

Chariots of Fire

Ever since I heard about Chariots of Fire, I wanted to take part but never could find enough people who were also committed to doing it so when someone at work asked me to join them, I only hesitated long enough to see if I had anything scheduled for that day.

 It is 1.7 mile relay which each team does 6 laps that go through the city centre and through some of the colleges.

I was really excited about participating in this event. After being in the military, I know that this is a great way to get to know your colleagues and feel like a team. I was also presently surprised that Jon was going to come down and cheer me on.

I thought that the organisation was great. It felt like a village event even though Cambridge is a large city. I have never taken part in a relay before but really liked how this was setup because you could cheer the people taking off and the people coming back. It was also great because I saw a few other people I knew.

If you are looking for a team feeling kind of event, this is it!

Big Bike Ride

The Big Bike Ride was going to be a challenge and I knew it. This was the first time that Cambridge did an event like this. It was 201.2 km (125 miles). It started off from Jesus Green and went up North to Doddington through Huntingdon  and swung back through St Neots and then back into Cambridge.


The route was well manned with 5 checkpoints along the way with a van sweep the end to catch people in trouble. They had free food and water along the way which I thought was great as most of the rides I have been on only seem to give it out at the end.

I struggles on this ride. My knee started tpo hurt at mile 40 and I tried to keep going but 25 miles usually takes 1.5 hours but it was up to 2 hours becauseI was going so slow because I was in so much pain. I did not have any pain killers so when I got to the 100 mile checkpoint at 5 p.m. (I thought I would have been finished by then and probably would have been without the trouble of my knee) I had to admit defeat and call my husband to ask him to pick me up.

I hear that they are going to do this again next year and I would like to give it another go.

Burwash Manor

I have heard about Burwash Manor for a while but was not sure what it was. So when I had some time on a Saturday, I thought I would pop in to check out what it is all about.

Burwash Manor is a collection of buildings where they have many of your favourite local shops, Cuckoo and Providence such as  that can be seen in Cambridge. There is also a grocery shop (including butchers), florist, tearoom and a spa.

They also have some nature walks as well, so you could go for a walk around the estate and relax at the tearoom, it would be the perfect day out!

They also have a new shop, Backstitch, which has all of your sewing needs. The prints of the Cath Kidston feel and the prices seemed very reasonable, pity I was not out looking to work on a craft at the moment with the impending house move.

Looking for a nice but slow day, stop here.

Oxford-Cambridge Boat Race

It is no secret that Cambridge and Oxford compete in education but they also have an annual boat race where they battle it out to come out on top.

This year’s boat race is taking place on 6 April 2014 at 14:15. The race is on the River Thames.

The first race started 12 March 1829 and has become a tradition as it comes into its 159th year. The race still follows its historical route and up to 250,000 viewers come to watch it.

I just learned that Hugh Laurie from House took part in the 1980 race.

Cambridge is in the lead 81-77.

So come down and support Cambridge!

Please go to this website that has great information on where you can view the race, where it starts and finishes and more information about its history.

Oxfam Walk

Yearly we take part in the Oxfam Walk if t doesn't clash with one of the other events that we do.

It has varying distances so is suitable for anyone who wants to get out. It is a very well organised event.

I was able to bring Dusty with me this year and he really enjoyed it!

Hope to see you there!

Saving money on days out

I love to get out and about but it can get expensive. Here are ways that I save money on my outings:

1. Become a member. If you are going to going to sights become a member. I recommend doing English Heritage one year and National Trust another. They have different types of sights so they are worth it. Also you get free parking at their locations. Another one that is worthwhile it the Historic Royal Palace Membership. You get into Tower of London ,Hampton Court Palace, Banqueting House, Kensington Palace and Kew Palace.
2. Take advantage of Heritage Open Days. These are every September and sometimes you get to see things that are not open all of the time. They are also free!
3. In Cambridge, there is a Bridge The Gap walk. This is a great way to view the colleges as you get into over 10 for a round £15!
4. Also if you live within 12 miles of the St Mary's Church, you can get into Kings College for £10 for 3 years! You just have to get a resident's card.
5. Go to local events. I love to go when there is a local festival. You don't have to buy anything but I just like to have a wander.
6. Bring a picnic. I usually pack something to eat while I am out and about. Also bring a water bottle, there is always somewhere to fill up. You can even bring food in to the cinema as long as it is not hot.
7. Remember when I said collect your Tescos Club Card  and Nectar points and not use them on food? You get a better value if you use them for days out. I always try to see where we can go on a voucher. 
8. Many museums are free and really good ideas for rainy days!
9. Go for walks, there are so many footpaths, look one up and get out there!

Hope this gets you started on planning your next day out!

Kimx

American to Britain

The Lent and May Bumps

This is another interesting tradition in Cambridge which dates back to the 1820s. For those of you that don’t know rowing is very important in Cambridge University. They have an annual race against Oxford.

The bumps take place in the Late Lent Term and the May Bumps after the May Term. These terms are unique to Cambridge and Oxford as they run based on the Christian Calendar and with the Christian Holidays.

They also have the annual bumps that are races between the colleges.

At the bumps the 17 or 18 boats line up the River Cam from Jesus Green all the way to Baits Bite lock. Once the small cannon is fired, the boats try to bump the boat in front of them before the one behind them bumps them.

The bumps are held over four days and if the boat bumps another boat, they move up in the line on the next day. The starting order is based on the place they finished on the previous year. The crew that moves up 4 spot s or maintain their place at the head of the line will burn a boat at the finale.

If you want to watch the bumps, you can go along the River Cam and do so. It is advisable that you be careful when watching the less experienced teams as they might end up on the river bank. Afterwards you can go to the Plough in Fen Ditton and have a pint and many of the crews might be joining you.

Its traditions like this that make me love England and Cambridge.