0:03

Join pilot and adventurer Fernando

0:05

Pinho as he takes you on journeys

0:07

to discover exciting destinations across

0:09

the UK and Europe . You'll fly

0:12

with him to hidden gems and experience

0:14

local culture , from bustling streets

0:17

to serene hideaways , and the best

0:19

places to eat , sleep and

0:21

play . Travel plans with Fernando

0:23

Pinho is more than a podcast . It's

0:26

your ticket to exploring the world and

0:28

its history with a friend who

0:30

navigates both the skies and the

0:32

vibrant streets below . In

0:34

this episode , we're flying to the vibrant

0:37

and historic city of Cambridge

0:39

.

0:40

Hi there and welcome on board for another

0:42

episode of Travel Plans we

0:45

will be talking off in the next few minutes or

0:47

so . In this episode we

0:49

are going to spend a couple of days in Cambridge

0:51

and discover one of the most

0:54

famous universities in the world , founded

0:56

by guess who ? Students

0:58

from Oxford . We

1:02

are going to pack a lot in this episode

1:04

from visiting some of the city's

1:06

most popular landmarks to

1:09

a walking tour that was created as

1:11

an antidote to the endless terrible

1:13

news that we are inundated on a daily

1:15

basis . Also , we are

1:17

going to try some of the most popular

1:20

places to eat and visit one

1:22

of the most serene places in

1:24

this country . This is an episode

1:26

packed with ideas for a great getaway

1:28

with your friends and family . I

1:31

will talk to you again before we reach our destination

1:33

, but for now , sit back , relax

1:36

and enjoy the podcast .

2:20

Welcome back . We are now cruising at 5000ft

2:22

and very soon we will start our

2:25

descent to Cambridge . But first a

2:27

brief and curious introduction to

2:29

this city . Cambridge has

2:31

been an important town since Roman

2:33

times , as it was mentioned on

2:35

their map . Then , in

2:37

the year of 1209 , something

2:39

really interesting happened . A

2:41

group of students from Oxford University

2:44

moved to Cambridge to escape

2:46

the Oxford riots caused by

2:48

the murder of a local woman . Legend

2:51

says that this is the reason why Oxonians

2:53

always refer to Cambridge as

2:55

the other place . Today

2:58

, 31 colleges make Cambridge

3:00

University third-oldest world's

3:02

university in continuous operation

3:04

. It s famous buildings and streets

3:07

attract visitors ,

3:09

and today we are heading

3:11

there to explore it ourselves . As

3:17

of 2020 , 70

3:20

Cambridge Illuminati have won the

3:22

Nobel Prizes . Some of these students

3:24

we re Lord Byron , Charles Darwin

3:26

, Stephen Hawking , Isaac

3:28

Newton and Alan Turing .

3:49

If you are driving , cambridge is only one

3:51

hour away from London by car or direct

3:53

train , but if , like us today

3:55

, you are flying directly , you have two options

3:58

. Cambridge Airport is located

4:00

in town and only 10 minutes away

4:02

from its centre . Alternatively

4:04

, the historical Duxford Airfield

4:06

is located 10 miles to the south

4:08

, and it's a great option . We

4:11

are now preparing for landing and I can't

4:14

wait to be on the ground and explore the city

4:16

.

4:17

November Two Six Two Delta Bravo , cambridge Tower

4:20

continue approach runway Two Three , number one . Two

4:22

Three continuing approach Delta Bravo . N262DB At

4:24

number T , delta Bravo runway 23 , wind

4:26

at 210 degrees one zero knots clear to land .

4:29

Clear to land runway Nov ember , 262 , Delta

4:31

Bravo . And

4:33

here we are on the ground at Cambridge

4:35

Airport . I'm

4:43

very excited to go and explore

4:45

Cambridge .

4:46

City so come along .

5:06

So I just left Cambridge Airport

5:08

. I'm in front of the Cambridge Aero Club

5:10

, where I was welcomed by its team . I

5:13

paid my landing fees and now I'm trying to find

5:15

a way to get to town , and there are

5:17

plenty of options . The easiest

5:20

one is just a bus stop in front

5:22

of the airport . That will take you to town

5:24

in 5 to 10 minutes . You can

5:26

also get a taxi . It's very easy . The

5:28

Cambridge Aero Club team can help you book

5:31

one . But we are in

5:33

Cambridge , and Cambridge has

5:35

often been called Britain's cycle city

5:37

, and you only have to venture out on

5:39

a busy weekday to see why

5:41

. So

5:45

I brought my folding bike on a plane and

5:47

I will use it to explore the city . The

5:50

city is one of the most beautiful cities in the world

5:54

. One in four city residents cycle

5:56

to work . This is the highest level

5:58

of cycling in the whole country and

6:01

most of the city's 40,000

6:03

students hop into the saddle

6:05

to get to their lectures or

6:07

to move around town . There

6:10

are over 80 miles of cycle

6:12

lanes in town . There

6:14

is even a multi-story bike parking

6:16

by the train station with space

6:19

for over 3,000 bicycles

6:21

. It's much loved by

6:23

its users and even some

6:25

local thieves . Ok

6:37

, I just parked my bike . That

6:40

was an experience . It's quite

6:42

fascinating to see so many bikes

6:44

in the town . Let's remind you

6:47

some Asian cities

6:49

where bikes are a

6:51

predominant way of transport . I

6:58

have arrived to Market Square right

7:00

in the city centre . In

7:03

front of me is St Mary's Church and

7:05

it has been standing here since the

7:07

year of 1519 . I

7:10

was told that if you climb all

7:12

the way up to the top you

7:14

have the best view of the whole city

7:16

. So let's give it a go . Hello

7:21

is it seven pounds for an adult

7:23

.

7:23

Yes .

7:23

Can I have one too , please ?

7:26

If you could just join the talent here .

7:28

Thank you very much . So

7:31

thank you those of you waiting . Just a few

7:33

quick points of health and safety . You're going

7:35

up through the small stone doorway . Please do watch

7:37

your heads as you climb , and when you are

7:39

at the top , if others are coming up , you

7:41

will just call through and get you to wake up . So

7:44

this is a spiral staircase that goes

7:46

all the way from the church to

7:48

the top of the tower

7:50

. It's

7:54

very narrow so

7:57

you need to be ready to

7:59

squeeze in between

8:01

columns . Now it's

8:04

so narrow that they operate a one-way

8:06

system , so when visitors

8:08

are going up , nobody can come down , and

8:11

vice versa . This can

8:13

be quite challenging . Step

8:16

60 . You

8:23

might be able to hear my breath

8:25

now . Step 90

8:27

. Step

8:29

100 . This

8:32

is quite a physical

8:34

challenge . And

8:39

here we are 124

8:42

steps . The

8:44

stairs are now clear . Friend , I'm wishing to make

8:46

the way down . Wow , at

8:49

the top of the tower you have 360

8:51

degree views over Cambridge . You

8:54

can see most of their colleges

8:57

, the Guildhall

8:59

, kings Cross

9:01

Chapel and

9:03

even the airport . It

9:06

was well worse the 120

9:09

steps all the way up the tower to

9:11

get here . Cambridge

9:14

is most famous for its university , so people

9:16

who often arrive to Cambridge and will say

9:18

can you please tell me where the campus

9:20

is . The reality is that

9:23

the university is made of 31

9:25

different colleges , so it's fair

9:27

to say that the whole city is

9:29

the university , and most likely

9:32

, wherever you are in town , you will

9:34

be in front of a building owned by

9:36

the university , and the most

9:38

famous of all is Kings College

9:40

Chapel . Let's go down and see

9:42

it closer . This

9:56

is literally a never ending staircase

9:58

. King's

10:17

College Chapel is the most iconic building

10:19

in Cambridge . This Gothic marvel

10:22

opened over 500 years ago . In

10:24

addition to being a place of daily

10:26

worship , it's where new students

10:29

matriculate , where fellows are

10:31

admitted and even where the choir

10:33

performs concerts and records music

10:35

. They even have their own record

10:37

label . I

10:39

can't help but notice that halfway

10:42

through the chapel spires

10:44

there are massive white spikes

10:47

sticking down , spikes

10:49

like those we are used to see to

10:51

get birds away , but

10:53

much , much bigger . They

10:56

are there to stop people from climbing

10:58

the chapel , and you might ask

11:00

why would someone do that ? Well

11:03

, it's Cambridge , the home

11:05

of infamous and clandestine student

11:07

society , the night climbers

11:09

of Cambridge . Over

11:12

the last 100 years , members have been

11:14

climbing buildings , statues , landmarks

11:16

and streetlight posts . In the 50s

11:19

, they even managed to place a car at

11:21

the top of one of the most emblematic buildings

11:23

of Cambridge University , the Senate

11:25

House , just in front of King's College

11:27

Chapel . You

11:29

can find a picture of it in our newsletter

11:32

. The link is in the episode's notes

11:34

. Nothing is dangerous and

11:36

illegal , but don't be surprised

11:38

if you see someone climbing some of

11:40

the most iconic buildings in town . Talking

11:45

about funny and weird , let's

11:48

walk down the road . A

12:05

few meters away from King's College you

12:07

will find one of the most modern

12:09

landmarks in Cambridge the

12:12

Corpus Clock . It

12:14

has cost over £1 million

12:16

to build and involves 200 people

12:18

. It is an interesting and somehow

12:20

controversial piece of art . It

12:23

stands inside what looks like

12:25

a shop window at the corner

12:27

of the Corpus Christi College . The

12:30

dominating visual feature of the clock is

12:32

a grim looking metal sculpture

12:35

of a creature similar to a grasshopper

12:37

. The creators of the clock call

12:39

the creature a chronophage , which

12:42

means time eater . It

12:45

moves its mouse , appearing to eat up the

12:47

seconds as they pass , and

12:50

the message is that time is fading

12:52

away . The clock is eating away

12:54

the limited time each one of us

12:56

has available . I find

12:58

this message quite disturbing . The

13:02

man who paid for the clock is the famous

13:04

former student of the university , john

13:06

C Taylor , and he became very

13:09

rich after inventing something

13:11

that pretty much everyone has at home

13:13

a cordless kettle . Just

13:16

a few meters away from the clock , you will

13:18

find the oldest building in Cambridge

13:20

. The tower of St Benes

13:23

Church is over 1000

13:25

years old , and just in

13:27

front of this church I can see a pub

13:29

I always wanted to get inside

13:31

. Here

13:36

is the RAF1 open

13:38

.

13:38

All the way straight to the end .

13:39

Thank you very much . Thank you . This

13:46

is the Eagle Pub and although I'm

13:48

not a huge fan of pubs , this

13:51

is quite something . The

13:53

Eagle was the preferred drinking spot

13:55

for United States and Royal Air Force

13:57

pilots during the Second World War

13:59

. There were over 50 air

14:01

bases in the region and some pilots would

14:03

head here on their days off . Pilots

14:07

used wax candles and petrol

14:09

lighters and lipstick to write their

14:11

names and squadron numbers in

14:13

the ceiling of the pub . Whatever

14:16

I look , I see a reference to a squadron , to

14:18

a pilot , to an airplane

14:21

, to a crew . It's

14:23

quite a remarkable place and

14:25

it looks more like a museum

14:27

than a pub . To be honest , the

14:30

place is covered in photos and

14:32

memories from those times

14:35

. I'm

14:44

walking towards Pembroke College

14:46

, one of the 31 colleges that

14:48

formed Cambridge University . The

14:50

college was founded by a French woman in 1347

14:54

. Her name was Marie de Saint

14:57

Paul . I chose this college

14:59

for two reasons . The first is

15:01

that it is only one of the few that

15:03

is free to visit . The

15:05

second is that it's one of the oldest

15:07

and its original building still

15:09

stands today , luckily

15:11

for us . It's one of the most beautiful

15:13

colleges in Cambridge . I

15:20

just walk around . Can

15:22

I just walk around ? Well we're at the chapel

15:24

which we'll do it on the end .

15:25

There's no other buildings .

15:27

Thank you very much . Thank you . It

15:33

is actually so serene

15:35

inside one of these colleges

15:37

Now , although

15:39

it's free to come in , you can

15:42

only walk through the gardens and

15:44

visit the chapel . All

15:46

the other rooms and buildings are off

15:48

the limits for visitors

15:51

and tourists . Nevertheless , it's

15:53

a beautiful site and completely

15:56

free . I'm

16:07

now heading towards the banks of

16:09

the river Cam . The river

16:12

cuts through some of the Cambridge's most popular

16:14

colleges King's Trinity

16:16

, claire , queens and St John's

16:18

and that means that the best way

16:20

to see those colleges is

16:22

by taking a boat , also known

16:25

as punting . If

16:27

you aren't familiar with the term , a punting

16:29

is a flat-bottom boat designed for shallow

16:32

rivers like the Cam . A

16:34

boat can take up to 12 people

16:36

and each ticket costs around £50

16:39

. A right a

16:41

45-minute tour might cost over

16:43

£200 for a family

16:45

of four . Instead

16:48

of punting , I'm going to pay £5

16:50

and visit one of the colleges by the river Queens

16:53

College . Hello

16:57

, good morning how are you ? I'm

17:00

good , how are you ? What can I see ?

17:03

You can see the Mathematica Bridge . I

17:05

have left a window open to the Old Downing Hall , which is

17:07

just there . You can see the glass-stayed windows

17:10

and you can definitely go in

17:12

Queens Chapel . Oh , fantastic , but you cannot

17:14

enter any other buildings .

17:15

Perfect . Yeah , makes sense , otherwise

17:18

I'll disrupt everyone . Thank you very much

17:20

. Thank you . So

17:22

for £5 you get quite a

17:25

lot at Queens College , and

17:27

, again , it's the most serene

17:29

place . I'm just walking through a

17:32

tunnel that links

17:34

internal gardens , and

17:38

these gardens are so pristine

17:41

, so beautifully kept . I

17:44

could come here every day with a book and

17:47

just sit down and relax . Queens

17:56

is one of the oldest colleges in town and the home

17:58

of one of the most photographed features in

18:00

Cambridge the Mathematica

18:02

Bridge . This wooden

18:04

structure over the river Cam was

18:07

originally built in 1749

18:09

. And , although it appears to be an

18:11

arch , it's composed entirely

18:14

of straight pieces of timber . This

18:17

is a stunning college . I must say that for

18:19

£5 , this is probably

18:21

the best money you are going to spend in

18:23

town . I've

18:34

been walking in the city centre for

18:36

the last couple of hours and

18:38

the feeling that I get is that Cambridge

18:41

is a small town but with

18:44

much to see and do . Beside

18:47

the sites I have already mentioned

18:49

in this episode , there's so

18:51

much more . The Fitzwilliam

18:53

Museum , the University Botanic

18:55

Gardens and the Catholic

18:58

Art Gallery are just a few

19:00

of the many museums and spaces open

19:02

to visitors . All

19:06

over the city you will find posters

19:08

of music , concerts , plays

19:10

, musicals , talks all

19:13

hosted by the many student societies

19:15

and local communities . Cambridge

19:18

is as vibrant as you can get . And

19:21

now it's time to head to

19:23

the hotel , and I have a great

19:25

suggestion for you . And

19:42

here we are the University Arms

19:44

Hotel . It looks quirky and eclectic

19:46

, but it is luxurious too . First

19:49

opened in 1934 , the

19:52

University Arms is the oldest hotel

19:54

in Cambridge . It all started

19:56

as a coaching inn built

19:58

to provide a resting stop for travellers

20:00

making the journey down to London

20:02

. Bear in mind this was before

20:05

the development of a rail network . It

20:08

has been here for nearly 200 years

20:10

and , thanks to an £80m

20:13

renovation project , today it

20:15

stands more glorious than ever . I'm

20:17

going to enjoy my dinner and the hotel and

20:20

I'll see you tomorrow morning , which , in this

20:22

podcast episode and due to the editing

20:24

magic , means that I'll be back in

20:26

just a few seconds .

20:48

The link is in this episode's notes or the

20:50

website Fernandotodaycom .

21:02

Good morning . That was a

21:04

very peaceful night and I'm

21:06

quite excited for our second day

21:08

in Cambridge . So for

21:11

this morning I have a map of

21:13

the city . There are 14

21:15

locations pin-pointed and I

21:18

am told that each one

21:20

there's a door , but these

21:22

aren't normal doors . They

21:24

are tiny . These are

21:27

miniature sculptures with doors

21:29

and hidden just out of

21:31

plain sight . In Cambridge , they

21:33

are known as the Dinky

21:35

Doors According to

21:37

the artists that designed them . Each

21:40

door has an extraordinary power

21:42

and there are a handful

21:44

of them that I have to try . So

21:48

what's going on here ? Since

21:51

2019 , an anonymous

21:53

couple has been working towards

21:56

their mission of saving the world

21:58

by installing little portals

22:00

throughout Cambridge . They

22:03

are uncle level works

22:05

of art . A tour

22:07

of all the dinky doors is effectively

22:09

a tour of Cambridge . If

22:11

you want to find the doors , there are three

22:14

ways . You can ask people if they

22:16

know where they are . You can also buy

22:18

a printed version of the dinky doors

22:20

tour or , if you prefer

22:22

, you can get it online . The

22:25

first door I want to visit is just

22:27

beside the hotel and it's called

22:29

Dinky Shrinky . This

22:40

is so cute . I'll

22:42

post a photo in our newsletter , but

22:44

effectively , I'm looking at what seems

22:46

to be a tiny set from

22:48

a Wallace and Gromit movie . According

22:52

to its creators , this shrinking device

22:54

has successfully shrunk peas into p'tipois

22:56

, carrots into baby carrots and

22:59

Tom Cruise by one millimeter

23:01

Right

23:03

. I'm going to cycle back to Market Square

23:05

to find one of the most popular dinky

23:08

doors , a teleporting machine called

23:10

teleportomatic , or Tom

23:12

for short . So

23:22

I'm now in Market Square and I'm trying to find

23:24

two phone boxes

23:27

. I believe

23:29

Tom lives in between

23:31

them and

23:39

here it is . This

23:41

culture is easily overlooked

23:43

. It was placed between two

23:45

phone boxes and if you blink

23:47

you will miss it . The

23:49

top measure is no more than 20 centimeters

23:52

or seven inches . Apparently

23:55

, this is the first device in the world that

23:57

makes teletransportation affordable

23:59

. You just need to insert the appropriate

24:02

number of 3p coins into

24:04

the honey control panel , set your

24:06

destination , climb into the

24:08

chamber and off you go . Shame

24:11

, I don't have any 3p coins on me . Now

24:14

this is a dangerous device . Apparently . Reports

24:17

say that we are yet to meet someone

24:19

who has been teleported . They suspect

24:22

most customers just inserted too

24:24

many 3p coins , so please

24:26

be careful . There

24:30

are 14 of these doors spread

24:33

around Cambridge and I can't imagine a

24:35

better way for a family to explore

24:37

the town . I can guarantee

24:39

that children and adults will love

24:41

it . I'm

24:44

going to visit one last door that was inspired

24:47

by the late Stephen Hawking . Look

24:51

at the stars and not down

24:54

at your feet .

24:56

Try to make sense of what you see

24:58

and wonder about what ?

25:00

makes the universe exist .

25:03

Be curious .

25:07

And this door is indeed at my feet , but

25:09

it's a rocket , so I can take

25:11

to the skies . It looks like

25:13

a rocket from Jules Verneauville , from

25:15

the earth to the moon , and apparently

25:18

it's fooled . By rocket I mean rocket

25:20

vegetable . This

25:26

is the most original tour I've ever done . I

25:28

can see why families and children love

25:31

it . Yes , they are very small sculptures

25:33

, but each one of them has a backstory

25:35

. It will make you smile

25:37

and see Cambridge in such a happy way

25:40

. My time in

25:42

Cambridge is coming to an end , but

25:44

before I head to the airport , it's

25:46

time for something I've been looking forward for

25:48

a long , long time . Let's

25:50

step into the bicycle and I will explain why

25:52

. You

26:01

might find it odd , but one of the

26:03

moments I've been looking forward to

26:06

during this trip is a visit

26:08

to a cemetery , and this

26:10

is where I'll be heading now . Now

26:13

, the cemetery is five miles

26:15

away from Cambridge city , and

26:18

to get there you can take a taxi or

26:20

a bus , but this is Cambridge

26:22

, so I'll be cycling

26:25

. I

26:28

was told that the trip will take around 20 minutes

26:30

, but for your comfort

26:32

, I will edit it down to just a few

26:34

seconds . Cambridge

26:41

is now behind me . I

26:44

am leaving town and

26:47

I'm probably halfway now . I

26:51

guess why . Now I'm quite out of town because

26:53

I'm crossing over the

26:56

M11 . Someone

27:03

forgot to tell me that along

27:05

this road there's

27:07

a very steep hill to climb , but

27:11

it will be worth it . Oh

27:40

, wow , I'm

27:44

on the flag post platform . Just by

27:46

the entrance , the United

27:48

States of American flag is at the

27:50

top , overlooking the

27:52

sweeping curves of the burial

27:54

grounds that stretch across

27:56

the lawn . It's

28:00

a powerful moment . Standing here with

28:03

a Cambridge American cemetery and memorial

28:05

, standing on a serene hillside , the

28:08

view of Cambridge in the distance , framed

28:11

by woodlands , its

28:13

breathtaking . From

28:25

where I stand , the great mall

28:27

stretches out with its

28:29

reflecting pools leading the eye

28:31

to the wide , sweeping curve of

28:34

the burial area . It's

28:36

a site that commands silence

28:39

and reflection . This

28:43

is the only American cemetery in the United

28:45

Kingdom . It commemorates American

28:47

soldiers and civilian volunteers who

28:50

died in the Second World

28:52

War . Most

28:55

died in the Battle of the Atlantic or

28:58

the air bombardments of Europe . It's

29:01

a profound reminder of the cost of

29:03

freedom . Over 3

29:05

million Americans crossed the Atlantic to

29:08

the British Isles ready to train

29:10

, prepare and fight . Of

29:13

those , more than 3,800

29:16

are buried here , their

29:19

final resting place on

29:21

foreign soil , testament

29:24

of their bravery , and

29:27

alongside the reflecting pool you

29:29

can find the wall of the missing , listing

29:32

over 5,000 names of those

29:34

whose bodies were never recovered

29:36

. There's

29:42

more to this place than just remembrance

29:44

. A visitor centre offers

29:46

a deeper dive into the stories

29:49

behind the names that

29:51

we see To personal

29:53

accounts , photographs , films

29:56

and interactive displays

29:58

.

29:59

For each of the men and women who battled so bravely

30:01

. This is

30:03

their monument , a

30:05

reminder of their heroism and

30:08

their lives , and

30:10

a legacy that is all around us In

30:13

the freedom we enjoy each day . It

30:16

stands here at the Cambridge American

30:18

Cemetery To

30:20

acknowledge those who fell , to

30:23

honour their sacrifice , to

30:26

remember who they were and

30:28

what they did when the world

30:30

hung in the balance .

30:39

This visit to a place where

30:42

it feels like time stands

30:45

still has been an unexpected

30:47

highlight of my trip . I

30:50

wasn't expecting it to feel it so deeply

30:52

. It's a poignant

30:54

reminder of the price of freedom

30:56

and the enduring bond between

30:59

nations united

31:01

in a common cause , and

31:04

I guess in times like those we live in , it's

31:08

essential not to forget

31:10

. Right

31:15

, it's time to head back to town and

31:17

to the airport . Fortunately

31:19

, my cycle back is all the way

31:21

down the hill . We

31:31

are back on the plane and ready to leave

31:34

the city . To me , cambridge felt

31:36

like a place where we celebrate

31:38

the best of humankind , a place

31:41

where knowledge is constantly

31:43

searched and shared , a

31:45

vibrant town where people from all

31:47

over the world come to study , to work

31:49

and even remember those who fought

31:52

for our freedom . It's a

31:54

relatively small but vibrant and

31:56

international city , which makes

31:58

it perfect for a weekend away with your friends

32:00

or with your family . What a place

32:02

. I hope you enjoyed this

32:05

episode and , if so , please share it

32:07

with a friend . If you want to see photos

32:09

of this trip and a list of suggestions of

32:11

places to eat , to visit and

32:13

sleep , you can subscribe to my newsletter

32:16

at Fernandotoday slash

32:18

forward travel plans . You

32:21

can find a link in his episodes notes

32:23

. See you next time

32:25

for another flight to an incredible

32:27

destination .