Two Winter Days Walking Around Cambridge

I spent a couple of days in Cambridge in early January. When I arrived, the weather was surprisingly bright for winter, with a sharp blue sky and scattered clouds. The light caught the intricate details on the historic college buildings, a mix of red brick and carved stone that looked imposing and impressive.

As I wandered away from the main university center, the sky turned to a more uniform grey. I ended up on Orchard Street, where I saw a house on a corner almost completely encased in a massive, dormant vine. Its thick, bare branches twisted across the brickwork and around the windows. It was a striking, almost sculptural sight against the overcast sky.

The narrower back streets had a different feel altogether. I walked along one lane lined with a long, continuous row of brick houses with tiled roofs and dozens of chimneys. A few other people were out walking, but it was quiet. It felt like a more lived-in part of the city, away from the grander, more public-facing architecture.