Time goes by really fast. We have just finished our third week in Cambridge, and a lot has happened in the last few days. Last Thursday, we went group-punting to explore Cambridge and its countryside. Punting might seem easy at first glance, but you probably have only seen professional punters punt. The actual experience of punting is much different, and surely doing prior research will not help you once you stagger on to the stern to start punting for the first time. A flat-bottomed boat, a punt, and a long metal pole are all you get to move across the River Cam. Yet, you have five supporters on the boat with you, and the time you spend with them, although lengthy, is what makes your first punting experience valuable.
The landscapes of Cambridge were astonishingly beautiful, and we met friendly animal companions on the way (often, David made interesting animal sound to entertain us). Under the bright sun, we shared jokes, competed against other punts-some belonged to strangers, played games, and rested. When we reached our stop near Granchester, we had lunch together and prepared ourselves for our journey back. During the course of the trip, some became experts in punting, and nobody actually fell into the river. We certainly did make mistakes on the way, including few incidents where we lost control and pushed others into prickly bushes but overall, the trip was a success!
Now, let’s move on to a short summary about my weekend trip to London. My two highlights from London are 221B Baker Street and an interactive AI exhibition at the Barbican Center. As an incredible Sherlock fan, I have been waiting for my visit to the Sherlock Holmes Museum. Because sharing pictures of the inside could potentially spoil the experiences of future visitors to the museum, I will include only one picture: one of a Sherlock wax figure. The museum consists of three floors full of surprises and mysteries. I got a Sherlock watch as a souvenir. On my last day in London, I went to the Barbican Center to check out an exhibition called AI: more than human. The exhibition follows an intricate time line that outlines AI development. I learned that AI has close ties to literature and found the starting displays that analyzed Frankenstein and the creation of golems fascinating. These were followed by models of the Analytical Engine and the Bombe. I had a great time accounting their stories to visitors around me-hopefully, they found my mini lecture interesting and not interruptive. In the end, my favorite project from the exhibition was Resurrecting the Sublime, a smell installation. If you go under the floating black box hovering over a large volcanic rock, you will smell something, and this something is the Hibiscadelphus Wilderianus, a flowering tree from Hawaii that became extinct in 1912. The creators of this project analyzed fragrance DNA and encoded gene sequences and enzymes to imitate the tree’s scent, though the exactness of it is arguable. It is quite terrifying and bewildering how the installation invites us to experience something we have both destroyed and resurrected.
My third week away from home gifted me with these fun experiences. I am excited to find more to do around Cambridge and London (I am actually in London right now and will be doing more explorations!).