One of the perks of having an international group of friends is that they are always keen to travel, even if it’s just a day trip. So when I floated the idea of visiting Cambridge one weekend, no one complained.

Six of us picked a random Saturday in January, got on to the train, and in less than two hours we were in picturesque Cambridge.

I definitely have a soft spot for university towns. And this one is creme de la creme of university towns (no disrespect intended to my beloved Aarhus). I can totally picture myself as a student at Cambridge: riding a bike through historic quarters, studying Classics at one of the colleges, punting on the weekends, surviving the legendary May balls… ok back to reality. I am just a tourist in this town, but it is a fantastic town to be a tourist in.

We were strolling around, taking in the city and… then it started snowing!

Not the usual two-drops kinda snow that England normally gets but proper, stealthy snow. When you and your friends hail from places like Canada, Denmark and northern Germany, snow can make you very happy. Until it starts making you very cold, at which point we sought refuge inside the famous Eagle. The Eagle’s claim to fame is that it was the RAF hangout during the second world war, and the place where DNA was discovered.

Later in the day, we got accosted by Cambridge Alumni Tours outside Kings College and decided to take a walk with the lovely Jess. She took us around many campuses at Cambridge and told us amusing stories about all of them. If the weather wasn’t so miserable (not snowing at this point; just gross cold and wet) I would have certainly enjoyed Jess’s Cambridge tales even more.

After all that walking and sight-seeing, one needs a drink, right? So we headed down the newly revamped the Vaults on Trinity Street. And we got there right in time for happy hour.

The laid back ambience, friendly staff, and comfy couches made me feel like I was right at home. (And not just because it is my flatmate’s bar!)

We had a pre-booked train back home to London so we had to chug back the last round of drinks and stride over to the station. Top topic of conversation on the way back: how we’re definitely coming back in summer!