Cambridge: The city of DNA, gravity and evolution

I work for Cambridge, so when I took my family there recently, they appointed me as the official tour guide. They believed that working for Cambridge was enough of a qualification. If you work for Cambridge, you must surely know Cambridge. All of it. I thought so too.
Cambridge is one of those names that hardly needs an introduction. Mention it almost anywhere in the world and people immediately think of the University, famous scientists and old colleges. Visiting Cambridge, however, makes you realise that understanding the place is slightly more complicated.
For a start, where exactly is the University of Cambridge? You might expect a grand entrance with a large sign saying, “University of Cambridge. This Way.” Instead, the University seems to be everywhere. Colleges, departments, libraries and university buildings are scattered across the city. You can walk down an ordinary street and suddenly find yourself standing beside a college that has been educating people for hundreds of years. This makes being the family tour guide slightly risky. At some point, confidence becomes more important than knowledge.
The University itself dates back to 1209 and today consists of 31 colleges. The college system can be confusing to visitors because Cambridge is not one enormous university campus. The colleges are communities within the University, while teaching and research also take place in faculties and departments across Cambridge. Once you understand that, everything becomes clear. Well, I mean a bit clearer.
History appears everywhere around the city, and names that we learned at school suddenly become connected to real places. Isaac Newton studied at Trinity College. Charles Darwin studied at Christ’s College. Stephen Hawking spent much of his academic career in Cambridge. The work that helped reveal the structure of DNA is also connected with the city.
What is more impressive is that Cambridge does not seem to make too much noise about its history, as you will notice that extraordinary achievements sit beside cafes, shops and people going about their normal lives. You can be thinking about Newton and gravity while somebody cycles past you carrying their shopping.
And there are bicycles. Lots of them. In many cities, pedestrians worry about cars. In Cambridge, I learned that you should also keep an eye out for a silent bicycle appearing from somewhere behind you. I began to think that maybe cycling should be included in the admission requirements.
Then there is the River Cam. We went punting, which I think is one of the best ways to see some of Cambridge's famous colleges. From the river, you see the beautiful Backs, bridges and buildings while somebody else does the difficult work of moving the boat. This is my preferred form of exercise.
We also saw the Mathematical Bridge at Queens’ College. Despite the stories sometimes told about it, Newton did not design or build it. That is slightly disappointing because attaching Newton's name to almost anything in Cambridge makes the story better. Nevertheless, it is a beautiful wooden bridge and an impressive piece of engineering.
Another favourite was the Corpus Clock, with its strange creature sitting above it. The creature is called the Chronophage, which literally means 'time eater'. It appears to eat the seconds as they pass. Most clocks tell you the time. Cambridge has one that reminds you that your time is disappearing. Very encouraging when you are on holiday.
For me, however, this visit was different from an ordinary sightseeing trip. Cambridge is also connected to my working life, through Cambridge University Press & Assessment.
Taking my family there allowed me to show them a place they had heard me talk about many times. Suddenly, 'Cambridge' was not just the name appearing in my emails and meetings. It was a real place we were walking through together. I saw it differently this time too.
We sometimes become familiar with names without really thinking about the places and histories behind them. Cambridge is famous for academic excellence, but when you visit, you discover something beyond rankings and famous names. It is a living city where centuries of scholarship exist alongside tourists taking photographs, families eating by the river, students rushing somewhere, and, bicycles trying to run everybody over.
My family expected me to know more than I did, but fortunately, Google exists. By the end of the visit, I had learned something myself. I had gone to Cambridge thinking I was taking my family to see a place connected to my work. Instead, they helped me look at it again as a visitor.
I work for Cambridge, but do I now fully understand Cambridge? I think so, but just please don't ask me which college that building belongs to.