Upland in the University city of Cambridge

By Feax21 | Publish0x Writing Contests | 27 Jun 2021

About Upland

Upland is an EOS blockchain-powered metaverse similar to SandBox virtual world that allows users to own virtual properties that are mapped to real-world addresses. In fact, each property block is a unique NFT (Non-fungible token) that can be bought, sold, and traded for profit using the in-game native token called UPX. And these NFTs can be considered valuable and rare - for example, the NYSE building in Manhattan was auctioned for 23,000,000 UPX, or $23,000 USD.

Since the initial launch of Upland in the Greater San Francisco area, the metaverse has been expanded in major USA metropolis such as the New York City and the Chicago Metropolitan Area, but also in Oakland, Fresno, Bakersfield and Cleveland. However the increasing popularity of the metaverse around the world made many Uplanders dreaming that the Upland metaverse will be expanded in their location as well.

In my first 2 articles about Upland, Upland Californication and Clovis Upland Californication, I demonstrated my first steps into Upland gaming combined with my admiration for Californication. However due to the recent writing contest of Publish0x, I have also started considering a future with Upland landing in the United Kingdom and in the University city of Cambridge, where I have moved from Greece many years ago for work and I treat anymore as my 2nd birthplace. The big question that was set in the new #MyUplandCity Writing Contest with 1500 ETH in rewards was:

Why should Upland open in your city?

So I have decided to include this article with the main reasons why Upland should landed in the University City of Cambridge in the United Kingdom. i have included various facts about Cambridge that I have found on the web since I am not a city historian (see references) and various photos about Cambridge from my personal collection. Please don't forget you can tip the article twice every 24 hours.

If you use this link, Upland will award you with a bonus for your first purchase https://r.upland.me/vDhG

About Cambridge, UK

According to Wikipedia, Cambridge (Old English: Grantebrycge) is a university city in Cambridgeshire, England, 55 miles (89 km) north of London. According to the United Kingdom Census of 2011, the population of the Greater Cambridge area was 158,434 citizens from which 29,327 has been students studying in the local Universities. Interestingly, Cambridge didn't even officially become an official municipality until 1912 when it was merged with the adjacent parish of Chesterton situated on the North bank of the Cam River, and it was just a wide University campus area. Apart from being a major global academical center, Cambridge is also the heart of the Silicon Fen with hi-tech, electronics, software and pharmaceutical multinational corporations and start-ups companies having their research centres at the Cambridge Science Park, Business Park and St. John's Innovation Centre at the north edge of the city. Cambridge also hosts the Cambridge Biomedical Campus, and the Wellcome Sanger Institute.

REASON 1: UNIVERSITY OF CAMBRIDGE

Although Cambridge was a significant market town since the Roman and Viking ages, the city experienced its major expansion boom, fame and wealth after the foundation of the University of Cambridge in 1209 by several University of Oxford professors that fled Oxford following the unjustified execution of 3 of their colleagues accused for the murder of a woman.

Map of Cambridge in 1575. Image Source

King's College Chapel from Magdalene road. Personal Photo

The official formation of the University took place in 1231 when Henry III granted to the University a royal charter providing it the right to discipline its own members (ius non-trahi extra) and an exemption from some taxes when Oxford University was granted similar rights in 1248. After endorsements from 3 Popes (Pope Gregory IX, Pope Nicholas IV, Pope John XXII) who were serving a kind of Planet-Men in today analogy, Cambridge became the main academical hub of researchers from every other European medieval university to gather, study and give lecture courses.

King's College Chapel from King's Parade road. Personal Photo

Entrance to King's College and King's College Chapel. Personal Photo

Today, the University of Cambridge is considered the wealthiest University of the world and it is being consisted by 31 semi-autonomous colleges founded by British Royals such as Henry VII who founded the Trinity College in 1546. Famous Cambridge University scholars include Charles Darwin, Isaac Newton, James Clerk Maxwell, Lord Kelvin, Lord Rayleigh, Lord Byron, John Harvard (who established the Harvard University in Cambridge Massachussets) and more recently the famous astrophysicist Stephen Hawking.

Statue of Henry VII in Trinity College. Personal Photo

The buildings of the university include King's College Chapel in Kings Parade road, the Cavendish Laboratory, the Cambridge University Library, The Fitzwilliam Museum, The Cambridge University Press which is the oldest press establishment in Europe, the Museum of Archaeology and Anthropology and the Sedgwick Museum of Earth Sciences. Apart from the University of Cambridge, the city also hosts the Anglia Ruskin University, which evolved from the Cambridge School of Art and the Cambridgeshire College of Arts and Technology, the Cambridge Regional College and the Westcott house Theological School.

A contemporary map with Cambridge's main attractions can be found bellow and afterwards a collection of some personal photos from Cambridge. No matter how many photos i would have uploaded, the magic atmosphere of the University city of Cambridge can only be experienced only if you visit the city on your own.

Cambridge Top Attractions Map. Image Source

Personal Photo

Senate House. Personal Photo

Senate House Passage. Personal Photo

Christ's College. Personal Photo

St. Mary the Great Chapel. Personal Photo

St. John's College. Personal Photo

The Entrance of St. John's College. Personal Photo

REASON 2: THE RIVER CAM AND THE RIVER CAM BRIDGES

The river Cam is the river flowing across the city of Cambridge. According to wikipedia, the river Cam runs in the Cambridge Valley (of a rather flat East Anglia region) for around 69 kilometres (43 mi) from its furthest source in Essex to its North East confluence with the Great Ouse river that connects the river Cam to the North Sea at King's Lynn National Reserve according to the following map.

Map of River Cam flow in Cambridge Valley. Image Source and ArGIS version Image Source

A peculiar claim of fame for Cambridge is the fact that it is perhaps the only city in the world that has retrospectively named its own river instead of being named by the river! As the city was built on the banks of a river, originally called the Granta River, Cambridge was initially called "Granta Brygg", that was evolved into "Cambridge" as a result of different pronunciation by its visitors, and as a consequence the river was also named as River Cam. The confusion remains though until today as many consider that the river is the "Granta" above the famous Silver Street Bridge (in Cambridge) and the "Cam" below it.

View of the river from the Silver Street Bridge "where Granta River meets River Cam". (Personal Photo)

Characteristically, in the "The Reeve's Tale" from Geoffrey Chaucer's Canterbury Tales someone can read in old English:

At Trumpyngtoun, nat fer fro Cantebrigge,
Ther gooth a brook, and over that a brigge,
Upon the whiche brook ther stant a melle;
And this is verray sooth that I yow telle:
A millere was ther dwellynge many a day.

View of River Cam. (Personal Photo)

Famous College Bridges in River Cam

The Clare College Bridge is the oldest bridge in river Cam, built in 1640 by Thomas Grumbold. Personal Photo

The Kitchen Bridge at St. John's College. (Personal Photo)

The Bridge of Sighs is a covered bridge at St. John's College that was built in 1831 by Henry Hutchinson as a replica of the Bridge of Sights in Venice. (Personal Photo)

The Mathematical Bridge is a popular wooden bridge connecting the Queen's College. It was built in 1749 after a design by William Etheridge. (Personal Photo)

REASON 3: CAMBRIDGE MAIN CULTURAL EVENTS

Cambridge is the epicenter of many cultural events around Cambridge both for the locals, the Cambridge Universities students and the visitors. These events include the Strawberry Fair Music and Arts festival and Midsummer Fair that are held on Midsummer Commons, the Big Weekend Multicultural Festival in Parker's Piece, the Cambridge Beer Festival that takes place on Jesus Green, the Mill Road Winter Fair, the Cambridge Science Festival with a month full of scientific lectures and seminars, the Cambridge Art Festival and Fair and Open Studios Day.

Strawberry Fair

The Strawberry Fair Music and Arts Festival that takes place every June on MidSummers Commons and has it's origins in the market medieval history of Cambridge when the trade of strawbbery every June was a major commercial event. Image Source

Cambridge Big Weekend

Image Source

The Big Weekend main stage in 2018. The Big Weekend takes place every July on Parker’s Piece at the heart of Cambridge and includes a combination of top and local multicultural singing performers and musicians, a diverse multinational street food market, community games, educational activities, fireworks, and lots of family-friendly entertainment. More photos here [https://www.heart.co.uk/cambridgeshire/events/cambridge-big-weekend-2018/]

Mill Road Winter Fair

Image Source

The Mill Road community, a multinational neighbourhood of Cambridge organizes the Mill Road Winter Fair. Held on the 1st Saturday of December in the heart of winter instead of being a summer festival, the Mill Road Winter Fair is a celebration of community and culture respect in the diverse and vibrant roads of Mill road bringing together local multicultural businesses and organisations, musicians, artists, dancers and visitors in a one day festival.

The Mill Road Bridge with graffiti flags from countries all over the world represents the diverse and multinational ground of the neighbourhood. Image Source

Cambridge Open Studios and Art fair

Handmade Open Studios Exhibition sign by "Andy Taylor" in Waterbeach, on the outskirts of Cambridge. Personal Photo

During the July's weekends, artists and painters of Cambridge, open their studios to the public for a free excibition of their art and paintings. Image Source

Image source

Personal Photo

Since Feax21 is a strong supporter of Satoshi Nakamoto's vision for remaining anonymous in the crypto world, I normally prefer to keep my identity hidden too. No i am not the real Satoshi Nakamoto either. However, only because it has been requested for the #MyUplandCity Writing Contest, I will add one of my photos since my initial landing in Cambridge few years ago. Ever since, due to work obligations, I rarely visit the historical Centre of Cambridge and the touristic landmarks anymore so I couldn't find a recent one however, I really enjoy myself here how much younger he looks in 2013.