Everywhere there are teashops, some in modern and many in old buildings, reached by climbing narrow stairs. The streets are narrow and crowded, and here and there among the modern shops and offices a quiet opening tempts one away from the rush of the shopping center. There is a great deal of bicycle traffic, mainly undergraduates who race along thoughtless of safety, with long scarves wound round their necks. Continuing on the way to the river which flows behind the College buildings and curls about the town in the shape of a horseshoe. This narrow river is the Granta, and a little farther on it changes its name to the Cam. It flows slowly and calmly. The "Backs", as this part of the town behind the Colleges is called, have been describe as the loveliest man-made view in England. It is indeed beautiful. To the left, across the stream, there are no buildings, merely meadows, College gardens and lines of tall trees. Everything is very green and peaceful. On the river-bank are willow trees with their branches bending into the water, and at intervals along the river, stone bridges cross the stream and lead into the Colleges which line the right bank. The deep-colored brick or stone of the College walls, sometimes red and sometimes grey, is 500 years old. The walls rise out of their own reflection in the water and their color contrasts charmingly with glimpses of the many green lawns. The Colleges join one another along the curve of the river. Going through a College gate one finds one is standing in an almost square space of about 70 yards known as a "court".