Students of Berkeley

When I first arrived in Berkeley, I walked straight to the campus. Students were moving to their next class, and the bells from Sather Tower sounded. I headed to Sproul Plaza, which is an area for student groups and organizers trying to recruit volunteers or spectators for their events. But I also found a group of students playing some field hockey.

Later, I walked back to Sather Tower and paid the $2 to go to the top. I saw fantastic views of Oakland, Berkeley and San Francisco. Within a few minutes, I saw university carillonist Jeff Davis enter a booth to begin playing the bells. Making his hands into fist, he pounded the bells for a short concert around noon. It’s something Davis has officially been appointed to since 2000, but he told me he’s been with the university for the last 30 years.

I finished my visit to Berkeley with a stop in the University of California Museum of Paleontology. Walking down the stairs, I saw the cast of a Tyrannosaurus rex. The life-sized recreation is based on a fossil, but unfortunately isn’t real. Still, it looks impressive.