The Lake District and York

What are men compared to rocks and mountains? - Pride & Prejudice


Last weekend my busiest yet, and I am happy to report that I had a wonderful time! After a long week of school and deadlines, it was nice to get away for a bit and have some more adventures. On Saturday morning I woke up early (funny how that is never a problem when I go somewhere fun!) and set off to meet the bus headed for the Lake District. I had thoughts of Beatrix Potter, William Wordsworth, and Coleridge floating in my mind all day. This was the place that has inspired many authors over the centuries and I was finally going to walk in their legendary footsteps. When I first began to see the mountains I was in complete awe. It was more beautiful than I could have ever imagined, and my pictures really don't do it justice. I took this picture when we stopped at our first destination: Bowness-on-Windermere...

All the villages that we stopped at were on the outskirts of Lake Windermere, which is the largest natural lake in England. I traveled with two other girls that I met on the bus, Caitlyn (from the U.S.) and Beatrice (from Austria). They were also going on the trip on Sunday to York, so we decided to see the sights together, which made it all the more fun! I have to admit, there was only one thing I cared about seeing in Bowness, other than the beautiful scenery. Beatrix Potter was and still remains to be a big influence on why I like to write and the limitless possibilities of the imagination....

While this wasn't her home and farm, it is the closest I will come to it on this trip, so I couldn't pass up this opportunity! After a short movie about her life and the characters she created, I literally stepped into the magical land that she created in her books like The Tale of Peter Rabbit. I can only describe this place as a fairytale land! Replicas of all her characters were situated in scenes that looked like they jumped from the pages of her books. Here is Squirrel Nutkin and friends...

After we left The World of Beatrix Potter it was time for a traditional English pub meal. And I have to say... I absolutely loved it! Rather than go for the classic Fish and Chips, I decided to go with Chicken and Mushroom Pie, which is another popular dish here that I had yet to try. I was expecting something like a pot pie, and it was - but with a twist! When it came to me piping hot I just had to snap a picture before I tucked into it...

Can you say yummmm? :) It was amazing, and that pretty much ended our short time in Bowness. After loading back onto the bus we headed to Ambleside, which was just a short distance away. There wasn't anything in particular of interest to me there, so our group hiked up a mountain (luckily I was wearing my boots!) to take a picture of a popular local waterfall. It was a difficult walk, but well worth it in the end....

After getting onto the bus - yet again - we headed to Grasmere, home of William Wordsworth. I think this small village was in the most perfect spot. At the base of many mountains, tucked into a tiny area surrounded by farms and sheep, was the final resting place for two of my most favorite authors. William Wordsworth wrote several books of poetry in his time, but I love the writings of his sister, Dorothy, just as much as his. She wrote about the beauty of nature and God in such a delicate way. If you haven't read her journals, I highly recommend them. Here is a picture looking out on the countryside in Grasmere...

This was my last stop in the Lake District, so it was back to Manchester and the big city once more. This area of England is so vast, that I could spend weeks discovering every inch of it. It is definitely a place I will have to come back to some day. There is still so much more to see!

After a very restful night (with not nearly enough sleep!) I was up and at it early again! Sunday morning I climbed onto the bus and set out to explore the amazing city of York. All I can say is... wow! This is the first thing I saw when we rolled into town...

Perched atop this hill is Clifford's Tower. It was originally built in 1068 by order of William the First as his castle in the north. Everywhere I go I am surrounded by so much history. I think I'm learning more here than in any history class I have ever taken! My group decided to tour the York Castle Museum, where we saw some pretty interesting things! This is a dress from the early 1900's, and it reminds me of my favorite program right now, Downton Abbey...

After visiting the museum we made our way to one of England's Seven Wonders, the York Minster. It is one of the largest gothic cathedrals in England, and I was in awe at the sight of it. My pictures really do not do it justice, but I attempted to capture at least a portion of it...

We decided to test our endurance skills and climb the tower, everyone said it had the best views of York - and they weren't kidding! 275 spiraling and claustrophobic steps later, we were exhausted, but looking at an amazing view. You could see for miles and one sign even said that you could see the outskirts of London (very) far off in the distance. This was one scenic view we were lucky to behold...

We decided to spend the rest of the time just looking around town and taking in the city. Here is a picture of the River Ouse that goes straight through the city...

And thus ended my extremely exhausting - but unbelievably fun - weekend. I feel refreshed now that I got to do a bit more traveling, and it was able to sate my appetite until next week when I head to Scotland! I am very much looking forward to visiting Edinburgh Castle (not to mention seeing men in kilts!) so I will be sure to take plenty of pictures while I am there. Until next time! :)

Flat Hannah's Corner

What can I say? Flat Hannah and I had a fantastic weekend exploring England. She loved the Lake District just as much as I did, and wanted to stay there but - alas - I made her come back to Manchester with me. Here is a picture of her on a bridge near St. Oswald's Church in Grasmere, England...

Flat Hannah also loved the castles in York. As we were leaving I just had to take a picture with her and Clifford's Tower....

We are both looking forward to our adventures in Scotland next week, but mustn't get too ahead of ourselves. There is still plenty of homework to be done in the meantime!

Cheers!

Back by Popular Demand

Greetings from the land of eternal studying!

Before I go into what I have been doing lately, I want to say a big thank you to everyone that has sent me parcels, cards, and letters over the last month and a half! I read these cards and letters pretty much every day, and I think it has helped fend off homesickness. I'm very blessed to have such amazing and thoughtful people in my life, thank you all so much!! Here is my card display in my room that many of my flatmates have commented on...

I know I have been silent for quite a long time, but rest assured that it is not because I have been bored. School has been keeping me very busy lately, so much so that I have barely had the time to talk to anyone. I love all of my classes, but really regret taking three literature courses all at once. Reading three novels a week is getting old! I have a presentation on the poetry of Coleridge tomorrow morning, and then another presentation Monday in my Irish Literature class. All this work is making my time go very quickly, and it's hard to believe that my classes are almost half over! Speaking of which...

You know how in the spring semester we have Spring Break? Well here in the fall they have Reading Week. It's when you are supposed to catch up on all your reading, start working on your essay's, focus on your schoolwork...

Forget that! I'm going to Scotland! November 2-4 I will be exploring the great city of Edinburgh with one of my flatmates, Cheryl (Flat Hannah will introduce you in a bit). One of our definite stops will be Edinburgh Castle and by the way - I'm taking kilt orders now. I'm prepared to finish all the Christmas shopping for the men in my family at a neat kilt shop there. :) Who knows? Maybe I'll even come home with a bagpipe. What? I might want to learn someday...

I am looking forward to this weekend, because I will finally get to visit the destination I have long dreamed of exploring: the Lake District. Home to William Wordsworth, Beatrix Potter, Samuel Taylor Coleridge, and John Ruskin, to name a few. The day trip stops at several different towns, so hopefully I will have some beautiful pictures to share (weather permitting - as always!).

Sunday I am taking another day trip, and this time to the city of York. I have several items on my agenda there, but I'm really just looking forward to satisfying my inner traveler and explore someplace new. I love Manchester, but I'm ready to go somewhere new for the weekend (besides staying in my study dungeon - I mean my room).

That is all for now, I will hopefully have much more news and exciting pictures this weekend. I am off to the gym and then to study for the rest of the night. I hope you are all doing well! It will be Christmas in Kansas City before I know it!


Flat Hannah's Corner


I have to admit. Flat Hannah has been a little irritated with me lately. As some of you know we were supposed to take a trip to Stratford-Upon-Avon (home of Shakespeare) at the beginning of the month, and due to unforeseen circumstances (and an irritating typo) we missed our bus and were not able to go. Needless to say she was very disappointed.

But nothing gets Flat Hannah down for long, and she has become quite the social butterfly at Saint Gabriel's Hall. While I'm off attending class she is most likely watching Jane Austen movies in the TV room or playing Band Hero and Just Dance on the Nintendo Wii. Here is a picture of Flat Hannah with one of our flatmates, Cheryl, who lives just across the hall from us...

Cheryl is from Singapore and she is in her first year of study for Maths and Physics. She is hilarious and always seems to be awake - no matter what time of day - so Flat Hannah and I are usually socializing with her and the other girls that live around us. There are bound to be many funny adventures when we all pack up and go to Scotland for a few days!

Cheers!