Sunday, August 1, 2010

Northern England.

So last week we took a trip to Northern England
It was quite the trip. For many reasons.

Our first stop was Chatsworth-- the house where the Duke and the Dutchess live and where they filmed scenes for Pemberly in Pride and Prejudice. It was a little rainy while we were there, but everything was so green and fresh!
 It was a perfect way to start off our trip.
After Chatsworth we headed to Ambleside, which is in the gorgeous Lake District. 
When we got to Ambleside, we pulled up to a cute little youth hostel with an amazing view of the lake. Seeing that this was my first time to ever stay in a hostel, my first reaction was "oh, this isn't bad at all!" But boy was I wrong. We shared a shower and toilet with everyone in our hall (which smelt horrible), and packed 4 girls into a little room with paper-thin mattresses. Our room was basically a sauna because we couldn't open our window due to the infestation of killer spiders outside (and inside).
Needless to say, we didn't spend much time inside.
We played lots of card games out on the dock, hiked through the countryside, went to Dove Cottage (where Wordsworth wrote some of his most famous poems), went on a boat cruise, and explored the town.


The next day we packed our bags and headed to York. On our way we stopped at a few places such as Bede's World (don't ask) and Durham Cathedral (pretty amazing). When we finally made it to York, we checked in to yet another youth hostel. Let's just say this hostel was a lot worse than the one in Ambleside. Our dinner consisted of black pudding (pig's blood), intestine-looking sausage links, and steamed vegetables that were probably sitting out all day. For those of you who know me know I am not a picky eater at all-- but this was just wrong on so many levels. 
That was our first and last meal at the hostel. 
On a better note, I actually really enjoyed the town of York. We went to the farmer's market, shopped, and took a tour of the York Minster Cathedral.
The last day of our trip we went to Fountains Abbey and walked around all the ruins and gardens. 
 I just can't get enough of how gorgeous and green everything is!







The trip was definitely an adventure. 
I loved seeing the country-side of England, but it is so nice to be back in London!

3 comments:

  1. such a great trip! remember to share your acorns!

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  2. I think I envy all the beauty! And greenery...coming from the land of beaches and Pyramids, it only makes sense

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  3. Niki! Just found your fun blog! Looks like you are having a blast in Europe. Mick and I were just talking about how we want to go back. Someday. Live it up!!

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