Lake District cont'd

"I can't buy a watch here, it'll be on England time."

Lauren and I were in no real hurry when we got up for our last few hours in Edinburgh before starting our England portion of the trip in the Lake District. I was still a little upset about seeing the end of the Haggis tour, but I was going to try my best not to let it spoil the day.

It's a funny thing they say about traveling through the UK. Everyone who's been here says that if you're going to visit Scotland and England, start in London and work your way north, instead of the other way around as we've done. I always thought that that was because the Highlands were not much to see and it was better just to take a quick tour right before going home. I thought that is was because the English countryside was so beautiful that there was no way you could possibly wait until the end of your trip to see it. I though I had outsmarted everyone by going to see Scotland (which was really just what Lauren had wanted to see anyway) first, but I'd thought wrong.

Now don't get me wrong. England is an absolutely beautiful country, and I'm getting very excited at the prospect of seeing more of it, but I am so completely in love with the Highlands and today it just seemed like not much else could compare. It also doesn't help that the Scottish have a particular opinion of the English which they like to voice rather loudly, and going to England after hearing it for six days straight kind of makes you feel like you're making friends with the enemy.

Despite my disposition, I think we've had a good day in the Lake District (I'd have to consult Lauren's journal to see if she felt otherwise...). Actually, what I should have said is that we had a good day in Ambleside. The Lake District is a huge national park which one would need weeks to fully explore, and since we only had one day we had to choose one small town and see it fully instead of trying to cram everything into an impossible amount of time.

We actually didn't even arrive into Ambleside until 1 p.m., but it was a beautiful day and we decided to take advantage of it as much as we could. We stayed at a Backpacker hostel owned by an elderly couple. It's location was central and the rooms were very clean, so we were pleased. Upon arrival we unloaded our bags and headed to reception to ask the usual questions (were is the nearest grocery store, what time is lock-out, are there any special events going on at all etc. etc.). They were very kind and provided us with a map of one of the footpaths to take through the countryside. Still not completely civilized from our trip through the Highlands, Lauren and I both jumped at the chance for some fresh mountain air. We chose one which was recommended by the hostel and headed out to enjoy the sunshine.

First we got our lunch at a SPAR, a kind of mini-grocery store they have over here, and explored the town looking for a place to eat it. We wound up on a bench in an outdoor patio sort of area, and enjoyed our baguettes and pasta salad while watching dogs and young children chase pigeons around the square.

Our walk was long and scenic, which was exactly what we had been hoping for. It took about two hours to complete, and though it was nowhere as rigorous as some of our previous outdoor escapades, it was a beautiful walk through woods, past a waterfall and even into farmers' fields! It took me a while to warm up to this place, which I originally though was trying to be like the Highlands and was simply not succeeding. I realized later (after we'd left) that it's just different, and perhaps I hadn't given it enough of a chance. It has now become one of those places I feel I need to go back to for a week or two, exploring every crevice its natural setting has to offer.

Our walk was followed by a little window shopping in town. Lauren spotted a geology store and looked like she'd found a little piece of Heaven. The two of us looked around there for a while, both marveling at the interesting fossils and stones as well as looking for potential gifts for those at home. We came out empty-handed,but it was still a really neat experience. Finally, before stopping by the hostel to change for dinner, we visited the Old Mill, the one thing Lauren had really wanted to see in the village of Ambleside, and snacked on some fudge we'd bought before going on our walk.

Dinner was had at 'Pippin's,' a little café Lauren and I had read about in one of our guide books, and decided we must dine at simply because of the name. It had no Lord of the Rings connection, at least none that we could see, but it was still pretty neat, especially because their lunch special was mushroom soup :). Lauren and I wound up splitting a pizza and had a decent and fairly cheap meal.

Coming back from dinner we met out second roommate, and Aussie who was taking part in a hop-on-hop-off Haggis tour through England. She was a school teacher who looked as though she'd going all summer and still had a few weeks to go. She had that sort of 'traveling-too-long' way about her that I've seen in a few people since being over here. It's that kind of mood where you feel like you've seen and done everything, and not much will surprise you anymore. Seeing the two of us, fresh-faced from our trip to Scotland, I think she got a little impatient with our incessant ramblings about our trip so far, especially when we found out she was doing a Haggis tour.

Our other roommate, a second grade school teacher from the States, was very nice, although she was a little frustrated with the weather (it had rained the two days previous to our arrival). Despite this though, she was very much enjoying her time overseas. We had met her after coming back from our walk.

The both of them looked like they were just about ready to go to bed by the time we got dressed and were ready to go out to the pub. We'd seen an advert for karaoke in front of one of the pubs on the main street, and though we didn't quite have the confidence we'd had in Loch Ness to actually go up and sing anything, we were quite happy with going to watch other people make fools of themselves!

On our way out we met a few boys who were staying at the hostel. At first they looked as though they might be up for a party, but after talking with them for a few minutes they told us they were actually stranded in the Lake District, and had been there for almost three weeks. They were apparently having trouble getting their money out of the British Banks, and were staying at the hostel for free because of the kindness of the owners, scrounging food where they could. I almost felt sorry for them until someone came out with a piece of cake for the two of them, and they got a little too excited about it for my taste! Lauren and I quickly excused ourselves and continued on our way.

The pub was fun. We were a little bored at first because all the people stepping up to the mic were actually good! Where's the fun in that?? After a while, though, we met a couple of English women who were up for the weekend with some friends (who they had eventually lost). We chatted for a while, and when the smoke and the volume got too high for any of us to bare, we headed out, talking until we had to split up to get to our respective hostels.

Lauren and I went straight up to bed when we got back, but it would be a while before we'd actually get any sleep. This was partly because of the family with screaming kids running through the halls past midnight, and partly because the Haggis tour group, which was staying at the hostel, came in at 1 a.m. with absolutely no respect for those who were obviously trying to sleep. It was the first, and hopefully the last, time I had to use my earplugs.