The Lake District

Friday morning dawned without having seen the underside of my covers. Two papers lay on the kitchen table, for the most part finished, but unedited. Flapjack crumbs, a coffee mug, 7 books, a laptop and a notebook were strewn over almost half the table. It was 6.30 am; but the papers were done and soon to be on their way to be marked, and I was on my way to the Lake District. I threw together two backpacks full of clothes and books and waiting for 8.30 to roll around. It finally did and with it came a British 15 passenger van. 

This van looked comfy enough from the outside, but each seat was like a rock. The headrests were too high for any normal-sized person and angled forward, causing those of us of average height to either sit with our necks either slightly forward or scrunched down so as to be relatively upright. Yet after an all nighter sleep was the only thing on our minds. So sleep we did, awkwardly as it was, and woke up almost as nonplussed as if we had just stayed awake. 

The first stop on our trip was Kenilworth Castle. This massive ruin of red stone used to be the palace of Robert Dudley, 'lover' of Queen Elizabeth I. It was wrecked during the civil war and was never rebuilt. It was beautiful though, with great open areas of grass that had once been the halls of the aristocracy. The wind was on full-blast however, and promptly froze our hands, urging us to move on. 

We re-boarded the now dreaded vans to continue our journey. A few more hours and a gradually increasing lumpy landscape later we arrive in Keswick. Keswick is a small town in the Lake District chock-full of B&B's and sports-wear shops. The main stretch was very quaint and the surrounding countryside just gorgeous. It is very hilly and there are a few 'mountains,' which a friend and I re-dubbed 'hillmounts,' to reflect their status a little better. 

After a relaxing night enjoying each other's company and a real bed rather than a cold window, we wake up to the best showers since arriving in England. The water pressure is almost too high and the water a constant temperature of steamy warmth. A few of us from my house met for coffee and ended up with the beginning of "Cake Day." We found a cute little bakery with all manners of sugary, buttery goodness and decided to bring a few back to the house to enjoy. A few cups of coffee and tea later, we all take naps. 

The rain we had trudged through that morning was still going when we piled back into the vans to go see Wordsworth's most inspirational dwelling, Dove Cottage. It is a small, dark place on the inside and bright and cheery on the outside, despite the continuous drenching. There was a planned hike afterwards which I skipped on the grounds of keeping my camera dry and myself pneumonia free. Those who did go came back completely soaked yet with stories of how awesome the flooded trails were. I opted for another nap and felt completely satisfied with my decision. 

After another night of good food and good company it is Sunday morning, appropriately sunny and warm. We attend an Anglican service and then retire back to the houses for lunch and. . .naps. Then it is time for a ferry ride across the lake and a quick walk through the country and back to town. Well, the ferry ride was quick, but the walk was not. It turns out it was really a hike of 7 miles and a few hours. But it was beautiful; there were sheep and a waterfall, stone cottages and emerald glens. It was also a good warm-up round for the next day.

I woke up early on Monday morning to join 6 other people for a hike up the third tallest peak in Britain, Helvellyn. This post would be even longer if I went into the type of detail needed to describe my experience hiking. So let me just say that it was amazing, stunning, heart warming and wrenching, rejuvenating, a test of endurance, windy, gorgeous and the best use of a vacation day I have ever had. There is no option on the top of a mountain but to feel absolutely alive and blessed by nature and God. I wasn't as sore as I thought I was going to be, thanks to the hike the day before, the Dorchester hike the week before, the everyday Oxford walking and a summer of climbing. 

We left Tuesday morning on the terrible buses and adjusted a little better to sleeping on this time. The weekend wasn't as restful as I thought it was going to be, but was certainly wonderful and worth it. (Pictures may or may not be following.)

Nonsequential Moments

This is my house: 8 Crick Road, Oxford. 

Hampton Court Palace as seen through one of the garden hedges. There are a lot of chimneys and that is only a very small portion of the roof. 

Tea and scones at Dorchester Abbey after a beautiful fall day spent roaming the countryside. 

A little piece of fantasy in that countryside. 
Jonathan expertly surveying said countryside. That is the Thames flowing in the distance. 

Dorchester Abbey and adjoining cemetery. 

Inside the Abbey. 

Rolling my eyes at Keaton for taking about 5 identical pictures when I somewhat foolishly lend him my camera in Bath. 
Making trouble in Bath or, amusing ourselves because the buildings aren't doing the trick. 
Mimicking Jane Austen outside of her little museum in Bath; misplaced because she hated it there. I empathize. 

A Fair Weather Day

I was contemplating starting a running tally of how many straight days it rained here. I had to stop at four because turned out to be rather warm and beautiful. 

Our academic semester started today with a slight orientation and a short video on early British history. I love the way classes work here. We get a coffee/tea break automatically every couple of hours or so. The classroom learning was followed by a treasure hunt (of knowledge) through the city. It would have been a nice way to see some of the main sites I had missed lately, but my group was too gung-ho about winning to be leisurely. After a good 2 hours of walking in large circles around the main city center we retired to our program's offices for another tea time. 

When I felt peopled-out enough, which happened easily enough considering the strong personalities I had in my hunting party, I wandered off by myself in search of some groceries. Unfortunately, I was low on cash and only got a few staples. Looks like I'm going again tomorrow after a trip to the ATM. 

Tonight was the St. Giles Fair, which is basically like a mini-street carnival. I took my new camera and tried it out. I got a few good pictures out of the 200-something I took; practice makes perfect so hopefully that ratio will increase. 

Tomorrow is more orientation and classes followed by Stonehenge and other various field trip sights on Thursday. 

(I'm having trouble loading pictures. I'll try again soon!)

Typical Tea and Rain

The last time we talked I was still waiting to be done with my packing. Well, I have obviously finished that by now. It was concluded fairly successfully, with both suitcases being under 50 pounds. Although I didn't leave enough room to bring stuff back in. I guess someone will just have to visit me and bring an extra one along for me. 

     Anyways, my flight wasn't too terrible. Sleeping was an adventure seeing as how I didn't get the window seat I was hoping for. I even managed to curl up with my head under the blanket and a knee on the chair at one point and fall asleep. Getting through immigration was fairly easy and customs was even easier since there was absolutely no one manning the desks. Both of my suitcases arrived in tact and looking a lot less disheveled than I was. I fell asleep on the bus ride to Oxford, but not until after I had seen a few sheep. 

The only truly frustrating part of the day was waiting for a taxi in the rank at the bus station. I saw quite a few "private hire" taxis pull up and drop people off right in front of me, but no regular taxis. After about 30-45 min standing like an idiot with two suitcases in tow, I finally stepped up to the nearest street and waved down the first taxi I saw. I don't care if that is the custom in Oxford or not; it got me a taxi. 

I arrived at Crick and was welcomed at the door by Jonathan, our Junior Dean (aka RA). He dragged my suitcases upstairs (to the 2nd floor which is really the third floor) for me. I quickly changed clothes and made my way back down to a kitchen already bursting with people. There are 23 of us here, boys and girls, and we all ate dinner together that first night. A few of us stayed up late talking, a practice I hope continues throughout the year. 

I have a room to myself but share a bathroom with 6 other girls. The shower this morning would not spit out a steady stream of warm water but rather alternated between too hot and too cold. The sink is too small to lean over and wash my face in and one of the outlets in my room doesn't work. My hair is also not looking at all like it did 5 days ago when I got it cut. 

 Today was spent walking the city and hanging out at the other program house. A few of us made a side field trip to the Botanical Gardens for "The Magic Hour," a special group of 'installations' put up around the garden to celebrate dusk. It was pretty neat, although there was one exhibit that was basically speakers hung up around the wall which whispered creepy passages of something. It was kind of like Sauron's voice from Lord of the Rings. 

It was raining when I arrived yesterday and has been raining on and off ever since. I kind of like it and have already made good use of both my rain coat and umbrella. And tea has now become not only a luxury and recreation but also a necessity, for it helps ease away the general feeling of dampness that comes during the long walks through the rain. 

This post has been rather long and for that I apologize, but I am just so excited to be here I can't help but want to share all the details with you all. I love it and cannot even fathom leaving. I can't help but like a lot of the people I am living with and am looking forward to a great semester.