Sometime in the middle of October, I journeyed out with my German friends Sarah and Hanna to visit our friend Katy's home in the tiny little village of Lymm! And by tiny, I mean that everyone in the town basically knows everyone. We're talking that kind of tiny. But the great thing about tiny villages, is that they always seem to be so full of charm and friendly people. And Lymm was no exception!

We headed off early in the morning as we planned to spend the night at Katy's parent's house and spend the next day exploring the Lymm Dam and going to lunch for a sort of early birthday bash for Katy. The train ride was rather pleasant, and when we finally arrived in Warrington, which was the closest town to Lymm, Katy's mother graciously picked us up and drove us to the house!

I really enjoyed meeting Katy's parents, as they were really adorable and sweet, and asked me a lot of questions about America and whether or not I liked it here. Things like that. But it was very nice of them, and I mentioned that I wanted to write novels to Katy's dad, and lo and behold, he nabs a book off of his shelf and tells me that he is a published author of a few thriller type books! I thought that was so awesome! And I told him so, and to my surprise, he ended up giving me one of his books to keep! Along with his signature and a nice little note on the front page. :) I was blown away by his generosity! I have yet to read the book, but I intend to as soon as I get some free time.

Anyway, after that, we of course were quite famished, and so set off into the chilly evening to an Italian restaurant! Apparently it is the best in town. But the best thing was the walk into town! Katy lives right by the main canal in the village, and so we took a small, narrow path that led right to the very side of the canal, and then walked along it. It was so beautiful!

We all had some delicious food and a great time. Especially because in the restaurant, they provide you with crayons so you can draw on the table cloth! I was totally stoked for that, and ended up drawing for a lot of the time we were there while the rest of the crew played hangman. The food was delicious, and it was so nice to have a good hot meal. We headed back to Katy's house a few hours later and watched a movie (Love Actually, which is, actually, really good!) and then tried our best to get some sleep.

Om nom nom nom! Eggplant Parmesan! Or..Aubergine Parmesan. I still can't really pronounce that word.

Anywho! We woke in the morning all tired and sleepy because we all stayed up too long, but hey, we're young, so we can do that sort of thing. ;) But the day was clear and bright and sunny, and perfect for frolicking our way through the village and making our way to the hiking trails by Lymm dam!

The dam itself was wonderful! The forest surrounding it and all the trails were so picturesque, and I felt like I could just wander around there for hours! I really loved how there were little wooden platforms built so that people could fish right by the side of the lake! And a lot of people were in fact, doing just that! We walked the whole circumference of the dam, just enjoying each others company and the beauty of nature, but eventually we had to get going and head to the pub where we were meeting some people for lunch.

Unfortunately, only one person showed up after being about an hour and a half late, so we had already eaten by the time she got there. I only got chocolate cake because hey, I'm addicted. Leave me alone. XD

The last order of business for the day was to visit the "cross" in the very middle of the village. Now, this little monument thing has been there for centuries, and no one in the town knows how it got there or why it was there. It has a sign on it that says that it was refurbished for the queen in the 1500s, so that was kind of insane. That means it had been there even before then! And there was also some stocks right in front of it where I can imagine they punished a lot of people. Perfect placement for that sort of thing, what with being smack dab in the middle of all the hub bub of the village.

We made our way back along the canal, past all the river house boats which were so incredibly awesome! And we even saw one moving down the canal with a guy dressed up as a pirate on top and a lot more dressed up in silly costumes. It looked like so much fun! I really liked the idea of house boats, especially because they just looked so..interesting and adventurous!

Our own adventure came to an end as we boarded the train back home to Preston. I had so much fun, and I'll keep the memories with me forever! And I may even visit there again before I leave. Perhaps in the winter when the canal freezes solid and you can walk on it. That would be epic!

"I wandered lonely as a Cloud
That floats on high o'er Vales and Hills,
When all at once I saw a crowd
A host of dancing Daffodils;
Along the Lake, beneath the trees,
Ten thousand dancing in the breeze.

The waves beside them danced, but they
Outdid the sparkling waves in glee: --
A poet could not but be gay
In such a laughing company:
I gazed—and gazed—but little thought
What wealth the show to me had brought:

For oft when on my couch I lie
In vacant or in pensive mood,
They flash upon that inward eye
Which is the bliss of solitude,
And then my heart with pleasure fills,
And dances with the Daffodils." - Wordsworth

On October the 8th, me and my German friends boarded a double decker bus in the early (early for me, at least) hours of the morning, and bumbled along the gray, wet roads to the famous Lake District. Home of some of England's most prolific poets and writers, such as Beatrix Potter, and the humble poet William Wordsworth! Both of whom I have come to admire over the years; I remember my grandma reading me stories of Peter Rabbit and Tom Kitten and the missing mittens. I also cherished the adorable cartoons of Potter's when I was a child, and I still remember them very fondly. But such good memories! And I have always admired Wordsworth's poetry, so this trip to the Lake was something I had been looking forward to for quite sometime; I never dreamed in my life that I would have an opportunity like this!

As the buses arrived near the docks, we got out and promptly signed up for a boat ride that would take us across the lake to a tiny village called Ambleside. This was where Dove Cottage could be found, home of Wordsworth! I of course was extremely eager to go visit it, but it took my German friends and the Canadian that had joined our little group some convincing to go visit the cottage.

We had a while to wait before the boat showed up, so we decided to get a closer look at the swans on the shore! And there were so many! I've never seen so many swans in my entire life...they seem to be all over the place in England, and apparently they are extremely...deadly. Yeah, I laughed too when I first heard that, but the Germans keep insisting that they are evil, and that they attack people all the time. So naturally, I decided to get as close as possible to one to prove them wrong!

See? People were feeding them and it was alright! They didn't look so harmful at all. Personally, I would hug one if ever I got the chance. <3

Oh yes. But then this guy got it into his head that I must have food like the other people on the shore. Sadly, I had none, but he would not accept no for an answer. And when he started stalking me and chasing me, he would not accept my screams of "Go away!!" as no, either. Swans are stubborn things. And I learned that day that they are incredible scary things, too. But they're still pretty! Haha! And I escaped, luckily, with my life, so I am still skeptical as to whether they are truly the murderous man-eating beasts that my friends make them out to be.

After we ran for our lives, we headed back to the docks and found a little cafe to sit in that was warm and dry, unlike the weather outside. It was bitterly cold and sprinkling off and on, so it was very nice to just sit somewhere with heat for a few minutes. And much to my surprise, the cafe was coincidentally named "Lewis' Coffee Shop". :) I couldn't help but smile at that.

But the time drew near for us to board the boat, and we hastily got our seats, settled down and huddled together for warmth, and the boat whisked us away at a nice pace towards the other side of the lake. Besides the cold, the ride was so enjoyable, and there was such a haunting beauty and a soft silence about the place that seemed to make it so peaceful. I couldn't help but just try my best to drink in everything as we went along; from the numerous swans that dotted the glassy lake, to the mist in the full and lush trees scraping the shore, and all the hidden and majestic estates tucked in the rolling hills. I had never seen something so beautiful!



I'll never forget that boat ride. And of course I will not forget the cold either. But it was nice when the boat pulled up to the docks at Ambleside, (the buses had parked at Bowness, and the lake itself is called Windermere), to finally start moving again to bring a little heat back into my cheeks. We asked for directions to Dove Cottage, and once we knew which way to go, we set off on the main road through the charming villages!

Now, while I love Preston, the city I am staying at and studying in for the duration of the year, I couldn't help but wish that I were to be studying in the Lake District instead! The place is just so lush and enchanting, and inspiration poured out of every warmly lit entrance to the numerous confectionery shops, and winded its way down the long twisting roads lined with cobblestone walls. What I wouldn't give to just sit atop one of those walls for hours, watching the lake and breathing in the fresh, crisp air!


We continued walking for a while, but eventually we hailed a bus that took us directly to Dove Cottage. We sat in the very top, and that was a really fun experience. I don't think that will ever get old, to be honest. The bus dropped us off, and we made our way to the little white building where Wordsworth lived, with a little garden out front, and roses trailing their way slowly up the walls. It was beautiful, but it was also very humble, and I could really picture Wordsworth living there, and sitting in his garden writing poetry, or going out for a stroll by the Lake. It was very serene, and I loved every minute of it.


Unfortunately, to go into the cottage or see the museum, it was rather expensive, so we decided not to indulge in that, and instead went to a little cafe right by the cottage and ordered Hot Chocolate. Not gonna lie...it looked so delectable, but once again, the hot chocolate didn't even come close to the little cafe I found in Preston. I was heartbroken. :(

How can something look so good, yet taste so dull and pointless all at the same time? Sigh...oh well. I shouldn't have betrayed that little cafe in the first place. I should have learned my lesson. But sadly...I didn't, because once we left that little cafe by Dove Cottage, we caught a bus back to Bowness, and explored the little village there with all of its little shops and cafes and old style buildings, and about an hour before we left, we all wanted something to drink again, so we went into a new cafe. And guess what I ordered again? Of course. This time though, I was hoping against hope that the hot chocolate would be good. (And the Victoria Spongecake, which I am addicted to.)


Epic disappointment. :( So I'm just going to leave it at that. Because that was the only low point of the entire trip, and it's funnier to think about now, to be honest. I just seem to have bad hot chocolate luck. Pfft.

So that concluded our amazing day in the Lake District! I'll never forget that experience, and I know that someday I will definitely return to the lake, whether it's sometime in the year that I'm studying abroad, or sometime later on in my lifetime. The place is like a beacon to the artist's heart, and I find myself thinking of it often, and wishing that I could walk down the streets or walk by the lake during the free hours I have to myself amidst my busy schedule.

There is so much beauty in the world, and it makes life that much more worth living. :)