The day began with another English breakfast and then another hike! This time we planned on the hike. =) We went up to Orrester Head in Windermere and the view was spectacular. It had rained every day since my arrival in England over a week ago, but this morning was gorgeous. The rain had dissipated and the day was perfect! As we hiked up the mountain, we saw a monument with the inscription:
Thou Who Hast Given My Eyes to See
And Love This Sight so Fair
Give Me a Heart to Find Out Thee
And See Thee Everywhere
That is the kind of outlook I need to have in life. It was easy to glorify God on the top of this hill overlooking the majesty of creation and the sun beaming down on me. I need to work on seeing God in ALL things, everywhere.
After hiking back down to the town, we drove to Bowness to catch our boat for the “Lake Cruise and Walking Tour”. We rode a ferry boat from Bowness to Ambleside and then a small boat from Ambleside to Wray Castle. We got out at Wray Castle and then took a footpath towards the next boat. Jason and I were going to go into Wray Castle until we found out that it is a “MOCK” Gothic Castle. With all the amazing palaces and castles in England, why would I pay to go see a fake castle?? The walking part of the trip was completely self-guided, so we set off at our own pace along the river and 5 miles later ended up at the next dock. It was a LONG walk (but we made it far under the suggested time, so that made Jason happy). When we got to the next ferry station, we hopped on and rode back to the starting pier. The rides were all very smooth and I didn’t get seasick at all (I know some of you were wondering if, given my penchant for motion sickness, I’d make it through one, let alone three, boat rides!).
A note on English oddities:
- Sheep: they’re everywhere! I think I have spotted 17 different varieties of sheep since I arrived. There are stringy white sheep, fluffy white sheep, stringy gray sheep, black, gray sheep with white faces, brown stringy sheep, brown fluffy sheep, fluffy gray sheep, sheared sheep, sheep with horns (rams)… seems like a list from Forrest Gump!). My favorite are the white fluffy sheep with black faces. I tried to get close to one today, but it didn’t like that. Stupid sheep doesn’t know a friendly face when it sees one. Sheep are also clearly not smart because they stand in the middle of the roads around here. Cars have a hard enough time dodging each other on these narrow roads. I wonder if it is in poor taste to eat roadkill in England?
Thou Who Hast Given My Eyes to See
And Love This Sight so Fair
Give Me a Heart to Find Out Thee
And See Thee Everywhere
That is the kind of outlook I need to have in life. It was easy to glorify God on the top of this hill overlooking the majesty of creation and the sun beaming down on me. I need to work on seeing God in ALL things, everywhere.
After hiking back down to the town, we drove to Bowness to catch our boat for the “Lake Cruise and Walking Tour”. We rode a ferry boat from Bowness to Ambleside and then a small boat from Ambleside to Wray Castle. We got out at Wray Castle and then took a footpath towards the next boat. Jason and I were going to go into Wray Castle until we found out that it is a “MOCK” Gothic Castle. With all the amazing palaces and castles in England, why would I pay to go see a fake castle?? The walking part of the trip was completely self-guided, so we set off at our own pace along the river and 5 miles later ended up at the next dock. It was a LONG walk (but we made it far under the suggested time, so that made Jason happy). When we got to the next ferry station, we hopped on and rode back to the starting pier. The rides were all very smooth and I didn’t get seasick at all (I know some of you were wondering if, given my penchant for motion sickness, I’d make it through one, let alone three, boat rides!).A note on English oddities:
- Sheep: they’re everywhere! I think I have spotted 17 different varieties of sheep since I arrived. There are stringy white sheep, fluffy white sheep, stringy gray sheep, black, gray sheep with white faces, brown stringy sheep, brown fluffy sheep, fluffy gray sheep, sheared sheep, sheep with horns (rams)… seems like a list from Forrest Gump!). My favorite are the white fluffy sheep with black faces. I tried to get close to one today, but it didn’t like that. Stupid sheep doesn’t know a friendly face when it sees one. Sheep are also clearly not smart because they stand in the middle of the roads around here. Cars have a hard enough time dodging each other on these narrow roads. I wonder if it is in poor taste to eat roadkill in England? 
- Road Signs: In America we see signs for falling rock or something dangerous. In England, there are signs for “Badger Crossing: Next 2 miles” and “Caution: Red Squirrels”! WHAT?? As you can see from the pictures, this place is magnificent. My only disappointment is that Mr. Darcy didn’t come strolling out of Pemberley to greet me. THAT would have made the trip complete. Then I could be Lady Elizabeth, mistress of the lakes. =) If you have no idea who Mr. Darcy is, please read Pride and Prejudice (a.k.a.: my favourite book). 
The trip to the Lake District was a success, but we had sad news waiting when we got back this evening. Jason received several phone calls letting us know that our friend from Clemson, Chris Dunmyer, was killed in a car accident this weekend in South Carolina. He was actually my first boyfriend at CU, and he was a good friend to all who knew him. He leaves behind a wife (they were very recently married) and his family in Columbia. Please keep them in your thoughts and prayers.
Date: 8 July, 2007
Location: Lake Windermere
Highlights:
- the view from the top of the hill in Windermere
- the view on the lake
- a wonderful weekend excursion
- GPS (more on this later)
Thought of the Day: Look for God EVERYWHERE; He’s there.
Date: 8 July, 2007Location: Lake Windermere
Highlights:
- the view from the top of the hill in Windermere
- the view on the lake
- a wonderful weekend excursion
- GPS (more on this later)
Thought of the Day: Look for God EVERYWHERE; He’s there.
