THE LAKE DISTRICT
At the very last minute, I was invited to go on this trip, and, on the spur of the moment, I agreed. We stayed at the Church House Inn and, honestly, all of you should stay there. The people were friendly, and the ambiance was cozy. Seven of us stayed in a room meant for six, but we made it work.
We rented two cars and drove the 5 hours north from Oxford. When we were only 3 miles away, we blew a tire, but the kindest elderly couple stopped and let us use their phones to call the service company (we're capable girls, but they didn't leave us a spare tire), and then a taxi drove by just then! It was a gift, and one of the three of us got in the cab to go to the inn and gather the rest of the group so we could make a plan. Everything worked out in the end, and we made it to the inn with time for a substantial dinner and some good rest before a full Saturday.
We woke up to a complimentary breakfast the next day, then journeyed out into the wilderness for an all-day hike up Old Man Conistan, the mountain nearby. We didn't even have to drive to the trailhead, since it started right near our inn! However...we didn't exactly know where we were going. We'd studied our maps and asked for directions, but we ended up in a marsh - our feet were covered in water, so we sloshed around for a while before we found dryer land. In the meantime, we were surrounded by sheep, which was awesome, and the vistas were incredible. We eventually saw other hikers on the top of the mountains, so we knew we were headed in the right direction. With a bit of luck and guidance, we found the real road, and spent the rest of the journey following that path.
I was definitely the slowest and least experienced hiker, but I spent a ton of time taking pictures of the breathtaking landscapes around us. The vistas were simply incredible; I honestly don't even have words to describe how awe-inspiring they were. I could see all the way to the ocean, but I could also see the flowers in the grass at my feet. I could feel the warmth of the sun, but also the chill of the speeding wind as it flew over the mountaintop. I could smell the fresh air, but it was almost like I could taste it, too. Pictures can never do it justice. Especially considering the pride that I felt with every step I took. Especially when we got to the summit, with every step that I looked back, I said, "Look at that mountain! My body did that!" It was sensational.
After we returned to earth, we rewarded ourselves with a pint at a pub on the other side of the mountain, then we made the slow journey back to the inn. After showers and dry socks, we went out for dinner and then slept like rocks. The next morning, we went on a literary tour of the area, seeing Beatrix Potter's Gallery and William Wordsworth's grave before heading home to Oxford.
IRELAND
My fifth cousins live in Waterford, so two of us decided to journey to the motherland for a weekend visit. We had to wake up at 3am to get on a bus at 4, then a plane at 7 (If you were wondering, Oxford is super sketchy at 3am), and we arrived in Dublin proper around noon. We had about 4 hours of free time in the city before the cousins picked us up, so we saw the Dublin Writers' Museum, several landmark statues (including James Joyce and Molly Mollone), then met at the Spire (the new, gigantic millennium statue).
Family friends of theirs were having a small gathering for dinner that evening, and, because of their Irish hospitality, they of course invited us visitors for the meal as well. We had good food, good company, and hilarious conversation, which ended with some splendid Irish step dancing by the dads. The next day, Susan (my 4th cousin once removed, if you want to get technical about it) took us around Waterford, the oldest city in Ireland, which was established by the vikings in the 900s. We went on a tour of the Waterford Crystal company, had a lovely lunch, then drove to the coast.
The sun was shining all morning, but, just as we started to drive to the sea, the fog rolled in. Honestly, I think that was a more authentic experience to see the cliffs enshrouded in clouds, and it was beautiful to see. We drove home for mass and a relaxing dinner, then went back to the airport at 11 the next morning.
The entire weekend was spectacular, but I think one of the nicest parts was just that we could go slow and enjoy the weekend because we knew that we had transportation, housing, dining, touring and planning already settled by my overwhelmingly generous cousins. What a joy to be able to spend time with such gracious hosts in the middle of such a chaotic summer!
In the meantime, it's back to schoolwork: performances, texts, shows and meetings galore.
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