Lake District (17th Apr - 19th Apr)

I've been pretty much a lazy person after i return from Lake District because 1) I am still in the peaceful mood, 2) Still in this state of inertia & 3) I am still thinking about how beautiful the whole place is.

To start of, the YHA Windermere hostel we stayed in was fantastic (except for the fact that they charged us for every single thing). The room was directly facing Lake Windermere and was on top of one of the green hills. From our room, we were able to catch the sunset and it was a remarkable view. We took approximately 4 hrs 50 mins to reach Windermere from Loughborough. Joan and me bumped into John at the Oxenholme Lake station and ran to catch the train because our train was severely delayed.

Upon reaching our hostel, we checked on the places to go. We left almost immediately to fully utilize the day. Troutbeck Village is home to many cows, sheeps, horses and other human beings who either stays in cottages or barns. I must say, the sheeps and cows are pretty photogenic there. I like to think that it is the most photogenic in the whole of England. You'll see!

We started off the second day with a fulfilling hearty buffet breakfast meal for 4.20 pounds per person in the hostel. It was nothing spectacular but filling and enough to make Aida happy before we adjourned for our cycling expedition. We rented the bike for 9.50 pounds for a whole day use.Taking the bus is definitely cheaper but hey, the views were stunning and we never regretted cycling for more than fiften kilometres that day. We stopped quite often just looking and being more amazed at every stop we made. We had the best-lunch-i've-ever-had-since-i-got-here-in-England at this hotel, paying 8.95 pounds for the best fish and chips in the world. I am not joking. There were no bones so i enjoyed my food very much. From Ambleside, we cycled towards Grasmere hoping to reach Grasmere in time to visit William Woodsworth (1770 - 1850) museum. (Un)fortunately, we weren't able to reach Grasmere as Joan was stuck at the Woodsworth' Home in Rydal where she spent close to three hours just walking by the gardens he designed and understanding how the nature around him influenced him so greatly that is evident in his writings. He is Joan's idol for the longest time see... It must have been such an exciting time for her. Feel free to visit her blog for more information on her visit (because John and me did not enter).

John and me climbed up the mountain together instead of visiting the Woodsworth' Home. The view was magnificent and i saw the different types of rocks that resulted in the different height of mountains, etc. Lake district is a chain of mountains but not all the mountains are made up of the same rock. Going back to the ice age, some of the mountains have gone through major folding and faulting processes while the rest, are remnants of extinct volcanoes. John and i took a total of two hours just going up the mountain and back down. I don't think i can ever forget the whole view and the experience of climbing to the top.

We re-grouped and met Joan again after the two hours. We cycled towards Ambleside town once again, finding a place to eat for dinner. We decided on some Indian food (I know..i know! Disappointing right?) BUT it was good. At least mine was. Lamb Briyani, no less! John reminded me of the lambs i passed by while cycling,trying to make me feel guilty about eating it. Meanie! Luckily, it was good lamb. :)

We went back after that and slept early in preparation for our cruise on the third day. We did not catch the cruise in the end because 1) It was drizzling and the sun was hiding behind the clouds, 2) It was freaking cold & 3) We were all in favour of just relaxing and having tea in some nice cafe. It was good because the weather made up my mind for me and that saved me fourteen pounds.

We sat in a cafe and walked very little to a chocolate shop before deciding to eat lunch in an Italian restaurant. The garlic mushroom was..orgasmic. Loved it to bits and i'll probably try to make my own next week. I found out that Miss Potter (the movie) was filmed there in Lake District and that Peter Rabbit (the cartoon character) started there as well. Third day was a relaxed one and i am not complaining at all. This is life. This is how travelling should be.

The little splurges in life made me happy. Please see the upcoming pictures for more details.