Fountains Abbey

Today we visited Fountains Abbey, which is a few minutes outside the town Ripon (short i), itself only an hour from York–a perfect day trip! I have to say, while I gushed and raved about Durham and Lindisfarne (don't get me wrong, they were amazing too!), Fountains Abbey is my favorite excursion so far. First, the weather was gorgeous. Fifty degrees and a slight breeze! Though I have to say that it might not have been so pleasant had it been raining. I feel like I've been spoiled by nice weather for our excursions.

Now, I've learned all about the Romantics in Art History and my Literature classes and how they revere the sublime and the picturesque, and I was like, "Yeah, ok. Get a hobby." But now, I totally get it! There's something about walking through the archways and columned passages of a ruin that you can't find anywhere else. I find myself wondering what it really looked like during its prime (It was built in the 12th Century). Were the floors as uneven? Were the walls stone like they are now? It's like I'm visiting the shadow of something really grand, something with so much history, most of which died along with its residents.

Fountains Abbey is now part of Studley Royal Estate, so the grounds are spectacular. Since we had three hours at the abbey, I took a sack lunch and then strolled along the paths to the water gardens. Sometimes I walked with other people in the group, but I mostly just explored by myself. Call me ridiculous, but I even listened to the soundtrack of The Piano while I was walking (It was a success, let me tell you. There's nothing better than having background music to your life). I felt like I could have been wearing a Regency-style dress and bonnet! Ok, I know I'm gushing now, but this was an amazing place to visit. Around every corner there was some new and breathtaking sight. I would *coughcough* definitely suggest it as a potential daytrip to anyone *coughcough* planning on visiting England in the near future…

Durham and Lindisfarne

This Saturday we took an excursion to Durham and Lindisfarne. I have to admit I was not looking forward to it. It was a four-hour coach ride both ways where I wouldn't be able to sleep or read. As it turns out, this has been my favorite day of the semester so far.

We first went to Durham cathedral, which was not as big as the Minster, but was older. Our tour guide was incredibly informative. She told us that she actually gave tours to Sting and to Princess Anne! Saint Cuthbert (who was bishop at Lindisfarne) and the Venerable Bede were both buried at Durham. The cathedral was really interesting architecturally. They began construction in the late 11th century, so the style was very Romanesque—semi-circular arches and all that. They reached the opposite wall in the mid 12th century, where there are pointed arches (which apparently is more Gothic style). This was the first cathedral to have pointed arches and the first cathedral to have a stone ceiling, a feat made possible by a lattice-work of stone that supports the roof. A group of architects voted this cathedral as the most beautiful building in the world, with the Taj Mahal coming in second. I think that's probably not true, but I did think it was more beautiful than the inside of the Minster. Also, the courtyard was a Harry Potter film site!!! One down, three hundred to go!

Next, we went to Lindisfarne. We first went to the priory ruins, which were beautiful. Unfortunately, my camera decided that it had had enough of my batteries and started flashing an angry red light at me. Oh well, if only there were twenty-six other people taking the exact same pictures as me… Our final stop was the Lindisfarne Castle, which, if the weather had been crummy, would probably have been miserable. As it was, the light was dramatic and it was slightly misty and beautiful. The seaside made me a little homesick for Lake Michigan, but at least now I can say I've seen the North Sea! Well, I took some lovely pictures of sheep with a little landscape in the background. Little did I know that only a few kilometers south-ish, Julia was visiting an abbey and a cathedral as well! If I had known that, I would have sent her a smoke signal.

Tonight and tomorrow I have quarantined myself in my room. I walked into town with Kaitlin today because we wanted to go to the market where a crepe stand is open on the weekends. However, when I got back to my flat, I had another coughing fit. I figured I should limit my walking until Tuesday when I have to go to class. I have a feeling, though, that I will be tempted to go out tomorrow since so many people do not have Monday classes.

On a more exciting note, Mike and I are planning our Spring Break trip to Paris and Florence with the EXTENSIVE help of my dad. (Thankyouthankyouthankyou!) Things seem to be coming together swimmingly so hopefully everything will at least be planned out by week's end. (And yes, I am trying to introduce some British vernacular to my repertoire). Cheers!

A Weekend in Edinburgh

This weekend was—I'm ashamed to admit—my first experience of dealing with trains all by myself. (Does this mean I'm a big girl now?) I spent the weekend in Edinburgh with Julia, Alex, and Mike. It was an amazing experience, not only because Edinburgh is a very cool city even when it's raining, but because this was the first time I saw Julia and Alex in about half a year! It was great to play cards and Huggermugger and to drink wine and eat good food! They were wonderful hosts and showed us some really great sites. On the last night, Alex and Mike made us dinner: pasta with a beurre blanc sauce and tomatoes, snap peas, mushrooms, and bacon. Yum! We also had a salad with it, which I enjoyed probably more than was normal. This past week in York I had been intentionally running out of food so that it wouldn't spoil over the weekend. All I have been left with is a packet of fakey ramen noodles. I definitely needed the veggies! I loved seeing the city that I've heard so much about and, of course, being with Julia and Alex in person. The only downside was that I had a chest cold the whole weekend, so I was a whiney baby who couldn't walk faster than a snail.

Here's an interesting story: I came back to York today at about 4:30. (Two of my friends met me at the train station so that I didn't have to walk home by myself!) At about eight o'clock, Becca, my flat mate, came in and asked me how I was. She asked if I had heard about what had happened this weekend. Apparently I didn't tell either her or Hanna that I was leaving for the weekend. I did tell Bonnie, but she was gone in Manchester for the weekend anyway. Becca and Hanna realized that they hadn't seen me since Thursday and got really worried. They called security, and someone came to unlock my door. In fact, they told the girls that they would go into my room first just in case I was hanging from a rope in the corner. When they saw that I was not in my room, they commissioned the girls to investigate whether or not there were any clues indicating I was gone: train receipts, missing toothbrush, etc. Finally Becca checked my Facebook page where my status mentioned going to Edinburgh. Case closed. I feel partly appreciative but mostly humiliated and guilty—especially since Becca said that she and Hanna were "proper worried."