The Lake District

William Wordsworth once described the Lake District as “the loveliest place man has ever known.” It was these lakes that filled him with insight and inspiration for all of his most famous poems. The Lake District is where Wordsworth found his words. I’m afraid that the Lake District has had the opposite effect on me. Instead of finding my words, it has left me utterly speechless…


This weekend, we spent 3 days in the lake country of England. Surrounded by mountains, green fields, shimmering lakes, waterfalls, and forest trees it was as if we had stumbled upon the doorway into Narnia. Though the big city atmosphere in London was exciting, nothing makes my heart soar like being out in nature. The scenery was spectacular! We hiked around lakes, climbed up mountains, explored waterfalls, and boated to a secret island.
For our class assignments, we toured two of William Wordsworth’s homes—Dove Cottage and Rydal Mount. My favorite house was Rydal Mount. There was an extraordinary garden in the back where Wordsworth used to hike for inspiration. Even though it was wet and rainy, the garden was breath-taking. I would have loved to explore this area when I was a kid. It would have been the perfect childhood play land. Besides the houses, we also had a chance to explore the building where Wordsworth attended school as a boy. The school tour was the most fascinating of all three tours. It turns out that the boys of this time period were actually allowed to write graffiti on the desks, floors, and walls of the school. Since all the boys were provided with pen knives to sharpen their quills, you can imagine what the desktops looked like! On one of the desks, preserved by a special glass cover, is the penknife carving of the name William Wordsworth. Can you imagine being so famous that people actually strive to preserve your graffiti?



I know the first paragraph of this post described how the Lake District left me speechless with wonder. Well, on one run through the mountain trails, my words finally returned to me. Here is a poem I composed on a 60-min run. :)

Thoughts on the Lake District

Wordsworth, I’ve seen your lakes
Your mists, your mountains, your forests divine.
I’ve stood on the edge of a terrible cliff,
Awestruck and breathless—at the sublime.
I’ve watched the glow of Cassiopeia
Crown the sky with beads of light.
I’ve breathed the air of Lakeland mountains
As Polaris rose to guide the night.
I’ve ambled along a country path
Watching the sheep frolic and graze.
I’ve clambered up a mountain slope
Surrounded, it seemed, by heavenly haze.
I’ve rowed across a lake of crystal,
As orange sun set behind the hills.
I’ve watched the painted dragonflies
Float and weave above the rills.
“The loveliest place man hath known”
—these words were penned by your hand
I have no question of this truth
For you were champion of this land.
But there’s one boast I hold to my name,
One small achievement, a mark of my fame.
I’ve risen at dawn to greet the sun,
And where you have walked
Oh, Wordsworth—I have run!

-ALL

Stratford-upon-Avon

Today was our excursion to Stratford-upon-Avon, the birthplace of William Shakespeare. For many lovers of literature, visiting Stratford is a pilgrimage to see the origins of one of the most-beloved, most-quoted, most-esteemed authors of all time (some would argue the greatest writer ever!) Did you know that every minute of the day, someone, somewhere in the world is watching, acting, or reading a performance of Hamlet? That’s pretty impressive, considering he wrote the play nearly 400 years ago.
Stratford is located about an hour away from Oxford in South Warwickshire, England. It is a small village nestled just beside the Avon River. Although lovely, I would consider the town to be somewhat of a tourist trap. (Similar to the way L.M. Montgomery’s Anne of Green Gables has taken over Cavendish, PEI) The streets are peppered with corny shop names such as the “As You Like It Café,” “Shakespeare Pub,” “Anne’s Cottage Pie,” and “Sweet Smelling Rose.”
We began our tour at Shakespeare’s birthplace in which I was able to see the very room in which William was born. He probably stayed in this room for 3 or 4 years with his parents and younger brothers and sisters. The house was not very big, so all of the family had to share accommodations.
Perhaps the most amazing part of the house was an old glass window carefully preserved in a wooden frame. This window held the signatures of many famous people who had previously visited the cottage, including John Adams, Thomas Jefferson, Henry Wadsworth Longfellow, John Keats, Ralph Waldo Emerson, Charles Dickens, Mark Twain, Thomas Hardy, and Sir Walter Scott. It was amazing to see all these names in one place. It was like walking the streets of Hollywood. I was especially excited because many of the visitors were famous authors. Now that I have joined the ranks of the Shakespeare pilgrims, perhaps some of their creative penmanship can rub off on me. There should now be nothing holding me back from being a famous writer… haha. :)
My other favorite part was seeing the original folio of all of Shakespeare’s plays. This book was held up in a glass case and illuminated by special effects lights to make it appear as if it had descended from literary heaven. The display probably took the concept a little too far, but it was neat to see the book.
A fun story that occurred during our tour of the cottage began when I first entered the basement of the house. The tour guide was dressed in typical 17th century English garb with a round English beer-belly and a thick British accent. Myself, on the other hand, was simply wearing a WVU t-shirt, with nothing of a beer belly and a distinct American accent. Anyway, when he saw me, he immediately smiled and said, “Oh, West Virginia! Are you a student?”
I was somewhat startled but managed to say, “umm, yes, I am.”
“Wonderful,” he replied, “Are you based in Charleston?” For some reason, I didn’t catch on and stared at him blankly. I finally replied, “No, I’m from Morgantown.” A British woman behind me calmly attempted to correct the situation. She loudly announced to the entire group, “Charleston is in another state, not in West Virginia.”
Thus, we began our Shakespeare tour discussing (somewhat awkwardly and incorrectly) the geography of America, instead of the inside of Shakespeare’s childhood home.
After the birthplace, we took a quick break to grab some delicious tea and scones. If you have never tried clotted cream, you must put it on your “to do” list. It’s lovely on scones—something of a mixture between cream cheese and whipped cream. Once you add a dollop of black currant preserves, you’ll be hooked for life.
The next phase of our excursion took us by Shakespeare’s old Grammar School. This aged stone building is where Shakespeare most likely (no one knows for sure) attended classes as a boy. It is actually still a school today, although boys no longer have to attend classes for 12-hours straight! In Shakespeare’s time they had class from 6am to 6pm. I can hardly imagine how difficult that would be.
The last part of our excursion took us to Anne Hathaway’s cottage. No, I am not referring to the actress in Ella Enchanted and The Princess Diaries. The Anne that I am referring to was Shakespeare’s sweetheart and wife. The cottage is where he courted her…and supposedly where he read her love sonnets under the willow bower. This house was postcard perfect: a quaint half-timbered cottage surrounded by wonderful gardens and walking trails. My favorite thing inside the house was an old wooden bench that Will and Anne used to sit on together. The old owners of the house were known to sell pieces of the bench to visiting tourists. Over the years the bench gradually wore down to stubby board with holes all though it. The cottage museum decided that no more pieces of the bench should be sold…so regretfully I will not be bringing home a piece in my suitcase.
Our Stratford tour ended with a grand highlight—a performance of As You Like It at the Swan Theater! In the play, there is a scene where Orlando goes about the forest of Arden tacking up poorly written love poetry on the trees in order to display his fierce devotion to Rosalind. Well, this scene occurred right around the intermission. I left the theater to get a snack and when I returned, the stage and seating area had been transformed with posters and signs, declaring Orlando’s love. I did not expect such a funny interpretation of this scene, so of course I enjoyed it immensely.
It always fascinates me how every director has a unique interpretation of a play. It doesn’t matter if two directors are directing the same play…the plays will never appear the same. It all depends upon how the director interprets the scenes. This process is similar to the reading of literature. As a future teacher, I want to encourage my students to look at literature as a director would look at a play. I would ask them things like: What is this scene saying to you? How would you represent this scene visually? Why does the author include this scene? As “literature directors,” it is the students’ job to take what they have experienced and understood from a novel, play, or poem and share these interpretations with everyone else. A good director should also be able to thoroughly defend and protect his or her interpretation. The fact that each student will see every line, every sentence, and every word a little differently is what makes reading, writing, and teaching literature so interesting.
(Sorry if that teaching philosophy stuff was boring…I just needed to process what I was learning.) My next post will begin the tales of the Lake District! Cheers!

Third Day in London

Saturday morning, I literally had to drag myself out of bed. I decided that I needed an easy day, so I went on a 40-minute run back over to St. James’ Park. For breakfast, I snatched a bowl of porridge at a local café and then traveled with the group to the Tate Museum. This museum holds a wide collection of famous works of art—mostly paintings and portraits. For our class, we were instructed to find art that related to the British landscape and the elegiac form. I took some detailed notes and made a quick outline for my next essay. I’ll have to admit, I felt quite studious carrying my notebook around, pen behind ear, with a look of artistic concentration and quiet reflection upon my face. Well, after the museum we tubed over to the home of John Keats, a famous British poet. His house was quite picturesque, with a lovely garden area and sitting room. I could easily imagine the young Keats, sitting in his garden and carefully crafting the lines to “Ode to a Nightingale” as the gentle birds sang in the trees above him. After Keats, we had time to explore on our own. Our first stop was at King’s Cross train station. I’m afraid that the workers at King’s Cross have become a little fed-up with Harry Potter fanatics…they weren’t very friendly. Since we were lost we tried asking one of the attendants for directions: “Excuse me sir, but could you tell me where I might find Platform 9 and 3 quarters?”
The bored looking train attendant, rolled his eyes and pointed us back to the front of the station. “’Round the back, turn left.” Of course, once we arrived, we soon discovered that it was just a brick wall with a sign and half a luggage trolley sticking out from the wall. Still, it was cool to take pictures.
After Platform 9 ¾ we stopped at Baker Street to visit that renowned Sherlock Holmes. The line to get into the museum went all the way down the street, so regretfully we only got to look in the gift shop. Still, it was fun to actually be on Baker Street. I then went back to the flat for a short rest. At 6:00, it was time to meet Dr. Stewart at Primrose Hill.
Here is what I wrote in my journal…
I’m sitting on Primrose Hill, the highest point in Regent’s Park. It’s a Saturday evening and we are all enjoying a picnic of fresh bread, cheese, strawberries, peaches, and cherries. It is absolutely delicious. The fruit in Europe is so sweet—perfectly ripe like the produce purchased at a Farmer’s Market. We laugh and tell stories and watch the sunset over the hill. A landscape of London stretches before us. I see the London Eye, St. Paul’s Cathedral, and the London Zoo.
Other people sit on blankets around us—families with young children, a group of friends and a summer salad, a pair of lovers holding hands. It’s a place to escape in London, to feel on top of the world and see the city beneath your feet. The sun warms our backs, the sky is a light, wispy blue. I never dreamed I’d be here. I am so blessed to have this experience—to see the world, to meet new people, to have this adventure. I put my pen away and watch the sun settle behind the hill.

Shakespeare and the Globe

By the time we arrived at the Globe, we were already 15 minutes late. I was so afraid that they weren’t going to let us in the see the show. I would never be able to forgive myself for being in London and missing my chance to see the most famous Shakespeare theatre in the world. It would almost be as bad as an astronaut passing up an opportunity to walk on the moon.
Thankfully, we had our tickets on reserve and after a quick check-in, we were ushered inside the swinging doors of the main entrance. When you enter the Globe Theatre you walk directly into what is known as “the pit.” This is a semi-circle of “standing room only” where, in order to see the play, you have to stand the entire time. Reminiscent of a Mountaineer football game, the true fans are the ones who stand. Above the pit, reclining gracefully on cushion-backed benches, are the wealthy patrons of the gallery. While a place in this section of the theatre may be significantly more expensive, it is also significantly more comfortable.
Of course, this whole setup is meant to parallel Shakespeare’s original Globe Theatre. Nearly 400 years ago, the peasants of London would pay one penny for a standing spot in the pit. For these peasants, a penny was no insignificant sum. Many manual labor jobs were known to pay only a penny-a-day during this time period. The gallery was only for noblemen and ladies who could afford such luxuries as seat-cushions and backrests.
In order to give our class the true Globe experience, our professors decided that the young people would be placed in the pit. (At only £5 a ticket, it’s still a pretty good deal!) The professors, on the other hand, decided to exercise their social and economic power and each took seats in the gallery. Since the play was already underway when we entered the Globe, I was immediately drawn into the action. We were seeing Anne Boleyn, a modern play not written by Shakespeare, but created to parallel his artistic style. The play told the story of Anne Boleyn, a young protestant noblewoman who became Henry VIII’s second wife and consequently, the Queen of England. Anne was eventually to become the mother of Elizabeth I, the most famous and influential queen in history of England. The play centered upon the religious upheaval and political tension that was going on in England during the time of the Protestant Reformation. (History people, if I got any of that wrong…please feel free to correct me.)
Well, I was standing amongst the other “peasants,” watching the sweet pageantry of the theater, when I noticed something: my feet were hurting. In fact, they were throbbing. I had literally been walking, running, and tubing around London all day and I was absolutely exhausted. Not to mention, I hadn’t had any dinner! About the second act, I began to cast envious glances at the people in the gallery. Look at them in their fluffy cushioned seats…grrr…I hope their legs are cramping! Okay, maybe I didn’t wish that…but I got pretty close. As I began to brew a second envious thought, another more gentle idea entered my consciousness: Who am I to complain? I am standing in the Globe Theatre. Years ago, men, women, and children gave up a day’s wages just to come here and stand. They were probably more tired, more exhausted, and more in need of food than I am. At that very moment, I looked up and saw the night sky. The stars glowed above me as the actors danced across the famous stage. I was suddenly glad that I wasn’t sitting in the gallery—for these rich and comfortable people had missed seeing the stars.
It didn’t take long before I was once again, lost in the action of the play. The lively costumes, vivid acting, interesting plot, and charm of the Globe melted the pain in my feet and quieted my growling tummy. Perhaps this is how it worked for the peasants of Shakespeare’s time as well. For them, the theater was a way to forget life’s problems and take a step into another world.
After the show, we all headed down to a Greek restaurant by the river. By now it was around 10:30pm and my reflective, peaceful mood had once again transformed into a frenzied quest for food. Dr. Stewart had left the theater a couple minutes early and much to my joy and delight had ordered a wide variety of Greek appetizers. Let me tell you, the food was delicious! (This may have been because I hadn’t eaten in 8 hours…but I rather think that it was really good food as well.) All dishes were served on little plates stacked on top of each other in a tiny “Food Tower of Pisa.” There were chicken and steak kebobs, yoghurt dressings, hummus, pitas, lentils, rice, baby potatoes, salads, cheeses, little fried meatball things, couscous, wrapped grape leaves, tofu on a stick, and French fries. (haha, don’t know why they had French fries) Well, after this dinner I decided that Greek in London just might be the new best thing ever. We arrived home at midnight and I have never been so happy to go to bed.

Second Day in London

The day began with my morning 60-minute run. And, since I was in London, I thought that I might just run over and visit the queen. Although she didn’t come out to chat, I did enjoy running through St. James’ park, which happens to be located directly in front of the royal palace. The park was originally constructed for royalty to walk amongst the gardens and talk with the people about the affairs of the country. Maybe the queen will meet up with me for tomorrow’s run...or she could just send William or Harry, I wouldn’t mind. :)
For our second day in London we decided to visit all the big attractions first. We saw Buckingham Palace, Westminster Abbey, and Big Ben. All so beautiful! We then moved on to see the “Magnificent Maps” exhibition at the British Library. This was an amazing collection of ancient and modern maps from all over the world. It was fascinating to see all the different styles, shapes, and colors of these famous maps. One of my favorite displays was an old English map from around the 6th century. It was drawn on a piece of canvas in an odd triangular shape. Dr. Connor explained that this map was actually made from a cow’s hide. The artist drawing the map maintained the shape so that the map could be as large as possible. Another interesting feature of the maps were the many occurrences of sea monsters roaming the deep oceans. There were also many geographical “mistakes” such as the “Sea of California” (a sea separating California from the rest of the continental US) and an Australian continent that stretched all the way around the world.
I was planning to take some pictures of these maps and had actually just taken a very nice shot of Dr. Connor admiring an early map of Italy, when a library security guard approached me. He curtly informed me that picture-taking was against the rules. He then proceeded to have me take out my camera and delete, in his presence, all photos taken in the British Library. :( My friend, Christine saw this whole incident and just assumed the friendly British guard wanted to see all the pictures that I had taken. Well, not exactly.
The other fascinating sight in the British Library, which, after learning my lesson, I did not photograph, was the original Beowulf manuscript. (English majors I know that you are jealous!) I’m not sure if everyone remembers reading Beowulf in high school, but it is the epic tale of a brave warrior and his battle against the monster, Grendel. Well, at the British Library, I got to see the original Old English manuscript! I must say that I was awestruck by this ancient work of art. Many scholars consider Beowulf to be the foundation of all English literature and that is a huge honor!
After the library, we moved on to free time in London. I tagged along with the group going to Camden Market in order to taste the wide variety of international delicacies. If anyone has heard Amanda’s description of “ghetto food alley” in East Asia—this was extremely similar. There were all sorts of tents, stands and corner shops selling Chinese, Thai, Moroccan, Indian, Middle Eastern, Italian, Greek, and a couple of French creperies. As you walk along the food stalls, its like the sellers have a giant competition to try to get you to choose their food. Chinese women hold chunks of orange chicken on forks and call “Free sample. You like chicken? Come try sample!” Across the alley the Indian women are preparing vegetable curry, while the Greek chefs offer freshly grilled kebobs. Different sellers have different chants, so sounds like “3.99!”, “Rice, chicken, vegetable!”, and “Healthy and fresh!” fill the air. I finally settled for a Middle Eastern salad with couscous, hummus, cucumber and tomato, lentils, and French bread (don’t ask me how the bread got there, but it was really good!). Shannon decided to try a Nutella and banana crepe for dessert.
After lunch, the girls decided to go shopping, while I went with Kevin, Gary, and Dr. Stewart to the British Museum. We didn’t stay long, but the glimpse of history I got to see was fabulous! Most remarkably, I got to see the original Rosetta Stone. This stone, containing the script of 3 different languages was the key to deciphering Egyptian hieroglyphics. It was amazing to think that the piece of slate before me singlehandedly opened the vault to thousands and thousands of years of Egyptian history. Without uncovering that ancient slab of rock, who knows how long the world would have waited to read the history of Egypt. Perhaps we’d still be waiting...
Also in the museum were the detailed stone carvings from the top of the Parthenon in Greece. Although these carvings are originally from Greece—England acquired them in 1816 by purchasing them from the Ottoman Turks. Greece has been trying desperately to get these works of art back, but the British government argues that it has been Great Britain and not Greece who has protected and preserved them all these years. It is still an ongoing debate.
I also had the opportunity to see who I thought was the original Cleopatra. Of course, I was thrilled at this idea….until I later found out that what I saw was simply “a Cleopatra.” It seems that there are several, and experts are not really sure which is the right one. Well, at least I got to see one of them!
The boys and I then decided to travel back to Camden Town to take a ride on a British canal cruise! This was an awesome adventure. We started in Camden and sailed all the way down to Little Italy, which is the part of town where Robert Browning used to live! (He wrote “My Last Duchess” and various other famous British poems). The tour included all kinds of interesting facts about the canal culture and lives of those who lived on the boats. It was so intriguing to see this other side of London. By the end of the cruise, it had just turned 6:00pm and we were supposed to meet at 6:45pm to travel to the Globe Theatre. Therefore, Gary, Kevin, Dr. Stewart and I literally ran to the Tube station (“Mind the gap, please!”) and quickly sailed back to the Victoria tube stop.
Coming soon…the Globe Theatre!

First Day in London

We arrived around 3:00pm and headed straight to our apartment flat. Yes, I am staying in on the 7th floor of a very nice London apartment! There are three bedrooms (2 small and 1 large), as well as a kitchen, dining room, and small living room. The boys are on the 6th floor, while the professors are taking residence in the apartment beside them. After dropping off our luggage and quickly changing our clothes, we headed into the city! We started our tour with Piccadilly Circus, otherwise known as the “Times Square” of London.
Busy streets, flashing lights, street side demonstrations, shops, singers, ethnic foods, and colorful people—Piccadilly really is a circus! While some of the others stopped to get coffee, Kevin and I found an authentic English teashop and got to taste a variety of different teas. My favorite was the “Summer Peach.” :) After the circus, we headed over to Trafalgar Square. This area of London used to be infested with pigeons. In the past, if a person held up two hands full of birdseed they would soon be covered, head-to-toe, in pigeons! Well, the city of London decided that this was somewhat of a health concern, so they soon took pains to stop the pigeons—beginning with the implementation of a £500 fine for feeding them. And, much like the football stadium in our own, dear Morgantown, London also added the sounds and cries of birds of prey. The only difference between Morgantown and London’s bird removal plan is that in London, they introduced the actual birds of prey—and not just the recordings. Needless to say, the pigeons were reduced substantially.
We ended the evening with a charming dinner at an Indian Restaurant. The Indian food in London is superb. I had a vegetable curry and chicken biryani, not to mention numerous appetizers, such as somosas, curry potatoes, and naan bread.
The highlight of my first day was a ride in a real London Taxi! While the others were planning to go out to get drinks, I decided that I was pretty tired and wanted to get back to the apartment. Since I was still learning my way around the Underground “Tube” system (the British version of the DC Metro and NY Subway), Dr. Stewart decided that I had better take a cab. It was so much fun! The driver gave me a “mini-tour” and I even got to ride by St. James Park and Buckingham Palace. (Check out Facebook for a cab ride video!)

The English Countryside – Cotswolds

I discovered today that not all grass in England is flat, smooth, and short like I previously believed. In fact, a very large portion of the grass in England is thick, hilly, and filled with ridges, stones, and sheep droppings. Today, we traveled to the English country villages (Cotswolds) and the English countryside. It was breath-taking! I felt as if I had walked right into a Jane Austen novel. There were rolling hills, wooden fences, herds of sheep, ripening crops, gentle streams, and numerous trees and wildflowers. It was the landscape that I have always dreamed about.
We began our tour of the country at the original site of Abingdon Abbey. This famous abbey was actually dismantled by King Henry VIII in the 16th century in order to make profit for the royal family and decrease the number of Catholic churches in England. This process was known as the “Dissolution of the Monasteries.” The money from the monasteries went directly to Henry’s treasure hoard, while the stones and brick of the monasteries were used as supplies for other buildings. Although nothing now remains of the actual abbey, we were able to see the outline of the building traced by bricks around a large grass field. The grounds of Abingdon are now used as public parks and recreation areas. There is even a children’s water park. I found the place to be hauntingly peaceful. Even with the sounds of children laughing and playing in the background, the abbey grounds have retained a serene atmosphere. It’s like a piece of history that will never fade. I seem to feel that way about much of England—like there is a history hiding in everything. I am always wondering who walked here before me, what was their story, and what did they accomplish with their lives? I suppose a person does not have to be in England to appreciate history. There are stories from every location—people have laughed, cried, loved, and hated since the beginning of time. People have run up against obstacles, fought with endurance, and come out successful. They, in their own way, have made history.
I’d like to encourage you to discover a piece of the history that surrounds you. Even if it is simply the story of your family, take time to appreciate what you have learned from the past. And don’t ever forget, that no matter where you are and who you are, you are writing your own history.

At the conclusion of our abbey tour, we walked around the country towns in the area. Everybody and everything seemed so quaint and friendly. It reminded me of a small American farming town. I even bought a piece of fruit at a little shop where we stopped to purchase water.
After exploring the villages, it was soon time for my favorite part of the journey—the hike. Our bus dropped us off at the trailhead and we entered the fields. I felt exactly like Elizabeth Bennet on my way to Pemberly [Pride and Prejudice], or perhaps Marianne Dashwood out for one of her rainy day walks [Sense and Sensibility]. We briskly walked the hills, scattering sheep, watching the stream bank, and humming hiking tunes. On one of the trails, Christine, Shannon, and I even discovered some little snails. :) Thanks to our fearless leader, Dr. Lamb, we were led safely to the neighboring village where our bus was waiting to pick us up. Here ends another wonderful day in England.