Monday July 20th, 2009
Mariella and I have been offline for a few days. Unfortunately we had to say goodbye to our new friends whom we wished lived closer to California. To the Armstrong and Cotter Clan, thank you for loving us and letting us spend time with you. You are wonderful people. We left Belfast on Saturday the 18th and arrived in Liverpool. We spent half a day exploring Albert Dock and the city center. We visited the “Cavern Club” where the Beatles played many gigs.
From Liverpool we drove a couple hours north to the Lakes District (a National Park). A few years ago I heard of this place when I asked our friend Brandon where he would live if he could live anywhere in the world. He said, Ambleside and explained its beauty. The hope of visiting this place was stored in my mind from that
The Lakes District is stunningly beautiful. The villages (towns) are the most beautiful and idyllic I have ever seen. These villages have to be among the top 5 beautiful places on earth. The place reminds me of storybook or movie. This is a real life “Shire” as seen in the movie “Lord of the Rings.”
We have explored the villages of Windermere, Ambleside, Troutbeck, Grasmere, Coniston (for a county fair) and Keswick. We spent the night in the car the first night, which did not go well. Mariella froze with our little sleep sheets. As a result, night two and three were spent in a hostel in the hills above Ambelside.
Mariella and I have done a lot of hiking. There are hundreds of hikes. If we ever found ourselves living in England, this would be the place to go for good hikes not too technical, but enough to get the heart pumping. The Lakes would also be fabulous for spiritual/emotional/physical retreats from the noise and busyness of everyday life.
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wow. All these pictures are so amazing! It really is like the shire.
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