Yesterday we took off on our three day trip around the north of England. To be honest, when I first saw the schedule of our trip north, my first thought was, “We’re not going to Pemberley??” Then I remembered that Pemberley is not a real place. It was simply a figment of Jane Austen’s imagination. Sad day.
First stop yesterday was… I think… The ruins of Fountains Abbey. It feels like so long ago. The ruins were gorgeous. I sincerely wished my friend Jill had been there to take pictures! I think mine just did not do justice. This is when I really regret not taking a photography class…
In the bus yesterday, we were forced by our professors to endure the film Wuthering Heights. Yes, Grandma, I have finally watched the whole thing. And it was terrible. Surely, there must be someone in this world who appreciates this sort of cruel, twisted, haunting story. But I am not one of them. Also, today’s bus ride included a documentary on the lives of the Bronte sisters. From this film’s point of view, they apparently lived incredibly depressing lives and the only reason they wrote was as a last resort to make money. I’m so glad I didn’t sign up for the literature class.
We arrived in York last night about 4:30pm. I say night because it is pitch black here by 5. York is actually pretty small. The Roman city walls are still intact with a circumference of about 3 miles and the city barely goes beyond the walls. We walked through an ancient street called “The Shambles,” but apparently the night life is kind of sad there because everything but the department stores were closed by 6!
This morning we walked up on the city walls and took a tour of Minster Cathedral in York. These are pictures of the city walls and me sitting in the Minster Chapter House in the seat where King Edward would sit when he met with his Parliament in York.
We then hopped on the bus and spent the afternoon turning ourselves into ice cubes in Preston. Oh, while turning into ice cubes we did see tons of cool history sites of the LDS Church. We saw the square where the first missionaries in England preached, their first apartment, and the river where the first baptisms in England were performed. That same public square was the first place President Gordon B. Hinckley preached on his mission. We were also able to see the Preston Temple and the Missionary Training Center, among other things.
More bus time and we arrived in Liverpool. Holly and I went to a fabulous Italian restaurant called Pesto. All I wanted was protein, vegetables, and a chocolate dessert. I got asparagus in balsamic vinegar with slices of parmesan cheese, baked chicken in a tomato and herb sauce, and Holly and I shared some sort of chocolate fudge cake with fresh cream. They called it Cioccolato Divino. Can you say DIVINE?!? Ahhhh… I love food. That dinner just made my whole day better.
European restaurants are very different from American. I wouldn’t say the food is better, because it all depends what you’re craving. But it is very different – in a wonderful way. Europeans take much longer on their evening meals. Holly and I were at the restaurant for almost an hour and a half, even though we were trying to be quick. They also eat later. The other day a group of us went out to dinner in London and when we got to the restaurant at 6pm it was practically empty. I was worried that it wouldn’t be any good since no one was there, but about 7pm people started arriving and at 7.30 it was packed. We then sat around for a while waiting for our check before realizing that you have to ask for it. Here, they think it’s rude to bring you your check because it’s like pushing you out the door.
