Trip Up North

Buckle your seatbelt, cause we have a long post today. Last night we got back from our trip up North. This is how it went...

 We started in York at York Minster Cathedral. These Cathedrals are absolutely stunning. I can't believe how big and immaculate they are. The windows are amazing and they are just huge. 

 After the cathedral, we walked up and down the "Shambles." It's the most accurate, best preserved medieval street. It had a lot of shops on it, and was just cute.  

 The Tour de France happened just the day before we were there and then it went in London the day we were in York, bad luck, but the town sure looked nice and festive. 

 Madeline, Mallory and I in the square. It was really bright outside!

 In York we stopped at the National Railway Museum. It was really cool. They had all of these old trains that you could look inside and see what the Royal family got to ride in or what first class looked like. I didn't think it would be that great, but it really was awesome. 

 York Minster again

 Then you can walk around the old city wall. This is the view from the wall. It was beautiful! York was fun and we stayed the night in a little hotel there. 

 The next day (Tuesday) we were off to Edinburgh, Scotland. But we made a few stops along the way. We stopped in Durham to look at the cathedral there, again, very impressive!

 It was a rainy day, which I liked. But we walked along the river and ate lunch and hung out for a few hours. 

 The next stop was Hadrian's Wall. This was probably one of the coolest things that I have seen so far. Hadrian was a Roman Emperor and built this huge wall and fortress to keep invaders out of Britain. The scenery was beautiful and it was fun to see what we have been learning about in class. 

 We finally arrived in Edinburgh, Scotland. For dinner, we went to the Elephant Cafe were apparently J.K. Rowling was inspired to write Harry Potter. The food was decent, but it was fun to just be there. 

 I have to say, that Edinburgh was probably one of my favorite places. I loved Scotland and even though it was busy, it was a lot of fun. I would love to spend more time there and be able to go to the countryside. 

 On Wednesday, we started the day off with a hike up to Arthur's Seat. This is a hill that looks out over all of Edinburgh. It was breathtaking. The scenery was beautiful, the hike was fun and it was nice and cool. I just loved it. Here are my friends; Taylor Ann, Sydney, Austen, Me, Shannon, Mallory, Brooke, Melissa

 Then we took a tour of Edinburgh Castle. It was huge and I didn't realize it was used as a military fort. The Royal Family stays in a palace down the royal mile, but the castle is still used for military purposes. 

 Of course, we saw a lot of bagpipes and random guys wearing kilts. Only in Scotland!

 I have wanted to see the Royal Botanic Gardens since I found out about them during my class in the Winter. They are massive gardens that are beautiful.

 We didn't have much time, but I loved the little signs and all of the plants. They use this garden to study plants. They have greenhouses that cost money to go in, but that is where they will grow different plants for medicines, or just to observe them. It's a very educational place and it was a lot of fun. 

 On Thursday, we were on the road again to the Lake District, but we stopped at William Wordsworth's cottage and had a tour. It was kind of cool and we had to read some of his poetry in his house. 

 They are also known for their gingerbread. I thought this would be like a gingersnap we make at our house, but it wasn't. It was very strong and interesting. It definitely took some getting used to for me. 

 Then the Lake District...It was AMAZING. We got there and were on a hike within an hour of arriving. We stayed at a hostel at Lake Windermere. 

Mallory, Brooke and I decided to climb the mountain, Loughrigg. The view was spectacular. We could see all of the lake and the rolling hills. 

 It was nice to relax and enjoy the outdoors. Again, I wish we had more time to do more hiking and exploring. It was just awesome. 

 Friday, we made our way to Liverpool but stopped in Preston to do a church history tour. I didn't realize all of the missionary work and growth that the church has here in Preston. We stopped at the temple and it was beautiful. I am so grateful for these saints and the sacrifice they made to make a mark here in England. 

 Next stop was Liverpool. I think this was one of my favorite cities. Again, wish we would have stayed longer. We went into a few museums. We went to the Merseyside Maritime Museum and the International Slavery Museum. They had cool exhibits on the Titanic and immigration in Liverpool. Then we walked along the coast. 

 We had an appointment to see the Beatles museum, since they started in Liverpool. I didn't realize what a HUGE impact they have had on the music industry.

 Missed going to Anfield Stadium and the Liverpool museum, but soccer is everywhere here. I got a postcard for Joseph, knowing he loves Liverpool. 

 It was so pretty and it is definitely a go-to place again. 

 Saturday we made the trek back to London, but once again, we had to make a few stops. We stopped in a small, cute town of Chester and walked the old Roman Walls. 

 They had horse races going on later that day and we saw many people dressed up to go see them. It's fun to see the English culture and how they dress up to see these races. They had nice dresses and fasinators (hat headbands) on and the men had nice suits and ties. 

Last stop was Ironbridge Gorge. This is one of the main places for the Industrial Revolution. They are known for their iron and coal. This bridge is built entirely out of iron in 1779. We were all museumed out, but they had really cool museums. 

We made it back safe and sound and it feels good to be back. We have church today, and so prepared a last minute lesson. Hopefully all goes well.

Cheers!