So much has happened since my last upload of campus pictures! In other words, prepare yourself for a longer blog!
To start, on Wednesday, August 20th, the program arranged to take our group to the Lake District where many of the famous Romantic Poets such as William Wordsworth, Samuel Coleridge, and John Ruskin lived as well as wrote their poetry! This is quite fitting seeing as we are analyzing the British landscape and its influence on Romanticism. After traveling through the narrowest roads I have ever encountered, we finally reached Brantwood, home of John Ruskin for much of his life. We climbed aboard a ferry that took us to his house on the other side of the lake and the views were beyond incredible!! I can completely understand why these Romantic poets felt inspired to write about the beauty that surrounded them. After touring Ruskin's house, my friends and I ate lunch at a local restaurant which had splendid views overlooking the lake. We then decided to explore the gardens which were located on mountainous terrain.
Once we had finished our explorations of Brantwood, we then drove close to Dove Cottage, home of the legendary poet William Wordsworth, and decided to walk on foot to the town surrounding his cottage. Although it took about 45 minutes to walk into town, it was definitely worth it as we were able to take in the gorgeous views of the mountains as well as the lake. Once we walked through town we then toured Wordsworth's cottage which was such a great opportunity! Seeing how much history was preserved in that house was truly amazing (sorry I'm a history nerd). In addition, we explored Wordsworth's gardens and the museum that was next door. We were then given some free time to walk through town and I had a lovely cup of fruit tea at a local cafe.
On Thursday, August 21st, we had a few lectures and seminars and finalized our topics for our annotative bibliography due Monday morning (school?). Anyway, after classes were finished my friends and I took a bus into the town of Lancaster to meet with our tutors to tour Lancaster Castle! The castle dates back to the 11th century and is owned by the Queen of England who is the Duchy of Lancaster (fun facts). Anyway, the dark stories of the Pendle Witches and countless others who were found guilty within the castle walls and sentenced to an execution was enough to keep me intrigued! Interestingly enough, the castle was used as a local prison until as recently as 2011 and still holds a crown court!
After the grand tour, we all walked to a pub nearby which is famous for their exquisite cheese boards. Although I did not order the board, I was able to try my friend's selection and found it to be quite tasty, especially the Lancashire cheese (I'm not biased, I swear!). Once we finished our meal, we walked to a bar called Revolution and had a fun evening reflecting on the amazing experiences that we were fortunate to have had this week.
Side-note: On our way home from Revolution, my friends and I stumbled upon a Student Union party karaoke night in County Bar on campus. We decided to check it out and we had a great time mingling with British students who were more than friendly and eager to chat with all of us about England as well as the US!
Well thats all for now! I'll post more soon and thank you for reading! :)
xoxo
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