Lake District Day Trip

On Saturday, I finally got to the Lake District in England. It's been on my 101 in 1001 list as well as my bucket list for as long as I can remember. 

So, I finally bit the bullet and bought a day trip. I went with the day trip as I truthfully had no time to plan a trip as well as figure out transportation. Because we all need to be honest...me driving on the other side of the road sounds like a disaster in the making. 

My day started off bright and early at Euston Station. My tour group caught a train to Oxenholme Station. Thankfully, I slept on the train to make up for those few hours I missed. 

On our arrival, our guide shuttled us to Lake Windemere.

We also got to see Wray Castle. Unfortunately, as I soon learned... it's not actually a castle. It was just called that based off a man building it for his wife. I didn't get a chance to go inside, but it still took on the Medieval appearance from the outside. 

Nearby, there was also the memorial that Beatrice Potter built for Norman Warne following his death.

From there, the tour group headed to Hill Top. Hill Top was the home of Beatrix Potter, and the area was a source of inspiration for her stories. 

Gardens of Hill Top

Hill Top

The house was preserved and had numerous exhibits of her drawings and writings. 

I also checked out the backyard and houses down the street to find a few treasures. And, I did manage to see one bunny rabbit, so maybe it was Peter?

Post Office Box from Peter Rabbit's Almanac 

Anvil Cottage from the Tale of Samuel Whiskers 

Tom Kitten's Gate

For lunch, we visited Hawkshead. William Wandsworth spent a period of his life in the town. 

Hawkshead

Post lunch, the group was ushered off to Lake Coniston for a cruise. This area truly reminded me of the Finger Lakes in Central New York.

Lake Coniston

Lake Coniston

And, finally, we ended the last bit of our touring at the famous Tarn Hows. It was an amazing overlook spot for the Lake District. Next time, I would love to wander around the trails.

It was a very long day of touring, but it was well worth it. I know I only saw a bit of the splendor of the Lake District, but I know I'll be back. If you're in London and haven't been, I completely support your decision for taking the same tour that I did!

Strawberry Hill Day Trip!

Getting the itch to escape outside the hustle and bustle of London...

I took a train to Strawberry Hill, yesterday. 

Strawberry Hill was the home of Horace Walpole.  Horace was the son of Sir Robert Walpole- the first PM of Great Britain.  Horace is best known for his writing. A 'Man of Letters,' his most famous work is The Castle of Otranto. 

Horace's castle is reflective of the gothic design. The guides mentioned that he had gathered numerous pieces of artwork and woodwork from his travels throughout Europe in his earlier years. Settling in to building his home, he took the gothic motif and carried it throughout the entire house. One part of the ceiling in the house was originally from Westminster Abbey!

If you are wondering if I'm related to him, from what we gather based on family trees, we should be. 

The Walpole family crest was featured throughout the entire house.  Numerous parts of the crest were featured on stained glass windows in a former bedroom.

And, the entire crest is painted on the ceiling in the library. I've decided that I must do the same in my future home! 

If Horace and I are not related, and we are just two people who share a last name, we could have been great pals! 

 His library was heaven when I stepped in. 

He enjoyed displaying his souvenirs from his travels around Europe throughout his house.

And, he liked a good garden-space.

It was a perfect Saturday outing. The whole trip took about three hours- journey time from my house to Waterloo and back, train ride, and exploring the grounds of Strawberry Hill. I recommend it to my fellow Walpoles around the world, and for those fascinated by historical buildings! 

Tired of London, Tired of Life

I acquired a book called, "Tired of London, Tired of Life," awhile back. Essentially, it's a book detailing something new to do everyday in London. I'm a tourist at heart, so this book was made for me. 

A goal of mine this year is to finally complete all of the tourist attractions in London that I have never done. In 2010, I felt as if I was always on a marathon mission to get to the next big attraction whereas in the past year, the things I did in London were still big attractions, but off the beaten track, too! 

This past weekend, I did just that: find some off the beaten track tourist attractions, but spend some time with the favorites as well. 

On Saturday, I took off to find the location where the last D-Day briefing took place. It was actually quite close to my home in Hammersmith. Hammersmith is also an area that I've never really explored apart from the tube/bus station! 

The location was tucked into gardens where a school used to exist. Now, the cite is occupied by a college. You couldn't go inside or rather too close to the building due to construction works, but it was still a sight to see especially due to the significance of the plan that was finalized there. 

From there, I wandered around to my favorite areas of London: Buckingham Palace, Big Ben, Tower of London, and St. James' Park.

Buckingham Palace

Tower of London

Second Star to the Right & Straight onto Morning

On Sunday, I showed a fellow Syracuse alumna around Portobello Road before I committed to homework and waiting out the UK storm!

The Blue Door from the movie, Notting Hill 

How would you spend your day in London? Or any place?

Final Summer Reading List

It's about that time of the year where my "fun" reading takes place either right before bed or on the tube. Grad school resumes this week, and while I still have a few books to try to finish before school takes off again...I wanted to share what I finished in the past few weeks. 

Have you read any of these books? What have you finished recently?

Summer Reading: Part 2

Since my last post, this bookworm hasn't stopped trying to get through a massive booklist before school resumes in less than two months! Here is what I've had my nose in lately. 

HUGE JFK FAN!

I saw Jared Cohen and Eric Schmidt speak at LSE back in May. I knew I needed to check it out! 

Summer Reading: Part 1

During the academic year, I have to literally schedule time to read for fun. 

When I was an undergrad at Syracuse, I usually read for fun on the weekends. Now, during grad school, I find myself reading on the bus or the tube. Finding a time to read a book for fun is something that has kept me sane for the past five years. And, I know it will help keep me sane for my final year! 

Being home for the summer has allowed me to read a lot more for fun. I still have about two months left in my summer vacation, so I do expect to get through a lot more books. But, I thought I would give you  a photo summary of what I've read so far! 

Kelly Coutrone is a fellow SU alumna!

What books are on your summer reading list? 

If you need me...

I'm currently trying to cut down on this workload: