"My heart leaps up when I behold"

Once upon a time, I was in the greatest city in the whole entire world. HELLO FROM LONDON!!!  Big Ben and the River Thames asked me to send you all their love! However, before I begin to describe my London adventures, I simply cannot ignore our visit to the Lake District and the final days of the grand "Gypsy Tour".

I can't even begin to properly describe the majesty of the Lake District- the mountains seem like an ocean, rolling on towards infinity! All the while, the lakes act like sparkling mirrors, reflecting these mountains and the gorgeous purple sunsets behind them. Also, there are a bazillion sheep. #winning

Sheep after my own heart

I have dreamed of visiting the Lake District ever since I first fell in love with Victorian literature. How could one not be enchanted by a place that inspired the likes of Jane Austen, Charles Dickens, the Bronte sisters, Beatrix Potter, and every great English romantic poet?  

Also, if you need more incentive, Mr. Darcy lives in the Lake District. Enough said.

However, it is because of William Wordsworth, father of the romantic poetry movement and my absolute favorite poet, that I so anxiously awaited our stay in this idyllic corner of England. Wordsworth was born here and once said that he spent "half his boyhood in running wild among the Mountains." Aside from spending his college years at Cambridge, he never lived anywhere else. He drew nearly all his inspiration from daily walks around the lakes, dales, and mountains; it is estimated that Wordsworth walked between 175,000 to 180,000 miles during his adult life. All these miles resulted in some of the greatest poetry ever written in the English language. Wordsworth was one of the first English poets to write for all classes- he wanted his poetry to be easily accessible. He wrote in the "real language of men" avoiding the superfluous poetic diction of the time. Wordsworth believed that the best poetry came from the "spontaneous overflow" of emotions and not from contrived formulas. 

Wordsworth said he wished to "console the afflicted, to add sunshine...to teach the young and the gracious of every age to see, to think, to feel." Quite a nobel goal, don't you think?
He believed that city life encouraged social anxiety, self-indulgence, and envy.

He reasoned that nature, 

"can so inform
The mind that is within us, so impress
With quietness and beauty, and so feed
With lofty thoughts, that neither evil tongues,
Rash judgments, nor the sneers of selfish men,
Nor greetings where no kindness is, nor all
The dreary intercourse of daily life,
Shall e'er prevail against us, or disturb
Our cheerful faith that all which we behold

Is full of blessings."

I do have to agree that in the presence of a sunset, I find it hard to care much about anything else!

During our stay in the Lake District, a few of us opted to hike Mount Helvellyn, the third highest peak in England. I carried a copy of The Complete Poetical Works of William Wordsworth in my backpack as I ascended the mountain. I felt like reading a few of Wordsworth's poems on the very mountain he used to climb on a weekly basis was the fullest way to experience and appreciate his work.

I was cajoled into giving a dramatic reading of "I Wondered Lonely As a Cloud" while on the mountain...a very dramatic reading. I climbed up on a rock and began the poem with the full realization that everyone was going to record this little performance... and that surely one of these videos would surface again at some uncomfortable moment in my future.

However, I realized then, up on that rock, why many of us are so drawn to poetry. Poets have somehow managed to capture all those feelings we keep welled up inside, unable or maybe even too afraid to articulate.

As we finally neared the crest of the mountain, I was reminded of Lizzie Bennet in Pride and Prejudice.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vTHvu9GKQDE

However, this is a more accurate portrayal...

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After a glorious visit to the Lake District, we ventured on to the last legs of our grand "Gypsy Tour"- Chester and Bath, England.

Chester is an English Heritage city, and was first established by the Romans. Chester and the county of Cheshire found fame from their delicious Cheshire cheese. This special cheese was always sold in the mold of a cat. This inspired Chester's famous resident, Lewis Carroll, to name one of his most memorable characters "The Cheshire Cat".  Lesson learned: If you need inspiration, go buy some fancy cheese.
More tangibly, Chester is also famous for the beautiful Eastgate Clock, erected in honor of Queen Victoria's Diamond Jubilee.

After our dalliances in Chester, we moved on to yet another Roman city, Bath!
We loved Bath so much! A few of us went straight to the beautiful Bath Abbey upon our arrival in order to make the Evensong service. The Bath Abbey may very well have been my favorite of all the cathedrals we have seen (believe me, that is high complement!).

Inside the Abbey

Outside the Abbey

Once again, we were graced with beautiful sunshine and we spent our time in Bath enjoying outdoor markets and shopping at all the awesome stores! Of course, no stay in Bath is complete without a visit to the Roman Baths. It is crazy to believe all of these structures are still standing after thousands of years and that the thermal springs are still pushing warm waters to the surface.

Roman Baths

We also made a visit to the Jane Austen Museum and the Bath Fashion Museum...both occasions called for playing dress up, naturally.

Jane Austen Museum- Lee as Mr. Darcy

My turn to be the man

We were sad to leave the beauty of Bath and the Gypsy Tour behind us. It was hard to believe that October had finally arrived! Climbing on to Seamus's bus one last time was bittersweet, but London was calling!