Kate in the UK!: My sand castle came to life!

Well hey! So this post is going to be a wee bit long considering I have been away from the Internet world for the past three days! I have so much to catch you all up on! Here I go.

Soooo Wednesday morning we stuck around Ambleside for a little bit longer and did another hike! Yes, another hike. Thing is, I love hiking. And I love Ambleside. So it all worked quite nicely. This hike was more of a walk, actually. We walked a ways and got to see the other house William Wordsworth lived in as well as the Church he attended. Sa-weet! So after this we grabbed a quick lunch before getting on the coach for our next destination. Our professors told us to eat at a place called “The Apple Pie Café” because they love it! They had really delicious sandwiches and I got a yummy scone. But I tried their apple pie… and call me biased, it wasn’t nearly as good as my Mothers. Hers are like, the BEST. Everyone knows that!

So one long coach ride later, and I was in SCOTLAND! Oh how I loved hearing bagpipes at all times either close by or somewhere off in the distance. Oh how I loved those charming Scottish accents! Oh how I loved seeing people actually wearing Kilts. Oh how I loved Edinburgh! (I learned it is pronounced Ed- in- bur- uh, BTW) When we first got there we checked into our Hostel. Hostels, well they aren’t the greatest. It was a fun experience though… I mean, I love sleeping next to a wall with mysterious green stains all over it, sleeping on sheets as scratchy as toilet paper. and showering in a shower that is in close enough proximity to the toilet that I could be washing my hair and using the bathroom all at the same time. What’s not to love! So anyways, roaming Scotland was AWESOME. We saw St. Giles Cathedral, Scottish Parliament, Holyrood Palace, the famous Princes Street and St. Andrews Square, Caltons hill. I loved it all! Guess what else I saw? A place called “The Elephant House” this is the café where Harry Potter was born!!! I saw the very table that J.K. Rowling sat at when she jotted down the beginning of the incredible series on a napkin! Wow, it was an overwhelming experience. Haha

Well anyways, we got dinner and then we were off to do another hike! Woo! We hiked to Arthurs Seat. You guys. This was INCREDIBLE! I know I know, I need new adjectives to describe things. Let me know if you can think of any others because right now, all I can think of to describe this view is: incredible, fantastic, amazing, phenomenal, wonderful, beautiful, breathtaking, jaw dropping. Definitely “Whoa Baby” status. From the top of this massive mountain you could see everything! Not to mention we got to watch the sunset from up there! It was just PERFECT.

So, let me tell you a quick little story. When I was little, my cousins and I used to build what I would call a masterpiece in the sand. We’d start by making a big mound of sand. Then we’d build a huge castle on top of it. Then, surrounding it we’d build a little village, and all the other stuff in the town. And then on one side of the creation would be the ocean, the other side would be the beach. Well, when I was in Edinburgh, I saw my sand castle come to life! Little did I know, I had been building Edinburgh in the sand, all this time! Because that really is what its like. Just smack dab in the middle you’ve got Edinburgh Castle, which is like the epitome of what a castle is, on a huge hill, surrounded by the town. And then not too far is the ocean! Seeing it all from Arthurs seat made me absolutely giddy. And seriously there is no more perfect way to describe the Edinburgh castle, then by just saying its totally a CASTLE. I love love love love Edinburgh!

Okay so after Edinburgh we made our way back down to England and went to York! When we first arrived in York I didn’t think it would be that cool or fun, but i was very wrong! It was SO cool and SO fun! In york, is the York Minster. Oh my days, it is AMAZING. York Minster is the biggest Cathedral in all of England and in most of the Western part of Europe. This baby is BIG. I think it was my favorite cathedral we’ve seen! Inside, it was just so light. And open. And beautiful. Although these churches are not our (as in, the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints!) churches, when I step inside, I definitely feel spiritual. It is just really cool to think that these people built these INCREDIBLE structures, all for worshipping God. I don’t know how anyone could not feel that walking into York Minster.

So other than the Minster, York is just a cute little town. There is this famous street there called “Shambles” and it is SO fun! The street is all crooked! The side walk, the sides of the buildings, everything! I felt like I was in Disneyland, but it was a real street! I guess that’s what happens when cows build your streets. And when I say build, I mean just walking over the same path repeatedly. Ha! So along with this fun street there was a big market there that was amaaaaazing. Definitely right up there with London markets! I tried enough samples to count as a meal! It was AWESOME. And I had some of the best chocolate I’ve ever had, ever! I was in heaven!

Our last, but definitely not least, stop was Fountains Abbey! Fountains Abbey is the ruins of this massive Abbey that Henry VIII tried to destroy when he was all mad at everyone for religion. I mean that’s unfortunate that he did that, but man these ruins are COOL! Madeleine and I were in heaven and the kid came out in us. We climbed every part possible to climb and were positively giddy about it. Surrounding the Abbey are beautiful gardens, and a pond and river and such. It is wonderful! I laid down in a field of butter cups day dreaming, making pictures out of clouds, and laughing with friends. What a great way to end our trip!