THE LAKE DISTRICT

Any England trip should end with a jaunt through the Lake District, I say. My last big traveling adventure with the one and only Jess was four days exploring this stunning place. After the hustle and bustle of big cities like London, Edinburgh, and Manchester, the Lake District was a breath of fresh air... No, really, the air was amazing. So clear and fresh and clean. The Lake District is somewhere you go when you want to relax, take life at a slow pace, not worry about battling crowds of people on the sidewalks, enjoy some stunning scenery and unbelievably cute villages, and get wet. Because me oh my, does it RAIN in the Lakes, as Jess and I found out on our first day when we got completely and utterly drenched. Hello to you, too, Lake District.

I am struggling to put into words just how incredible the Lake District was. The hills and lakes and towns were just... wow. I couldn't get over how breathtaking it was; I almost couldn't take it all in. Just when I thought nothing could top the beauty of London or Norwich or Edinburgh, the Lake District had to go and prove me wrong. The peacefulness of a slower-paced excursion was a perfect way to end my England trip. Staying in the sleepy town of Kendal (home of the famous-for-good-reason Kendal mint cake), Jess and I spent our time hiking, exploring an old castle, wandering through tiny towns, trying out cafes and coffee houses and ice cream shops, getting caught in the rain, catching the wrong bus (whoops), spending way too long in a bookstore, and all-around having a tremendously wonderful time. One day we took buses to three nearby villages: Windermere, Ambleside, and Grasmere. (We joked that everywhere we went, we were always the youngest people by about thirty years.) Windermere and Ambleside, with the former's sparkling lake and the latter being built up the side of a hill, were gorgeous in their own rights, but Grasmere... words fail me. There we were, riding a bus on a narrow, winding road, gaping at the scenery surrounding us, when all the sudden we turned a corner and there sat the tiny village of Grasmere, ensconced between towering hills on all sides. We spent nearly two hours there, though it only took us about thirty minutes to walk the entire village. Neither of us wanted to leave. We took a wooded path by a little stream that wound around the outskirts of the village, and guys, I was literally freaking out. It was just so darn cute. When it was finally time to head back to Kendal, the reluctance with which I boarded the bus should not be underestimated. (Did I really look up houses for sale in Grasmere as soon as we got back to the house? Why yes. Yes, I did.)

When we weren't traipsing about the countryside, we got to hang out and play games and watch movies with some pretty cool people, some friends of Jess's we stayed with. Jess and I had just come off of about four weeks of being away from home (Norwich first, then staying/working at Gospel for Asia, and finally Edinburgh), so needless to say, I think we were both tired (a good kind of tired, though). So we quite enjoyed a restful few days with a wonderful family, strolling through the beautiful country, and having some quiet, prayerful time just the two of us. On our last day, our sweet friend Mary joined us for hot paninis in a quaint little cafe and vanilla chai lattes in the spectacular Farrer's Tea and Coffee Shop, before Jess and I jumped on the train to head home to Manchester.

The Lake District certainly lived up to the hype. Honestly, it looks like something straight from a storybook (and did I mention all the Beatrix Potter references scattered everywhere?). It has that magical, quintessential essence to it that completely refreshes you and makes you feel very much alive. If I am ever so fortunate as to live in England (!!!), I still say London would be my top choice, but... the Lakes on the weekends?