This post will probably be quite long, as there's rather a lot for me to say (that's what I get for not having a real update in a while).
In an attempt to keep our friend C. busy and prevent her from attempting to get to our friend A's place early so that she'd ruin the surprise "Congratulations on getting you PhD party", L. and K. came up with the great idea that we should get as many people together and go walking on the Moors. So we went to the North Yorkshire Moors National Park (about 1.5 hours drive out of York... probably slightly less if the roads were more than one lane... for BOTH directions... and if sheep hadn't kept crossing the road... and if it wasn't necessary to brake on the ridiculously steep and curvy hills, etc. etc. The people that drive those things are very brave).
We started our hike (because it was what I would call a hike, not a 'walk' as the English are so used to calling it) at the Moors Centre just outside Danby. Armed with a map, a guidebook, two first aid kits, food, extra clothing (did I mention that L and I have both been Girl Guides in the past?), several mobile phones - most of which was NOT brought by me, as I really don't have any of my hiking gear here in England... esp. not my boots... which was sad... because walking the moors in (my old) sneakers leaves a girl very muddy and wet. Not that I minded, but it would have been nice to have the proper gear.
We decided to go on a walk that took us into a place called "Little Fryup Dale". Mostly 'cuz the name was cool. And there were castle ruins and a 'picturesque bridge', according to the guidebook. 6 miles of goodness. I can definitely feel it today. There are muscles you use when hiking up giant hills that you just don't use when you're jogging around a relatively flat terrain.
This here's Danby Castle. The castle was apparently more purely functional as a living space than as any sort of defence or any sort of palace. Fair enough.
This is Duck Bridge. That'd be L. standing in front of it. Down underneath the bridge, just to the side closest to us, there's a set of stepping stones across the river as well - the bridge was built just so that pack horses could get across.
And this would be a random shot of the English countryside. Pretty cool, eh?
And the surprise party that evening was totally fun, in spite of that fact that K and I left at 11:30 because we were just so flipping exhausted from the hiking. L had left about half an hour earlier.
And... the fun and exciting news... which some of you already know, I think.
I'm going to Ireland! I'm giving myself an early birthday present and booked myself onto a coach tour (think Collette, my FEP friends) of Ireland for a week at the end of the month - from the 25th to the 31st. Means I'll be offline (there's wireless at some of the hotels, but quite frankly I'm not taking the laptop. The laptop means I have to do schoolwork), but expect all sorts of fun and goodness when I get back. But I'll be traveling in style - no hostels... Hotels! No standard-class trains... a private coach! Bit of a splurge, but I don't care dammit. I think the only thing I'm worried about is my fellow travellers. The demographic is, apparently, not unlike Collette in that is mainly consists of American seniors. You know the ones. The old ladies generally have southern accents, wear t-shirts with their state flag on them IN SEQUINS, tapered jeans, large sneakers that you know they bought just for this trip because they're blindingly white, have their cameras dangling around their necks, sun visor in place over large sunglasses, while their poor, docile husbands generally follow around behind. Unless said husband is very bold and conservative in nature and feels the need to loudly ask rude and red-necked questions (Where'd they fight the injuns?). He is usually going slightly bald and is generally a little overweight.
Sorry to my American readers. My bitterness at three summers of shuffling your seniors through FEP has finally caught up with me... knowing that I may soon be stuck with that obnoxious demographic for a week has made me a little edgy.
But, I get to see Dublin, Galway and Killarney - including the Book of Kells (how cool is that?!... yeah, I know, it's only 2 pages, but it's included in the tour), Guiness distillery, etc. I'm cramming as much as possible into one week and this was the best way to do it.
And now I leave you all... if you've gotten this far, I congratulate you.
I am totally jealous. Find a small local pub with a live band and breathe it in for me.
Oh, I totally forgot: in the Eyre Square Shopping Centre (at least I think that what it is called; just off Eyre Square) there's is this itty bitty small stall where you can get the most delicious Belgian chocolates!
Also, in one of the streets running parallel to Shop Stree (it might be Middle Street) there was a lovely Italian restaurant six years ago.