Allow me to start at the very beginnnnning (a very good place to start. Stephanie, calm down, we all know how you feel about Chris). The three of us decided to make a pilgrimage of sorts to Haworth, in the county of Keighley, on the recommendation of my forever house proctor CAITLIN! (shout out whooo!). For those not in-the-know (aka apparently students who attended California public schools... based on the opinion of Fort), the Brontes were three writers, and an alcoholic "artist" brother of course, who lived and died in Haworth in the 19th century. The Brontes have written some of the greatest books of our time, including Jane Eyre (which I know by the equally excellent Eyre Affair by Jasper Fforde, PLEASE READ) and Wuthering Heights. In fact, the moors around the tiny village of Haworth are what inspired Miss Emily in her writing of WH.
Needless to say, it is a must-see for any literary dork such as myself, and Molly and Jen'ny are easily convinced. Bright and early Saturday morning, we catch the train north and arrive bleary-eyed and a bit cold in Haworth! We had booked a double and a single in the Bridgehouse Lane B&B, which turned out to be a lovely Victorian home at the bottom of the hill of Main Street (booo hill). The best part about Bridgehouse, besides our CRAZY awesome rooms and even BETTER shower (seriously... we could control the water temperature! It was the first time in two months that I could take a shower without scalding my bum region) were the OWNERS! Claire was deemed by British BFF (eat your heart out, Paris Hilton) because of our email correspondence, but her husband MARTIN! Oh Martin... his suggestions, his helpfulness, his one hoop earring, his massive sprouting of nosehair... it was truly a magical experience. So we shove our gear in our rooms, and after an excellent lunch at a place THRILLED to have Americans (and Virginians to boot... boyfriend knew Civil War battlefields, v impressive), we decide to head on THE HIKE!
Allow me to preface this. I am not, how you say, the world's best athlete. I have been known to throw up, pass out, catch pneumonia, etc., after exercising. But, I am proud to say, that I was actually very excellent on this weekend's hike, and besides feeling a bit tired and sore the next day, kicked BOOTY on those moors!
So, after purchasing a map (I looooove maaaaaps.... GIVE ME ALL THE MAPS! Jenny claims I get nervous if I don't have complete control of the map), we decide to head on the trail to Bronte Waterfalls and the Bronte Bridge, five miles roundtrip hike. It was a bit of a bleary day, but we're merrily walking along, snagging some walking sticks along the way, trotting through green fields, through impossibly small stiles (seriously, NO FATTIES ALLOWED on these walks apparently....).... then we ford a river... and start thinking since we haven't seen anyone else, we MIGHT be on the wrong path. Turned out the well-defined path discussed in the pamphlet was, indeed, supposed to be a well-defined path, and we had been walking parallel of it for about a mile of so. So, we scampered on the path, and make our merry way down to the falls (more of a trickle, but inspiring nonetheless).
At this point, we either turn back or... keep going to Top Withens, which is (obv) on the top of the moors, an extra two or so miles tacked on to hike, BUT supposedly the very inspiration for Heathy's house in WH. What the h, we figure, LET'S DO IT! We're only in England once. Of course, once we set on this path (which involved us literally "scrambling up a path of boulders" and "crossing over a fence by using a ladder"...), the weather takes a turn and it starts spitting rain, fog rolling in, etc. Not too bad though. Atmospheric.
Anyone, I guess I'll start cutting this short instead of giving you the blow-by-blow. We make it to the top (VICTORIOUS!) even though I maaay have suggested, "come on, we've seen it, why go ALL THE WAY UP?", and find our way back to Haworth before the sun sets. After tucking in to a waaarm dinner, the time is about 6:30... and we're in a small English village.... obviously not a lot to do... and exhausted... time to go back to the hotel! So, yes. My exciting Saturday night was watching TV, playing cards, watching a movie, and falling asleep at 10:30. Heaven.
Goodness, I certainly am going on and on about this weekend. A little bit faster now: delicious full English breakfast Sunday morning, a baby hike in the morning, AWESOME lunch in a place where you can paint pottery (we didn't, but we did get to spy on little British children), a visit to the Bronte Parsonage, wandering around town, and finally hoooome that night.
Jampacked weekend, but so lovely to be outside, out of the city, and experiencing a place with such rich literary history. We also had a really long discussion on the hike on how happy we are that we all studied abroad. Really, it has got to be one of the best choices I have ever made, and something I think everyone should do. I mean, who would think that I would be hiking on the moors that inspired Wuthering Heights, or horse-back riding through the Welsh mountains, or picnicking on the Austrian Alps (to come, my friends). Even just walking around London and thinking to myself, "I know EXACTLY where I am and what I am doing, and I feel truly comfortable in this foreign country"... that is an amazing feeling. I have had some simply amazing experiences, have met some unforgettable people, and have done things I would have otherwise never been able to do. And to do it with some really great friends? Well, there's just nothing that can top that experience.
Finally, I am supremely excited about what is to come. Next week my very good friend is coming to visit, and I will also have a chance to see another friend as well. After that (and a Colin Firth premiere/performance of Swan Lake... the two are not connected), my parents are coming to visit. Then, it is the end of term (!!! already !!!), and I will be trotting around Europe with two lovely friends. So, expect a ton of updates on Brussels, Bruges, Amsterdam, Frankfurt (for the night, not for the sights), Wurzburg, Rothenberg, Fussen, Munich, Innsbruck, Bern, Lyon, and Nice. Then, I will be back for about two weeks (including a performance at the Globe of Rom and Jul AAAAND TAYLOR SWIFTTTT!), and then heading back to the States! Time has truly flown, but rest assured -- I have enjoyed every minute of it, seen more of London than I thought possible, and learned more about myself to boot.
