UK Edition: Arriving at Scafell Pike

Got the boot all packed up, snug as a bug, ready for our big camping trip! We are lucky everything fit!

I'm amazed at the scenery here. Every time we drive to a new place on our next adventure, I can't help but stare out the window at what I see. Jaw dropped. Drooling, just a little. I'm guilty of taking pictures through the window, its that incredible.

First view of a mountain - it means we are getting closer.

The roads became even narrower and surrounded by trees after we got into Keswick and were on our way to the camp site and Scafell Pike. Once again, it means we are getting closer! Kind of trippy, isn't it? Try riding in a car on these roads, whizzing around corners, squeezing past oncoming cars.

We arrived at the site and, great news! I was the first to get my tent set up! Oh yeah, score one for team Rachel.

To be fair, the tent pops up on its own and all you have to do is stake it down. I know, getting my tent set up first doesn't quite mean the same to you now does it. All in a days work.

It was a bit rainy the first night we were there but we coped quite well. Nothing you can't handle while camping. After realizing we just bought tins for dinner (also known as canned food) and forgot to pack the can opener, we asked a neighboring camper if we could borrow his. Once again, thank you to kind people! Though its hard to say no to two people holding cans asking to open them so they can eat a meal in the freezing cold rain. Dinner was meatballs and potatoes, hoops (spaghetti o's) and hot dogs. Yum, it was delicious. We didn't know if it genuinely tasted amazing or if we were cold and hungry. Regardless, it was incredible.

Here we are, ready for the big next day ahead of us. What a crew, wouldn't you agree?! I think we make it look like we camp in the mountains all the time.

Cheers to camping and hiking up mountains! I really am ready for my next hike. :) More pictures to come.

UK Edition: Touring with Friends

I really appreciate these two men. Coworkers with both - one from the United States, one from the United Kingdom. Friends with both - one old, one new.

Thank you to the one who has been leading us to all these adventures while in England. Our trip to the United Kingdom would not be the same if you had not spent the time to share it with us!

We spend a lot of time together. Can you tell?? Most of my pictures of people include the three of us.

UK Edition: Cloudy or Foggy is Good

It means we are getting closer to the top!

Note to future hikers of Scafell Pike near Keswick, England: its realllllly cold at the summit! Bring a windbreaker or waterproof clothing. Both is best! And an extra pair of socks to wear as mittens!

Whether you take my advice or not, its totally worth the hike. Believe me in that at least.

Looks like a bit of a PDA, I realize, but its totally not, believe me. You need all the body warmth you can get up there...

Ready to climb your next mountain?! I'll get you psyched.

UK Edition: Bottom Looking Up

Here is a preview of our weekend near Keswick, UK when we climbed Scafell Pike, the highest point in England. Words don't do much for describing the pictures so I'll try and let them do the talking. I took over 600 pictures this weekend. I know. Looking through them all makes me want to go back. Or become a professional hiker. Or a fell runner (but more on this later).

Hope you enjoy the photos. You'll be seeing plenty more in the near future. And I'm sure distant future as well.

If you click on an image it will enlarge so you get a better view.

Scafell Pike is incredible.

UK Edition: Pictures of the Night

Tonight was a much needed, relaxing night. I ate some snacks for dinner, watched a few TV shows I have been missing from back home, and got to talk to most of the most important people in my life. It was wonderful. All night, all I wanted to do was go for a walk but all the opportunities to chat with people came as I was ready to get off the couch and walk out the door. No worries though! I was able to talk with people and get a walk in. Talk and walk, what could be better?!

A late night walk was so worth it. I wanted to take pictures of things that I see every day that I will miss seeing in person after I leave here. The kinds of things you usually take for granted but that are so ingrained in your mind that they become such a part of your trip, when you leave you wish you would have taken the pictures of the little things. Since I started my walk long after the sun started setting, I did not get many of the "little" things, rather the big things instead. I'm happy with what I captured though and want to share a few with you.

There are lavender plants all over the place. These particular plants are just around the corner of our apartment, which we walk past any and every time we leave our place (except for when we leave for work). They are so full and vibrant, what's not to enjoy about them? I took a few pictures of them tonight and stayed near them long enough and close enough to smell them. The building you can sort of see in the background is called The Orchid restaurant. Its on our list of places to eat but its a little more expensive so we will have to find an occasion to celebrate before we venture there.

This next one is a view of the city nearly opposite of the lavender picture. To the left is the city Counsel, which has this beautiful garden filled with plots of every colored rose you can imagine. The picture also shows part of an area where some of the spas once stood; the city of Harrogate was originally a spa town, with sulfur water thought to have medicinal properties.

Further down the road, more towards the city centre, is The Crown Hotel, which is just as it sounds, a hotel that hosts many conventions in the city of Harrogate. Its fascinating to walk past, especially at night. My favorite part here is the blue sky, not photoshopped or anything. It was such a clear night tonight and the soft glow of the lingering light makes the color this bold.

The last stop on our tour is really not that much to see a street view of some shops and a blues bar, which has awesome live music nearly every night (in case you decide to visit this posh city some day). Its one of those views that gets ingrained in my mind that I just don't want to forget - sidewalks lined with beautifully crafted shops and buildings and people mingling about and enjoying a slow, quiet walk around the city with their special someone.

I hope you enjoyed the tour! I guess I really did because I enjoyed putting this quick post together. I know I said its the little things and that these aren't necessarily the little things - I think they are though. I'm getting too tired to form sentences that communicate my thoughts so lets just say I really appreciate all these views.

Good night to all! Or as some say (and yes, I want it to become part of my regular vocabulary, along with many other words and phrases (for another post)), toodle pip.

UK Edition: On The Coast Of The North Sea

On our way home from Edinburgh, Scotland we wanted to get to the coast and feel the water, if not just take some pictures. We took a side road and this is the view we managed. The property said it was private residence only so we stuck to the road. It was a beautiful view from the top of the hill, a place I could definitely sit and relax at for a long time.

We finally decided to take a picture of the three of us (why did it not occur to us earlier in the day?!) by setting the camera on our friend's car and using the camera timer. When I saw it I said, "Awww, look! We're friends!" I really thought it was true, too. I know you don't need a picture to prove it, nor does a picture prove anything; it doesn't mean anything on its own but is a frozen bit of time for what was captured - an event, emotion, space in time. It captured us being friends and it made me happy.

I'm really going to miss these people and this place when its time to leave.

UK Edition: Tour Through York, Seventies Style

Remember I told you we went to York this past Sunday? I finally have time to share a bit of it with you. I took way too many pictures, though I don't necessarily consider this a bad thing, and want to share a few of them. Words aren't necessary when viewing a picture, are they? Its more subjective if words are not involved.

As for Seventies in the title, its my newest favorite Photoshop Action (I use Photoshop Elements) from The Pioneer Woman. Her actions are absolutely amazing. I can't get enough of them...which is the main reason it took half a week to post these pictures. Check her out, download some actions, learn something new!

And now, enjoy these pictures, in sequential order of how we experienced the day.

Beautiful bridge in York that we crossed over to be closer to the city centre.

Ducks and ducklings literally crossing a busy road.

Clifford's Tower - the last of two watch towers outside of the castle that still exist.

View between the ducklings crossing the road and Clifford's Tower.

York Minster.

Small display of the city of York and a "You Are Here" gold star in front of the minster.

View of York Minster.

Plaque on York castle walls that reads, "This tablet was placed here by the Council of the City of York October 1898 to record that this portion of the Wall (37 yds (Note: I'm not sure what this part really says.)) was in the year 1889 restored to the City by Edwin Gray, who served the office of Lord Mayor in 1898."

A swan and his or her cygnets.  

A portion of York Castle Wall. A view of York River Ouse.

Sculpture in a garden area.

York rowing races with men and women of all ages racing from nearby towns, including York and Leeds.

A train from the National Railway Museum.

Two more photos from York River Ouse.

A tree from Castle Gardens.

A serene place to sit and relax in Castle Gardens.

View of the Castle Wall.

Did you see everything you wanted to?! Hope you enjoyed this little tour of York. Come back soon for more of this beautiful country!