Day 2 - Lake District and Wordsworth's Homes

Hi all! Today was Day Two of our trip. Time is passing really fast here as we continue to experience jet lag L We started off our day having breakfast in our very own room and right after that, our journey began J We had a pretty long ride (but it was nothing compared to the flight) down to William Wordsworth’s home, Dove Cottage, where he used to stay initially. Although the rooms are small and dim, it was cosy because the fire place did provide sufficient warmth. The ceilings are also very low! It’s amazing how they are able to preserve the ancient furniture till today. We had quality time at the Museum, which displays portraits and the remains (like hair and diary) of the Wordsworth’s family. Due to increase of family members in Wordsworth’s family, they shifted out after eight years to a newer home in Rydal Mount, which we visited later on in the day. We caught a glimpse of the cemetery where the bodies of William Wordsworth and his family laid. We had a nice picnic in the cold, munching on satisfying home-made bread. It felt like a “timeless zone” because people were moving at a slow pace. We then moved on to a what-seems-like a more modern home of Wordsworth (Rydal Mount). It was owned by the desendants of Wordsworth and it was indeed brighter, bigger and more spacious. The contrast was indeed obvious. The scenery at his garden was breathtaking! We could totally relate to how Wordsworth was feeling at that point of time. It was scenic, calm and extremely inspirational. Some of us rolled down the hill and it was pretty fun J We dissected a poem by Wordsworth, I Wandered Lonely As A Cloud, at the top of the garden and took everything in with our mind’s eye. It was definitely amazing to appraise and appreciate a poem in the very setting in which it was written... We ended the day with local English food at a pub with excessively sweet desserts. Don’t worry mummys, the home-sickness has not kicked in yet.

Reporters of Day 2 of UK Trip:

Seet Linyan, Tan Yong Wei and Joy Ling