So it begins

Grasmere

Published Date : July 24, 2000

The past couple of days have been interesting.  I did end up going to the Tower of London, but it was a bit anti-climactic.  It was overrun with schoolchildren on holiday from France.  Plus, I just didn’t know enough of the history to really appreciate what I was looking at.  Seeing placards saying who was a prisoner in each room was still interesting, but I have a feeling it would have been better if I knew who those people were!!

Helm Crag, Grasmere

Yesterday, I spent 8 hours on a bus from London to Grasmere.  I arrived in the small Lake District town (population approximately 1500) in the early evening and it certainly made an impression!  The trees and the lake were vividly lit, and the old stone buildings and walls cast dramatic shadows in the setting sun.  What a great way to be welcomed to a new town! I was picked up at the bus stop by my new manager, Jenny, and I was taken on a short drive through the town en-route to my new home, the Glenthorne Guesthouse. I really think I’m going to like it here.

There was a bit of a mix up over my arrival time, so I’m staying in a guest room for the time being until space opens up in the staff quarters.  I don’t mind at all, it’s a great room and I have it ALL TO MYSELF!  Wonderful after a week in a dorm! After getting settled I was introduced to the rest of the staff (it looks like I’m the youngest here at 19).  There are 10 other students working here, most from England, but also a couple of the USA and Canada.  Exhausted from all the travel, I went to bed soon after.

Today, I worked my first shift, cleaning the dining area.  They do a 5 ½ day rotation, so I was off in the afternoon and took full advantage to do some exploring.  Grasmere is a gorgeous place, but it’s tiny – there isn’t even a bank!  But in true English fashion there are still 3 pubs!  It seems that the area is a hiker’s paradise; there are at least a half-dozen outdoor shops here selling all the latest in hiking/camping equipment.  Right up my alley.

Tomorrow I’ll head into Kendal to see about getting a National Insurance Number and NHS coverage.  It’s a decent size city, so it should be a good day out as well.

Making plans already!

Published Date : July 26, 2000

I’ve decided that I’m going to stay in Grasmere for about 3 months.  That will give me more than enough time to see the Lake District.  From talking to the rest of the staff they’ve convinced me to head up to Scotland, and in particular Edinburgh.  I had already planned on going north of the border, but everyone has just confirmed it for me!  I’m thinking of all the parts of Europe I’d still like to see as well.  I don’t know if I’ll make it over to the continent on this trip though.  I would love to see Paris again though – I never got to the Louvre when I was there last year.  I’d also like to visit Scandinavia as well…we’ll just have to see how the money goes.

Speaking of money, I’m making £150 a week in cash.  I pay £30 a week for room and board so I’m getting £120 in my hand.  Apparently, because I’m under 21 I get paid a lower wage than the others, £3.60/hour which is definitely what I call minimum wage!

More plans

Published Date : July 29, 2000

I’m getting settled into the routine here now.  It’s an easy job that doesn’t require much brain power.  By the end of this trip I’m definitely going to be a pro at cleaning, that’s for sure!  I’m not overly fond of the waitressing, but it’s only a small restaurant so it’s not too bad.  It’s such a short menu that’s rather difficult to mess up.

I had to fill out a job application for their records today.  I said my leaving date would be 24 October (3 months from my starting date).  That should give me plenty of time to do some sightseeing.  That also leaves it open for me to catch the end of Oktoberfest if I can.  I’m thinking of heading south from here to travel a bit until I run out of money.  Then I’ll head north to Edinburgh to find work.

So far, this is a list of all the places I’d like to see during the next year:

Munich
Paris
Dublin
Cork
Western Ireland
Edinburgh
Glasgow
Skye
Loch Lomond
Bath
York
Stratford-Upon-Avon

I’ll have to watch my pennies to fit it all in, but I think it’s do-able!

If you haven’t figured it out yet, I’m a compulsive planner! :p  I’ve barely started the current phase of my adventure and I’m already planning the next.  I just can’t help myself!

Exploring

Published Date : July 31, 2000

The last two days have been an adventure.  I worked a half day yesterday and went hiking in the afternoon.  I climbed up Helm Crag (the peak directly behind the guest house), and did a bit of rock climbing at the summit.  Climbing outdoors again felt great!  As fun as it is in a rock gym, it’s just not the same as doing it in the fresh air.

Grasmere from the top of Helm Crag

Instead of climbing back down the way I went up, I decided to walk along the ridge and come down through Easedale Tarn.  That alone would be a good long hike, but I made a wrong turn on the way down and ended up in Langdale, which is about 12km from Grasmere.  So I tagged another 2 hours onto my trip, mostly uphill.  Needless to say, I could barely move by the time I got back last night.  I had also missed dinner, but I was so exhausted I just collapsed into bed.

Today I woke up to a nice little rainstorm.  I decided to catch a 30-minute bus north to Keswick.  While there I took a tour through the motor museum; home to famous movie cars.  While I was in town I also checked out their climbing gym, but it wasn’t the greatest.  From Keswick I caught the bus back the other direction to Kendal to check out the climbing gym there, but it wasn’t close to the bus station and my legs weren’t up to another long walk!

While I was sitting on the bus (which I did a lot of today), I did some reflecting and decided that I don’t miss home at all.  I miss my family of course, and a couple of people from work, but that’s it.  I don’t miss the town, and I’m finding that I like going out and not knowing anybody.  I’m really enjoying learning about a new place and figuring where everything is and how it works.

Another thought occurred to me as well.  Instead of going home after Edinburgh, I might roll onto the Australia SWAP program.  They said that was possible before I left home.  I really want to see Thailand, Malaysia, Bali, New Zealand and Oz.  I could change my college application to 2002 and get all of this out of my system while I can.  If I go back and go to school, I’ll have to start working right away and then I’ll be stuck with a short trip every year.  But on the other hand I have my whole life ahead of me to travel, and with a diploma to my name I can get a good job in Australia instead of just minimum wage.  Hmm…so many decisions.

On a completely different note, I heard from Natalia the other day.  She’s in Cape Town, South Africa…lucky thing!  She was planning on going out in a shark cage to “play” with the great white sharks.  That would be awesome!  Add it to the “To Do” list.  I told her that I’m going to try and get to Germany for Oktoberfest, so hopefully we’ll meet up then.