Sailing through Summer

August 2015

Summer draws to a close, and adventures were rife. We flew, we ran, we drove, we canoed, we conquered.

The summer began with the greatest adventure--one long overdue. It actually deserves a little back story.

When I was still applying for college, the one thing that made BYU palatable (it was the marriage school) was that they offered the perfect study abroad: a six-week back packing tour through Great Britain that focused on the literature of the country. They read Wordsworth in the Lake District, Dickens in London, write original poetry in the shadow of Stonehenge, and Austen in Bath. It was with this study abroad in mind that I applied for admission.

And then came Sky.

Before I could get to England on my study abroad, I was whisked away to the temple. But, Sky promised that we would do our own study abroad. He'd let me have my dream, and he'd even read the literature that I wanted to discuss on those hallowed grounds.

So my prince made me the promise, and we have finally followed that personal dream to visit the land of the great writers, and this time, we expanded our literature quest beyond the traditional English-course canon (but more on that later).

We landed in London early in the morning May 29 after an over-night flight. Without stopping to rest, we journeyed into the streets. For brevity's sake, I'll suffice it to say that we spent a week seeing the highlights that London has to offer, on a college budget of peanut butter sandwiches.

We saw Peter Pan at the Open Air Theatre in Regent's Park,  Phantom of the Opera at Her Majesty's Theatre, and listened to evensong at Westminster Abbey.

        

We walked through museums, castles, and parks and ate in pubs and cafes. London was beautiful and I loved every moment.

From London, we traveled to Windemere in the Lake District. Here we spent a two nights at a youth backpacking hostel and hiked about the lake and the hills. Gorgeous!!!

Then we ventured further north to Edinburgh, Scottland. Here we found absolute joy and excitement as we seemed to step into history itself as we walked the Royal Mile, entered St. Giles Cathedral, the hilltop castle, and the Palace at Hollyrood House. It was here, however, that I pulled a muscle in my hip. 

Rude!

Sky then had to hike to Arthur's Seat on his own. He battled raging winds, stinging rains, and sheer heights to view Edinburgh from above. It was a lovely view, he said, and worth it, but it was challenging.

But it is now that I tell of the most incredible part of our voyage: Cruden Bay. I've made quite a bit of noise concerning a historical fiction set around the 1708 Franco-Scot invasion. By renting a car to drive up to Cruden Bay, we enjoyed the sights and tastes that were immortalized in The Winter Sea. We walked where the author walked, saw what she saw, and communed with the ghosts that still dwell there. 

Well, I won't speak much more of the adventures in England; they'd take too much of your time and my space to do so. But we loved every minute of this grand adventure.

When we returned home, it wasn't to stay home long. We had a family reunion in San Antonio the following week, then a brief respite before Sky, Kyle, Kayley, and I pulled out to drive up to Utah, then California and Arizona before returning home 4 weeks after leaving.