SO much to update...

Got back from Liverpool today and, as I’ve told others, had the Beatles-fix of a lifetime. While I could check the Internet from at least my hostel Friday night in Edinburgh (yep, went there again), I couldn’t really update the blog like I would have liked to. Add the fact that I forgot to mention the Chatsworth manor visit from the Literary Landscapes Program of the first week and the result is that I have A LOT to talk about.

So let’s start at Chatsworth. This was for the very first week of the LL program, Jane Austen (Pride and Prejudice) and the reason we went to this estate is because many academics are for and against the argument that this was Austen’s inspiration for Mr. Darcy’s estate. I don’t know if this place really was the estate that Pemberly is based off of but it gives a good clue as to the grandeur of Mr. Darcy’s background.

The gardens at Chatsworth are just as impressive as the house itself. At the very least I preferred the gardens to the house. It was a mix it seemed of the French gardens I was used too from my time in Angers and the English style that I'm coming to know. As a quick summary of the difference, French equals highly controlled and looking highly controlled and English equals highly controlled and working hard to not look highly controlled.

The second week, while going over Wuthering Heights, we had visited the Bronte Parsonage and later took a hike to visit places that the Bronte sisters loved to visit while outdoors. Here I have my first (sadly maybe only) British cat pic. She was hanging in the front yard of the parsonage. The Bronte's loved animals. I think they'd approve.

....Also, couldn't resist taking pictures of the Japanese tourists taking pictures.

The English countryside of this part of the country is gorgous but of course it is gorgous everywhere. Along the way, I found the two professors of the LL program (Dr. Beebe and Dr. McGregor) plus Dr. Hanlon group together in really the perfect way for a from-the-back picture.

Dr. McGregor had a surprise to show us along the walk: a "literal" Literary Landscapes. I don't know who did this and it must have been expensive but I really appreciate them doing it!

Over the weekend, I went straight back to Edinburgh on Friday and took in as many of the free museums as I could. The National Museum of Scotland is currently showing an exhibition of the Chessmen of the Isle of Lewis. Chances are that even if you don’t know what the Isle of Lewis is or even if you don’t play chess, you’ve seen images of these characters. If not, look them up!

As a side note, I stayed in the same hostel in Edinburgh as before. Prices start at thirteen pounds a night which is especially amazing considering all the many and CLEAN facities that are yours to take advantage.

I'm leaving the link for better demonstration here:

http://caledonianbackpackers.com/

Saturday was all dedicated to Liverpool and more specifically the Beatles. I’ve told just about everyone that this past trip gave me the Beatles-fix of a lifetime.

It was both cool to visit the Beatles Story, the main museum dedicated completely to the group, and to visit their hometown.

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It was also really bittersweet because everything is very cleaned up and on display for tourists. I still have to admit having had a good time.


There isn't much in Liverpool outside of the Beatles but a fun thing to try and spot throughout the city is the Super Lamb Bananas dotted along downtown. The story is all at this link:

http://www.superlambbanana.com/home.php?/home

I end with possibly the most random sign I have come across in Europe. Enjoy, please.