6/15/2011 A Green/Lakey/Rainy/Hikey Week

Today is our third and last full day in Ambleside, where we booked two bunks in a 6-bed dorm (cheap) but have been roommateless for all but one of the nights we've stayed here! It's definitely not the high season yet in this very popular European tourist spot, which means that we've gotten to enjoy both a lot of space and time to ourselves, but also lots of chilly, rainy days. But this is not to say the rain has kept us indoors. While in Ambleside we've walked around the neighboring lakeside villages, taken a double-decker bus tour of the district,  gone on a gorgeous four mile hike into the hills, taken a canoe out on the largest lake in Europe, rode a ferry across the lake to a small castle, and made a few very delicious grocery dinners in the hostel kitchen. The long hike was one of my favorite adventures so far, as halfway through we reached a set of huge caves, one filled with lime green water that were pretty eerie but really fun to crawl around. At the top of one of the lower peaks we reached we had a really beautiful view of the lake valley below (pics to come!). Being in the land of Beatrix Potter we've also spent a good deal of time admiring the wild, and not so wild, life in these parts. This includes giant Aberdeen bulls, Godzilla geese and swans, lake eels and slimy-oily black slugs. Tomorrow we move onward to Liverpool, the home city of the Beatles! Then it's just three days until our first wwoof site in  Wales, which we're very much looking forward to. We're currently thanking Gaia and our wise mothers for our waterproof Merrells, green rain jackets and thick socks and looking very forward to breaking into our real summer clothes stash once we get to the continent! Toms update: Split a toe open while on a particularly drenched treck to our Birmingham hostel. Sewing kit:1 Toms; -5