June 8, Tarn Hows, Langdale Valley

 Today we expected a chilly day, but the weather turned out to be much better than that. Sunny all day.

 Jecca found a National Trust property walk,  Tarn Hows which was about 3 miles around a tarn. (high elevation lake). It had some short hills and quite a few benches.

The National Trust keeps its trails very accessible and we saw all kinds of people walking. It was a beautiful walk. The property was donated by Beatrix Potter.

  After that, Jecca drove down some very narrow roads which are hard to capture in photos. They really are only about one-car wide, so you have to be prepared to pull way over to the side, or, heaven forbid, have to back up a long distance. (Luckily, she did not have to do the latter.)

  We drove along the spectacular Langdale Valley, a place Jecca and Willy hiked last year. We ate at the Old Dragon and Ghyll Bar,

recommended by Tom Hutcheson from a long-ago bicycle trip. (Ghyll means a steep narrow ravine with a roaring stream running in it.) Jecca had a cheese and onion pie; Mark had a stake and ale pie, his first ever; Barbara had potato and leek soup. We ate outside.

    Behind the restaurant and inn is a high cliff where we saw about a dozen rock climbers. They were so high up that it was difficult to get a photo.  

     The valley is one of the prettiest we have seen. And, Jecca rose to the challenge of the roads!

     We ate at home and watched several episodes of "Task Master."

June 6 & 7 - Off to Ambleside in Cumbria

 June 6

  Today we took an Uber to Budget rental car at Heathrow. Mark drove the first hour and Jecca drove about four hours. We had snack food and drinks en route. It was predicted to rain, but, overall, it was mostly overcast.

   

We are at Crag View in Ambleside, up VERY narrow roads which are considered two way, but...no way! 

   The cottage has three levels. There are two bedrooms on the second floor, up a fairly steep stair. Jecca is at the top in the third bedroom. It was built around 1795 as a worker's cottage for a manor house. The estate was broke up in the 1920s, but the cottages were not sold until much later. It was for years run as an "Open All Hours" shop with the brother and sister owners living in what is now the kitchen and dining area and the front room was the store. The present owners, Pat Davies, bought it over 30 years ago and renovated it, discovering the chimney, for example. 

   After settling in, we drove to Booth's, a northern supermarket chain known for its puns and very good food. Mark bought a shopping bag with "Sweet Dreams are Made of Cheese" on the front and "Is it Brie You're Looking For" on the back.

    We drove home and had shepherd's pie for dinner.

June 7

      After breakfast, Jecca drove us to a spot between Rydal Water and Grasmere where we took a mostly flat walk between the two lakes. 

       Then we drove to Grasmere and walked in the village, visiting William Wordsworth's grave and visiting a beautiful gift store with local products including beautiful woolen items including blankets and scarves made from the sheep of local farms. There was also an array of local art - prints, paintings, ceramics etc. Jec and Barbara bought some cards and Jec bought a tea towel of the Coast to Coast walk she took with Willy and Otis.

    Then, we walked to a tea shop for lunch and Jec bought famous Gingerbread which are more biscuits than bread - yum. They have been made since 1854 using the same recipe. The building had been the school house for over a century.

     After getting home, Jec and Barbara took a walk down to the town which is quite close.

     We had soup we had bought at Booth's for dinner. 

  

June 5 - culminating at Zedel Brasserie

Today, Jecca went to Camberwell to retrieve one of her bags at Willy's cousin's house. They had stored it for Jecca so she'd have less to carry on her walk in Cornwall. She had a big day with about 8 miles of walking. She went to the Tate Modern, then to Zedel's in Piccadilly area.

Mark and Barbara walked down to the river by the Tower thinking to take the Uber boat. But, it was very crowded and we decided against it and went back to get the 15 bus. That was a mile already which is not easy on a sprained knee.

Around Charing Cross we got a snack at Itsu, a fast-food Japanese restaurant which was pretty good.  From there - to the Portrait Gallery where we focused on the Tudors and the contemporary. People think a portrait gallery would be boring, but they would be wrong. This one is so well done and does not mince words or exhibits about the harm of the British Empire. The portraits include many activists. 

    We got tea in the cafe there as we had plenty of time. 

   

Then, we walked to Zedel Brasserie which is an art deco restaurant and bar. Jecca, and Clare and Chris Aucterlonie met us there for a very nice meal.

Jecca and Clare had not met since they were young children. Conversation was lively and we all had a nice time.

    

June 4 - Tate Modern, "The Mousetrap"

 

Today we took two busses to the Tate Modern. We had never been in the new, 10-floor building, but Jecca has visited it several times. We took the elevator right to the tenth floor to look out at the amazing views of London. The balcony was closed, unfortunately, due to the strong winds. 

    We then visited just one gallery because of time constraints. It was an exhibition by Richard Long, who uses natural materials and is a landscape artist. All of us thoroughly enjoyed and appreciated it.

   

When we finished that, the skies opened up with rain, thunder and wind. Our plan to eat in the theatre district was abandoned and we ate at a nearby Gail's where we all had sandwiches and Jecca and Barbara split a scone.

       The rain stopped and we took two busses to St Martin's Theatre where we saw Agatha Christie's,  The Mousetrap, the longest running play in London. We had good seats, although we were all chilly with a vent above us.

We all enjoyed the play which was well acted and staged. We needed levity after the two serious dramas of the previous two days.

       Then, we had a frustrating trip home as the number 15 bus never came. We waited almost an hour and then decided to take another Uber which dropped us by the Tower where we ate at Wagamama, a good quality chain restaurant.

June 3 - National Gallery, "Romeo & Juliet"

  

Today was a really great day, despite a bit of rain.

    We started by taking two busses to the National Gallery where we focused on some Medieval art and on the Impressionists. As it was raining, we chose to eat at the cafe there.

The food was really good and not expensive.

      We then walked to see a matinee performance of Romeo and Juliet at the Harold Pinter Theatre, a nice small theater. While we have all read and seen the play before, this was memorable. The actors, especially the two leads, were excellent.

Sadie Sink, 24, who played Juliet, was a child actor and is well known by the younger generation for her role in Stranger Things on television. Similarly, ___, 21, who played Romeo was a child actor and was recently in the film Hamnet with his younger brother. (He played Hamlet in the final scene when his mother sees him in stage.) The ending was especially memorable and emotional as the audience sees the white-clad, dead Juliet stands up as we see what could have been had the lovers lived - a baby in Romeo's arms, a dancing child, an aged couple dancing. It brought tears to many eyes.

   

  We took a bus home and ate at ___ on the docks and had delicious tacos.