June 9: Rydal Mount/Grasmere (Literary Artifact)

    On Sunday we had breakfast at the hotel, then departed for Rydal Mount. As we arrived, we walked up the large hill to the house. From there we were given a tour of the bottom floor with the kitchen, drawing room, and living room. From there we were able to explore the upper floors including the bedrooms and William Wordsworth's study in the attic. In his study there are many artifacts left by the family. Many books, clothes, and letters. There is a map of the Lake District and a poster of their family tree. However, something that really stood out to me was William's sword. It was given to him for his action against the French, and was recovered from the wreckage of the ship he died on, "The Earl of Abergavenny". This sword beautiful with many gold details, and it served as a reminder that not only was William a literary icon, but he also fought for what he believed in. After touring the house, we then explored the lavish garden. It branched off into many paths, taking you up and down the mountain. As you get to the bottom of the garden, there is a beautiful view of one of the many lakes in the area. As we explored it started to rain, the sudden storm causing the air to get heavy, and the smell of nature to get intense. Once everyone was finished exploring, we then learned we were to hike the "coffin trail". The coffin trail is the path that people took in Wordsworth's day to carry a casket from the house to the church in the town of Grasmere. The hike was a tedious three miles long, filled with many hills and mud puddles. Through this experience I learned that I was not a fan of hiking. Once at the end we walked into town and saw where William was buried. We were then given time to explore, the beautiful town living up to all of my expectations. It was described as a quaint and polite down, and it had many cute shops and restaurants. Once we explored we gathered back and the church and boarded the coach. We traveled back to Carlisle and ate dinner at the hotel.