Leeds Day Trips

Our first trip by ourselves without Ali and Jay to hold our hands was via bus to the Harewood Home where the Lord and Lady Harewood live. It was dumping rain and I was completely drenched by the time we boarded the steamy double decker bus. We were rescued partly up the drive to the home by one of the staff. In a tent serving snacks we dried ourselves out next to giant blowers. All warmed up we walked the inside of the home. It was lovely but we got trapped behind a tour group and there's only so many glorious paintings and moldings one can appreciate before getting bored. The rain was absolutely unrelenting but we walked the grounds anyways. After we had enough of battling with the weather we went up to Harrogate to have a pint of beer. One pint lead to a couple and then we made our way back to our hosts.

The next couple of days was much of the same as far as weather. It became a running joke everytime we tried to step foot out of the door. As soon as we would put our shoes on it would rain. If it was already raining it would pour down harder with a furry. Like a concerned mother Ali would plead with us to stay in and watch a movie. We managed another day trip by train out to York but by Wednesday we just took it easy. We were tired of being wet and cold. Thursday was the only promising day so we ventured further by train out to Scarborough, a fishing village a couple of hours a way. We had a fantastic day walking along the beach and above by the castle. The main strip down the beach was like Fisherman's Wharf in SF but the views of the ocean were spectacular. We ambled around with our picnic lunches and later found a pub to refresh ourselves with pints. We each slept on the train back to Leeds tired from the beer and the walking. That became out mode of operation in England. Take a trip, walk, picnic, enjoy a pint, walk, trip back, sleep and arrive back to the comfort of our friends.

A couple of the nights Jay took us to some of his favorite smokeless hang outs. Matt and I are weak to the excessive cigarette smoking. My California lungs can't take a night out let alone my hair and my clothes. One night we walked down to Chaple Allerton to watch England play in a friendly against Belarus. England is coming apart at the seams with excitment about the World Cup. It only intensifies our desire to get to Germany and for the games to begin.