Keswick

On my way to Grasmere I had to go through Keswick. From the bus I spotted a nice pedestrian street, which had quite a number of tourists milling about, so I decided to make that the destination for my first excursion.

The opportunity presented itself on my first day off. I got a quite expensive ticket on the bus, and walked up to the top floor on it. The view there was breathtaking, and I couldn't believe that this was actually where I was going to live for the foreseeable future. The bus took its time, winding around the roads. When another bus appeared coming the opposite way on a very narrow part of the road, I wasn't sure how they could possibly fit. As if they were the knight's bus in Harry Potter, they still made it work.

In Keswick I got off at the main bus station. It is possible to change buses there to go to a number of different destinations. I decided to just follow the crowd. I did have two goals in mind. To buy some more warm clothing, and to get a nice cup of coffee. They had a sale everywhere for outdoor clothing. I've never seen so many shops that sold camping gear, and anything that you would need for the outdoors. No regular clothing shops though. I looked around in several shops, and came to the conclusion that getting gear that will help you survive harsh weather was easier than getting a pair of decent jeans. I also walked into a shop called "The Edinburgh Woolen Mill". The clothing was mostly for older women, though I did like some of the jumpers. I also spotted some blankets on sale, and had the idea of getting one to brighten up my room a bit. I was also looking at places to have coffee at, and maybe have a bite. Most were full though. I did end up having a coffee at Java Coffee Shop, where I had a nice little chat with a girl who also sat down at the table where I was. I did try to ask for lactose free milk, but when they asked if I wanted skimmed, I just asked for soy. Apparently no one heard about lactose intolerance around here.

Afterwards I did some more wondering about. I went into a Mountain Warehouse shop. I found a nice purple fleece cardigan for £14. I couldn't decide which size to get, so I quickly slipped it on. I got an 8. I also got a portable light, and at the check-out, the guy let me know that the light was in the get one, get a second thing free sale, so I quickly ran for a pedometer. I always wanted one, and now I got one for free. Great deal! I also gave them my e-mail address to let me know of sales.
I noticed a nice artisan soap shop, that had some tea tree scents, which I like a lot. Maybe I'll get some things from there in the future. I also spotted a fish and chips shop that a lot of people were eating from, and that sounded like a great idea. I went in, and got a portion, though no vinegar. I was a bit silly and forgot to get myself cutlery, The portion was enormous, and probably why people put the vinegar on was to lighten up the otherwise heavy dish.

I browsed the shop windows while munching on my food, and noticed a pub that I wanted to have a beer in later. There were a lot of sweets shops, and also a street vendor selling almonds. I remembered when I could eat almonds. They had always been among my favourite nuts. Especially in a chocolate bar. Damned nut allergy. I followed the pedestrian street, and it took a right turn. A bunch of people were going through a tunnel, that was painted with a mural of nature and fun. A street musician played quite well in there. On the other side was a mini golf park, and then a regular park next to it. The whole thing was called Hope Park. The ornamental park used to belong to a Lady Hope, but it was released to the public in the 1920s.
The flowers were sadly in not a very good condition, probably due to heavy rains. I came upon a family and took their photo, then chatted a bit. I sat down on one of the benches to rest for a few moments, but of course I was up again soon. I left through a small door at the opposite end, and followed the people heading in that direction.

A theater building was to my left. It was getting a new cafe built, but the theater itself was untouched. I thought that I may check some play out in the future if I felt like it.

There was a side door leading to a green field to my right, and I decided to go in. There was a smell of manure, but I ignored it as I spotted the beautiful lake shore down a path. Without looking for it, I had happened upon Derwentwater, the lake in Keswick. I took some pictures by the shore, but didn't risk going too close to it, as it was raining a bit, and it looked slippery. I walked up to the top of the hill that was in this area. I had to pick my way through sheep manure, and when I noticed the flock of sheep grazing around, I knew why. I did get some nice sheep pictures though. On top of the hill I made several panorama shots. The view of the hills and the lake was breathtaking, and I didn't even mind the drops of moisture. It felt peaceful and majestic. I still couldn't really believe I was actually living here, and not just a visiting tourist. (Okay, I couldn't pick just one picture here.)

I left the area, and went down to where I saw some boats going on the lake. It was a small marina, with row boats for hire, and small tour boats going around. I didn't want to spend money on that, so I just watched people feed the ducks and geese.
Once I got bored of that, I decided to head back to the shopping area. I did see a WHSmith on a side street, but I couldn't remember why I wanted to go there. So I headed back, and passed the almond guy again. He looked very busy. I reached the magazine shop, and just browsed. Then I realised why I wanted to go in. Doctor Who magazine, three special editions, and a comic. Yep, I was getting Doctor Who stuff! I went to the cashier with a huge smile on my face, trying very hard not to geek out. I think I was failing miserably.

I looked around a bit for a place to have a beer in. However, I ended up going to the Dog and Gun, which turned out to have a very nice selection of beers on tap. It was neat that they had a little bit of the beer in front of the tap in a closed glass container, so I could pick out what I wanted based on the colour, though the bartender helped as well. I got a pint, and sat down with my mags. However, I started talking to a guy sat next to me, who was also a sci-fi fan. We discussed a bunch of shows. If he had been nicer looking, I would have friended him on Facebook. He left before I finished my beer, and I went back to reading. I also watched the amount of dogs around. There was one at every table almost. At the table on my right, the dog was a short haired collie, and had the most interesting eyes. One brown, one blue. It actually looked kind of freaky. Once I finished my beer, I got back to the bus station and went home. It was a good day, and it struck me that I nursed my beer for over an hour in there, and no one gave me looks. That felt so refreshing. I'd love to go back.