On Saturday, I set out from Richmond to journey to the Lakes. I was carrying way too much luggage, including a giant red suitcase that entertained a lot of people along the way (I'm betting. Wait til you hear. . .). I'm afraid my Tube journey was filled with difficult moments--running late, delays, lugging suitcases up and down steps. No pictures. But I can say that a nice man at the Victoria station told me to cross the steps to the left in order to get to Victoria Line train platform 4. So I lugged my suitcases across the bridge, only to see that platforms 1&2 were there. Back across the bridge, and across another one. Platforms 5 and 6. Back to the middle, and lo and behold, platform 4 was right next to platform 3 where I had arrived. If I had ignored the man and walked straight through an opening between platforms, I would have been there! Oh well. The best intentions and all that.
Anyway, I finally arrived at the London Euston station at 1:33. Whoops! My train had just left at 1:30! Luckily National Rail was being kind and said I could use my ticket for the later train at 2:30. So I killed an hour walking around and sitting to rest my now-aching back. At 2:20 or so, my train was ready to board. Again that suitcase! Where to put the darned thing? It is as big as a bus, and it seemed to be as heavy. I finally found a seat and a luggage slot in which the massive bag would fit. Lucky the train was not busy. I had another bag, my backpack, and a heavy coat. Two seats worked out nicely!
Anyway, the train ran on time, and I took a few pics along the way:
As these pics show, this snow was a local phenomenon in the UK. A blizzard in the Western part of the Country, rain and ice slush in London (of course), 8 inches of snow in Ambleside (where I was going), and a mixture of snow-covered and green fields along the way. After a train switch in Lancaster, I soon arrived in Windermere and grabbed a bus to Ambleside. The suitcase was a source of entertainment there for two students from the University of Cumbria (are they hiring?). We talked a bit, and they told me the best bus stop to use.
Finally in Ambleside:
The Gables, where I am staying, is a very pleasant place. But my room makes Red Roof inn rooms look super-spacious. Really. Hardly room to turn around, and no closets or shelves. I finally perched the suitcase on top of a wardrobe to make some room to breathe. Then off to Sheila's Cottage, a restaurant a couple of blocks away where I got a small discount as a Gables resident. Then off to bed. . .
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