- by Tara

Travel Experience
During the time when I was practically commuting from Chicago to London, I took the train up from London one weekend to visit Seth's friend Tim. Tim was living in Derby, England and studying Maxiolfacial dentistry. It was so funny to see Tim walking into the hospital waiting room to meet me all decked out as a doctor! He soon started looking more familiar since he got off work and we went to a local pub.

This was my introduction to British cider. Yum! Tim actually suggested I get a cider since his sister had liked it. I liked it too! After the pub closed we went to Indian food - another introduction for me. It was delicious and I was surprised at how full the restaurant was so late at night - it was packed.

In the morning, Tim rented a car and we headed out for the weekend. Tim had brought along some CDs and I remember listening to Brian Ferry's Greatest Hits all weekend and I liked it so much that I went out and bought my own copy. We passed alot of KOOL street signs on the motorway. ie. one for Sherwood Forest and one for Greystoke. It was a beautiful drive north to York - our destination for the evening. The stone fences winding themselves between fields and the Northern moors cloaked in fog was reminiscent of various books and movies.

At York, our first aim was to find a place to stay for the night. As I was staying overnight, alone, in a hotel with Seth's friend from high school, we had to find a room with TWO beds. That was a bit easier said than done, but after looking at a few places, we found a perfect room with exactly two beds - one with a pink "girl" pillow & one with a blue "boy" pillow.

That evening we explored the city of York - including a ghost tour and another long night in a pub - with more cider of course!

In the morning, we headed out again - this time towards the Lakes District. The scenery was beautiful. And the roads were narrow and often had stone walls on one or both sides. I was glad that I wasn't driving! We passed by an area with caves (did we? check with Tim to be sure - maybe this was with Coop in Ireland?)

The Lakes district itself was really busy. We had a nice lunch where I ordered a cheese sandwich with pickles and was very surprised with what arrived. However, this was yet another introduction to something I very much enjoyed for the whole time I lived in London. "pickles" on a cheese sandwich are NOT green and do NO resemble cucumbers in any way. They are dark brown or black, small chunks of something in a thick dark brown sauce. oh and they are yummy!

After a very fun weekend, I got back on the train in Derby - headed back towards London and another week of work.
 

Photo Album
 

The perfect hotel room for Tim and I.	The city wall surrounding York
The beautiful scenery on our drive:	More beautiful scenery:

 

Category	Rating	Comments
Overall Experience	8	This was a very nice escape from London. Plus, it was fun to spend time with a friend instead of exploring by myself.
Ease of Journey	9	I think my heart stopped only once when Tim was driving and came too close to a stone wall bordering the road. Listening to CDs in the car was memorable. Plus, the train from London to Derby and back was very comfortable and easy to navigate.
Accommodation	10	The hotel we found was perfect since it had a boy bed and a girl bed!
Activities	7	This was not a very active weekend even though we covered alot of ground.
Coolness	8	The coincidence of Tim and I being in England and being able to spend a weekend together is definitely kool!

Travel Facts

When: November, 1995
Tourist Office: York & The Lakes District
Web Sites:
Train: From London to Derby on British Rail
Travel Times:
Hotel: in York