Day 4

Once again, I am on the train. This seems to be the only time I truly have to jot down my adventures.  Yesterday I visited some of the most beautiful countrysides in all of England, the Moors.  Not only did I get to visit them, but I rode the steam train through the hills and some of the little villages on the moors.  It was gorgeous!  As suggested by many people, I rode the steam train out to Whitby and visited the Abbey there, traveled on down the coast to Robin Hoods Bay, and spent some time there. This was the most physically taxing day of my trip thus far, but it was entirely worth it.

Before climbing the 199 steps up to the Abbey, I spent some time just enjoying the sites and pleasures of Whitby as a town.  Being a town set on the eastern coast and centered on a river, Whitby life revolves around the sea.  Boats and fishing traps line the river docks on one side of the main road and Fish and Chips cafés line the other side of it filling the streets with the mouthwatering smell of fried fresh fish.  Boats take tourists out onto the sea to look back at this beautiful village and the Abbey ruins that tower over Whitby.  Overall, this is just a beautiful area to explore.

I started out my day in Whitby with some amazing fish and chips made of fresh Haddock.  The flavors and the perfect crunchiness of it made it amazing and gave me the energy I needed to pull this day off.  Then I hopped onto one of the boats and rode it out to sea to see the sights from the sailor’s view.  From there, I went straight through the village up to the beginning of the 199 steps to the Abbey.  Many people had warned me of this climb but said it was entirely worth it.  It was! 

The old Abbey was stunning in its beauty.  It commanded attention and respect by its presence and no one who walked in the ruins spoke louder than a whisper.  Just as wonderful as the Abby was, the museum was a flop.  To learn anything interesting about Whitby Abby, I had to go searching through the Booklet that I bought at the front desk. It was only there that I learned that the destruction of the Abby was very similar to the destruction of Nottingham Castle.  The Abby exchanged hands many times and one man wanted to rebuild it, but he never finished. Then time, people in need of building supplies, and the wind wore it away to what it is now.

As I was just leaving the Abby a funeral procession proceeded from the Abby car park down through the graveyard on the hillside, and to the old church that sits just to the side of the Abby. Interesting fact: The priest, I suppose, that was leading the precession in white and purple robes was an older woman.  As soon as they moved into the church, made my way through the graveyard, down the steps, through the village, and over to the bus stop. Along the way, there were a few boats and different views of the city that caught my attention.

When I arrived in Robin Hoods Bay, the scenes just took my breath away.  There are not enough words in my small vocabulary to capture the picturesque village, towering cliffs, and rolling countryside.  All I know is that it was gorgeous, and I couldn’t stop breathing in the crisp sea breeze.  The hills in Robin Hood’s Bay are steep. In the pictures, they don’t look too bad but pay attention to how quickly things move down from one area to the next.  I started out up next to the hotel sitting on top of the Northern Cliff and made my way down the path to the bay and out onto the sea floor.

While out in Robin Hood’s Bay it is important to note that there was seaweed everywhere laying out in the sun waiting for the tide to return. (I was out at the peak of low tide.)  In some of the areas closer to shore and the cliffs where the wind couldn’t circulate as well, the smell was quite ripe. 

I climbed up out of the Bay into the lower edge of the village.  Wondered the streets a little bit before taking the hike up and out.  Looking back, I could see just how crazy of a hill I was climbing.  This quaint little village set out in the middle of nowhere on the east coast is an absolute gem.  The culture with few people walking the streets, wonderful smells of various foods, and the breathtaking views combine to make this place one that I will forever hold in memory as one of the most beautiful places in the world.

After leaving out of Robin Hood’s Bay I traveled back to Leeds to rest a little before my evening began.  Some of papa’s colleagues invited me out for supper and drinks.  Papa and I slept through the time that we would have met for drinks and just joined them at a true Indian restaurant.  It was an enjoyable evening with the conversation flowing easily around the table,

even though the music of the restaurant was a little distracting, me not being used to such music.  I spoke with multiple people and was glad to find a group of deeply intellectual people who were thinking critically about multiple facets of life and such.  It was encouraging to be able to interact with them and bounce ideas off them.

From here the evening quickly came to an end with both of us crashing almost immediately after getting back to the hotel room.  An achy body and a full spirit lead to long, and deep sleep.  Thank you so much for joining me on this journey!  I hope that you have a blessed day.