I have a Master’s Degree in English Literature and after I graduated, I was lucky enough to go on a pilgrimage to England and walk in the footsteps of its famous writers. One of the places I wanted to visit was the Lake District where my favorite English poet, William Wordsworth, lived. I had heard that the Lake District is one of the favorite vacation spots of the British and I could see why: it is a magical, bucolic wonderland of peace and tranquility. “Ramblers” are welcome to walk through the properties of many different farmlands, as long as they remember to shut the gates so the sheep won’t get out.
We had a lovely view from our hotel room window of Lake Windermere. The shores of the lake had sheep grazing on rolling green hills that were carpeted with daffodils, and a lone cottage on a hilltop had a welcoming fire coming out of its chimney. I grabbed our video camera to capture its beauty and asked my husband to read Wordsworth’s poem, “I Wandered Lonely as a Cloud” that spoke of the “jocund company” of the “dancing daffodils”. He’s a good sport and read it with a lot of enthusiasm.
We have a history of bumping into famous people on our travels and were very pleased to meet Wordsworth’s great-great grandson in the gift shop of Wordsworth’s home. He signed a book I’d just bought that was written by the famous poet’s sister, Dorothy. Standing close to a relative of this mighty literary figure was very exciting, to say the least; not to mention, a dream come true for this English Major.
See photos and read more our authors' pilgrimage to England in our eBook.
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