I didn't elope, I had tea

Clyde River in Glasgow - so sad to be leaving Scotland. 

Gretna Green became famous for habouring eloping young lovers. England's Marriage Act of 1754 stated that the bride and groom needed both sets of parents to  consent, if they were under 21. Scotland had no such law, and Gretna Green was just across the border.

Marriage by Declaration (handfasting) was legal if you had witnesses and the local blacksmith became an "Anvil Priest". He would bang his hammer on the anvil at the end of the ceremony, which became a symbol of good luck for marriages. People still come to Gretna Green to have their marriage blessed.

Love Locks can be found in many places around the world. A couple has two locks, with their names on them.  By locking them together on a fence or bridge, their love is always secure! 

The Lake District National Park is the largest park in England. It exists thanks to the conservation efforts of Beatrix Potter. She bought much land in her lifetime and left it to the National Trust in her will to protect it from development.

Howbeck Lodge

"Be My Guest" is a feature of all Trafalgar tours, where we are invited to a local home to experience their hospitality. Howbeck Lodge is a working sheep and cattle farm in the Lake District.  They have a large marquee set up in their yard where they served us a proper English tea. 

While we enjoyed sausage rolls (best I ever had), sandwiches, tea and cakes, our hostess gave a little talk. It's a family affair, right down to the grandson, who turned one yesterday and got two new lambs for his birthday. 

A brief lesson in the different types of teas; and I don't mean Celyon, Jasmine and "Earl Gray -hot". (bonus points if you get the reference!)

Cream Tea - Just tea and scones

With a Cornwall cream tea you put jam on first then cream; Devonshire tea you put cream on the scone, then jam.

Afternoon Tea / Low Tea has cakes and  sandwiches to tide you over until dinner, usually around 3:00.

High Tea is your dinner or main evening meal.

Liverpool residents have a unique lyrical accent because of all the Irish who flooded the area during the potato blight. The city is actually closer to Ireland and Scotland than London, which influenced how it developed. 

This sculpture has a trunk or suitcase to represent many of the famous people from Liverpool. Apparently you can look up who each one belongs to.

On our city tour we saw the building where Churchill had secret offices and the offices of the White Star shipping company (of the Titanic). England's largest cathedral (which is Anglican) was built over 75 years. Our city tour was on the bus, so I didn't get great pictures of all the points of interest.

St Nicholas Church 

Ma Boyle's, the pub where we has supper. Great food and incredible service. They were quite busy, with a large reservation, but our waitress worked very hard to make us welcome. 

This artwork was in the pub

Liverpool is a beautiful city, with a lot of "pedestrian only" streets to enjoy. It is an important site for British marine history. Many of our grandparents and great-grandparents would have sailed to Canada from here.

Our visit here was brief. I didn't even have a chance to buy a postcard or sticker - by the time we arrived the shops were closing. We did get a glimpse into the nightlife though.