England 2010: Part 3

Tuesday was our first big day out, and very big it was!! We decided to go to Blackpool (a couple of hours away) to see the famous Illuminations, but that didn't start until dusk, so we added on a trip to Bowness, the closest lake in the Lake District. Carole and Maurice came as well, and we met up to walk to town together for a boat ride and some sightseeing. Bowness is supposed to be a bit less crowded than nearby Windermere, but it didn't seem like it on this day! We got on a boat quickly, though, and had a great trip out, even though the ever-changing English weather turned from happy sun to spooky clouds and light rain about 5 minutes after we set out! By the end of the journey, some of us escaped to the lower part of the boat, enclosed with windows and toasty warm. Afterwards, we braved the crowded streets and strolled through town, also braving Andy's harumphing (low crowd tolerance). :-)

Then we made our way to Blackpool, a seaside town that had its heyday in the 50s and 60s and now has a fantastic ambiance that walks the line between throwback cool and horrifying tackiness. There are miles of boardwalk, endless restaurants and "tat shops" (places to buy tat, not tattoo shops!), gorgeous peirs, a huge amusement park... it's just such an interesting mix of old charm and new sleaze. We started off with an early dinner of fish and chips at the famous Harry Ramsden's, which definitely hit the spot. Then we headed out to the very end of the nearest peir, and on our way out the skies darkened and the wind picked up, light rain began to fall, then heavy... it was so crazy out there at the end! Windy, high waves, dramatic skies - at the rounded end of the peir, it felt like you were at the bow of a great big ship in the middle of a storm. Ollie loved it! When the worst of the rain and clouds passed, there was a gorgeous rainbow that reached right to Blackpool Tower. We made our way back to the boardwalk and passed some time in the arcade, where the kids had a blast riding on little rides and playing games like the coin push, that only cost 2p to play. And finally - the Illuminations! Over 4 miles of the boardwalk magically lights up at 8pm, and every hundred feet or so is something different to see. People come from miles around to drive (or sometimes walk) these miles and see the beautiful lights. I think our favorite part was seeing the local tram-cars decorated with lights -- a train, a boat, etc. - the kids were transfixed with it all, and for Andy, it was a trip down memory lane.