8/4 - Windermere to Dublin - Day 11

It's a bittersweet goodbye as we go our separate ways, unsure when we'll see each other again. 

The weather mirrors my mood as the drive to Manchester Airport is traffic-ridden and rainy. FIL gets sideswiped as he’s turning into the rental car return. No one is hurt, not even the car, and despite significant delays, we make it to check-in with plenty of time, though we're soaking wet from the 5-minute downpour that hits right after we leave the cars. Our luck runs out as our checked car seats get stuck in the scanner, and the incompetent agent gets us to security with only 5 minutes to spare.

We don't miss our flights thanks to a miraculous delay, but unfortunately lunch ends up being Clif bars and scraps from my bag as there's not time to seek more substantial fare. 

We make it to Dublin intact, but the car seats miss the flight. Aer Lingus lends us their filthy ones, selected from their room full of abandoned luggage, but they get us to our hotel. 

The Mespil Hotel is a lovely choice, the 4-star bright spot of our day. It sits in a quiet section of the city and is an easy walk to the tourist center. It overlooks the Grand Canal, and the vibe is comfortably chill. 

West View Restaurant - Windermere, UK

Last meal in Windermere, and we're looking for a not-so-English takeaway. The chef here is Chinese and can cook just about any Asian food. 

Starters include crunchy little Spring Rolls, and the menu splits into sections for all the entrees and sides. They have Korean classics like this slightly spicy Bibimbap, with a well-proportioned mix of beef, veg, and all the pickles. There's a deboned, quite-fried Crispy Roasted Duck with all the fixins including those tissue-thin pancakes and cucumbers with hoisin sauce. 

Carbs consist of fried noodles and fried rice, and the Green Pepper and Beef Stir-fries has tender beef and veggies done well. Fried Chicken Wings are super crispy, chili sauce packed separately so they aren't so quick to sog. 

A generically satisfying meal, including all the Asian classics so they hit the craving in the craw. A good option if you're seeking it - you'll go to bed happy at the end of the day.

Sizergh Cafe - Kendal, UK

A casual cafe, typical fare you'll find at any tourist attraction, but fresher and better. They source what they can from the castle gardens, and I believe they make their own pastries in-house. 

The Cheese Scone is right on, a flour-forward brick. 

This delectable goody is a sticky and honey-sweet conglomerate of super-crunchy wheat grains, and they call it a Flapjack. It’s reminiscent of a rice crispy treat but with much nicer ingredients inside.

There's a simple Egg Salad Sandwich with fresh greens. A bit bland but not at all bad. 

The special is a BBQ Pork Sandwich topped with slaw doused in enough Mayo to make a southern boy blush.  There could be more meat, and the sauce is on the milder side like most things in the UK, all on a nice and fluffy bun. 

As far as tourist feeding areas go, this is one of the better ones. The ingredients are fresh, and it's a nice touch that they're grown on the grounds. I wouldn't go out of my way to eat here, but it's a perfectly good food stop if you come here and don't feel like packing a lunch. 

8/3 - Windermere - Day 10

It's our last full day at the cottage with the cousins, and Sizergh Castle is a welcome change from lakes and trees. 

It's a gorgeous castle, still owned by the Strickland family. Katherine Parr is thought to have lived here after her first husband passed.

It's big girl's second castle, and she's disappointed that it doesn't have a slide like the one at Legoland, but she makes it through without touching anything though she remains unimpressed.

The gardens are gorgeous, including a fruit and vegetable patch which feeds into their cafe.

Giant chickens roam the grounds freely,

and every section is uniquely themed. 

It's truly beautiful here, and the grounds are huge, with an entire park with hiking and camping too. It's the perfect way to spend our last Lake District day, a satisfying end to a stay that will never feel long enough. 

Appetisers - Kirkby Lonsdale

At around 3 pounds per sandwich, this quaint takeaway shop is a frugalist fantasy and a foodie dream. The small space features a single lady slicing roast ham and loading sandwiches into a sizzling panini press. 

They don't serve your everyday deli meat - this stuff looks like it was sliced off a roast. 

The Ham and Brie Panini is hot and gooey,

the Roast Ham Baguette is cold comfort. 

Cake comes at 50 pence per slice, displayed but unlabeled so choose what your eyes embrace. One is a classic, crumbly tea cake that sandwiches a subtle icing 

and the other has sprinkles and a berry swirl. 

This is absolutely the English countryside experience we came to seek. It's so simple it's a standout, small and sweet, easy to eat but hard to forget. 

8/2 - Windermere - Day 9

A fairy tale wedding awaits us, and the whole family treks to nearby Kirkby Lonsdale to entertain the kids while we wait.

It’s a neat town full of beautiful stone buildings and all local shops, with not a single chain in sight. Unfortunately, I find myself unable to shop as almost all the doors have steps and the aisles are narrow making strollers and grabby babies not very welcome. 

The kids do enjoy the park, though, which has apparatuses for all ages including a long metal slide and an epic zipline.

I manage to make the trek past the historic St Mary's Church 

to Ruskin's View. The Lune Valley is lush and green, and the namesake river runs through it. Underley Hall is majestic in the distance, a house once owned by those with some social standing. 

A fairy tale wedding follows, though I'm too frazzled to get any photos of the magical Casterton Grange Estate. 

We're the people with the baby, but no one seems to mind,

and we get a very unique view of this gorgeous library, marveling over law books from the 1900s. 

It's a long day for all of us, but baby does well, seemingly loving the chaos and happy noise. The reason for this trip is accomplished, and I get to wear the dress of much drama. Happy for those who are happy, grateful for the opportunity of adventure, unbelievably thankful for the chance to connect with family and friends. 

Little Saigon - Keswick, UK

It's a long walk to a less crowded street, but it's worth not waiting elsewhere. Service is smiling and not too slow at this proudly family-run restaurant featuring what might be the only Vietnamese food in all the Lake District.  

Grilled Pork Summer Rolls are pretty good, full of fresh veggies and vermicelli, topped with chopped bits of sweet and savory pork. 

The Banh Mi come on crusty baguettes that don't cut your mouth, and both the Roast Duck and char siu are super tender and have a lovely subtlety to them. The meats are legit, the veggies are fresh, and the pickled bits are more lightly pickled and not so sour compared to the ones I usually get stateside. 

A lovely lunch in a location you instantly fall in love with. The brighter, bolder ethnic cuisine is a welcome breath of fresh air from meat n' potatoes. I haven't tried anything else in town so I can't compare, but I do think you'd enjoy this place if you're around. 

The Cornish Pasty - Keswick, UK

Hunger gets the best of us as we hunt fruitlessly for a restaurant that can accommodate us all. 

Fortunately, we can pop into this small, no-seat shop selling warm and flaky creations with fantastic fillings. 

There's a dense Scotch Egg to start, held by the most handsome man, perfectly boiled within a cocoon of sweet sausage and breadcrumb crust. 

The Pork & Apple pasty has a beautiful crust and a surprisingly smooth filling which is savory without too much sweetness. Find a friend to share - these pies are substantially sized. 

A lovely little stop while shopping til you drop. Great stuff to go when you can't or won't sit at one of several saturated restaurants during the peak season of tourists.

Windermere 8/1 - Day 8

Why is the bread so good here? It's the basic white and wheat found in any grocery or Tesco or wherever you go, but it's both fluffy and chewy, a comfy crumb with a crust so inoffensive that my kids don't bother to pick it off. Big girl eats it three slices at a time, and baby rips into it with unbridled enthusiasm. Even hubby who won't touch wheat savors every bite. 

A day trip to the market town of Keswick follows our bready breakfast, a view of another Lake District jewel. Known for its offerings of outdoor excitement, the town center is highly commercial, stores are full of sportswear and gear as well as the usual knicknacks. 

A minor fender bender starts our day on the wrong note, but the damage is minimal, and the damage waiver I last-minute added caps our liability to something we can afford. 

The stressful start dissipates as we stroll through Hope Park, a collection of picturesque spaces including a golf course that weaves its way into the center of town. 

After we're fed, we stumble upon a liqueur tasting at the Wild Sheep Distillery, a cube of a shop full of small stills, all alcohol made on site. The Limoncello could stand proud in Sorrento, and we purchase a whiskey with the most amazing chai spices and a beautifully smooth gin. 

The day ends with a walk around Derwentwater, a dreamy lake with a perfect shore for picnics. 

A short walk gets you to a lovely vista, and there, the day is done. 

Brown Horse Inn - Windermere, UK

A traditional English dinner awaits us at a pub that pretends to be more casual than it is. The decor has a hunting theme, and the beautiful wooden tables pretend to be rustic, while servers scurry with hot plates of food and pints of various ales. 

I'm too tired to drink and never too full to eat so my Steak & Ale Pie is the best of both worlds. The crust is flaky though a hair thicker and denser than I'd prefer, the inside tender shredded beef. Potatoes and green beans are bland, the pan gravy is pretty good. 

The Gammon Steak is a new one for us, and I guess the Hawaiians didn't do ham and pineapple first. The ham steak is covered in a warm pineapple chutney, a bit more sugary than I'd want, and a side of breaded, fried egg with an oozing yolk. Chips come with almost every plate in the UK, and these are unapologetically thick, a bold reminder of how much we love the taste of pure potato. 

A really cool pub with quality food and style. Better for a sit-down dinner than for slamming pints, good fun for a nicer, quieter meal. 

Windermere 7/31 - Day 7

The first day's frustrations are immediately forgotten as the warmth of family ousts the damp Causeway cold. 

The kids gel immediately, and there's laughter and peace, help and support. 

Today we take off for a touristy jaunt starting with a peaceful boat ride across Lake Windermere on the historic Swan. 

The ride moves at a luxuriously slow pace as we sip our morning cappuccinos from real ceramic cups.

We pass a lot of sites, but the narration is hard to hear. 

I think that’s Wray Castle, 

And whatever these houses are, I'd gladly buy any of them. 

The cruise ends at the Lakeside stop, the beginning of the Lakeside & Haverthwaite Railway, a round-trip steam train cruise across the countryside. 

The Haverthwaite side is a Victorian train station with some attractions to make you less eager to hurry back. 

The train station tea room serves a simple lunch, and I am loving this Halloumi and Mushroom burger. What is not fantastic about a chewy patty of fried cheese with a pile of mushrooms and pepper jam with a sweet kick?

The playground has an epic zipline, and big girl is obsessed. This alone is why she loves this country. 

It's a different boat that takes us back, and I believe it was the MV Swift. A more modern vessel with both decks are sheltered by clear glass on all sides. A bit stuffy on top, but with all the amenities of the previous including coffee and ice cream.