Today the International Office took all of its charges on a day trip to Whitby on the coast of the North Sea. The ruins of St. Hilda's Abbey are practically mythical. They reminded me instantly of some of the work of Caspar David Friedrich.
For comparison:
According to tales told to me by others who know better, Bram Stoker wrote much of his novel Dracula in Whitby, with a crucial scene or two set in the abbey itself. Captain Cook, that Captain Cook, reportedly set sail from Whitby's port. The town is situated on either steep bank of the river mouth, right on the North Sea. Today was especially windy, so there were some impressive waves washing up against the sea piers. Elizabeth, Teresa, Eva, and I ate fish and chips at a little restaurant on one of the town's main roads, which are cobblestoned and fairly tangled.
