Wuthering

"ˈwhither, v.". OED Online. March 2012. Oxford University Press. 25 April 2012 

"Wuthering" is the perfect adjective for this bit of Yorkshire countryside. Blustering rain and heavy winds all morning and afternoon. And honestly, I wouldn't have it any other way. Would have been a bit disappointing to visit Brontë country without experiencing some stereotypically Brontë-ish weather. It was all rather wonderful and romantic. (Although I'm very glad I went moor walking yesterday, when the weather was remarkably fine.)

Started the day with the Brontë Parsonage Museum.

One of the best parts of this study abroad trip has been making connections with my favorite authors and novels. Making them real. Today, I saw Charlotte Brontë's clothing. The sisters' individual writing desks. Their tiny tiny tiny juvenilia (and I thought my handwriting was small). I walked where they walked. Where they wrote their stories. It's difficult to communicate just how wonderful the feeling of connection is. 

After visiting the museum, I quickly scurried over to the Haworth Parish Church in order to avoid the onslaught of rain. The church of Patrick Brontë and his successor, Arthur Bell Nicholls (Charlotte's husband), is no longer standing, but the new church has a chapel over the Brontë vault dedicated to the family. 

Haworth Parish Church

Brontë Chapel

Church and cemetery

Later in the day, I had a rainy wander through the cemetery. Fun fact: It's thought that Emily and Anne's fatal illnesses were caused or intensified by water contaminated with run-off from the unsanitary and over-populated cemetery. 

Because normal people go on graveyard
walks in the pouring rain, didn't you know?

Another lovely Brontë-filled day in Haworth. Concluding my evening with the BBC's 2006 adaptation of Jane Eyre and hot chocolate. Seemed appropriate. 

~L