[Harlaxton ’11] Whitby Offers First Experience Away from Base, Tastes of British Fare

By Andrea Eastes, Keaton Smith, and Nick Zolman

In order to connect sites in England to the books we have read, Academy students studying abroad in England embarked on a trip to Whitby, the site of Dracula’s arrival in Bram Stoker’s same-named novel.  Throughout our day, we came to know the city quite well and fell in love with the combination of old and new.

After a quick breakfast at the Harlaxton Manor, we ventured north to Whitby.  Upon arrival, we quickly dispersed to explore the town.  All of us were immediately captured by the port’s charm and lovely old world architecture like Whitby Abbey and the many Victorian structures.  Some of us opted to explore the streets and roam around the plethora of stores that Whitby offered.  Popular spots included gift shops, curio stores, antique shops, and the Gutsy Ginger, an eclectic store full of odds and ends.  Many returned with purchases such as trinkets, hats, traditional Whitby jet jewelry, and even a raptor tooth! Others decided to journey to other parts of town, to enjoy parks, museums, a Dracula themed haunted house, and live music on the streets.  We all really enjoyed the morning’s excursion.  The people were friendly, as were the dogs that went about the town with their owners. The only thing that may take a while getting used to is the traffic patterns!  Whitby was full of roundabouts and clogged streets that made navigating difficult.

After thrift shopping and sightseeing in Whitby, we were shuttled off to our residence for our stay in the small, yet beautiful bed and breakfast:  the Mallyan-Spout Hotel.  Upon arrival, we were given the chance to explore the beautiful surrounding landscape.  Many of us chose to view the Mallyan-Spout, for which their residence is aptly named for, while others chose to seek the train station down the street.  The Goatheland train station actually served as the Hogsmeade train station in the first Harry Potter movie.  One of the staffers actually got to play a Slytherin in the film when he was thirteen.

After a few hours of exploration, we all headed back to Whitby for dinner. In downtown Whitby, we were exposed to excellent dining and service at the Magpie Restaurant.  Everyone experienced British cuisine at its finest.  From Shepard’s Pie, to beef casserole, to a variety of England’s classic, fish and chips.  Some of us also experienced firsthand some customary differences that they were not necessarily expecting.  When we asked for water, a couple of us were handed a large glass bottle of spring water instead of free water from the tap (and if you were not careful, you could end up with Sparkling Water, a much more bubbly twist).  Others learned that “lemonade” in England is not the same adored, lemon-flavored, sugary drink we had as children, but instead, a carbonated drink that resembled a lemon-lime soda, such as Sprite or 7-UP.

Dinner at the Magpie was followed by a tour through Whitby and an eerie recounting of some of the city’s most gruesome tales.  We were led by a sinister-appearing, though quite jovial, man identifying himself as Harry, who was well-versed in the lore and legend of the seaside town.  We saw the spot where Count Dracula himself was reported to have come ashore in the shape of a large, black wolf from a beached Russian ship.  We heard tell of the spirits professed to haunt the houses and pubs of the area; those unfortunate souls chained to the world after ghastly deaths by hanging, beheading, and yet more grisly mutilation.  We were told about two mischievous cats severely wounded after an encounter with two irate townspeople, whose injuries were later noticed to be remarkably similar to those of two laborers then assumed to possess powers beyond the natural world.  We learned the secrets the Hand of Glory, an aid to thieves wishing to creep through houses without attracting the notice of the sleeping inhabitants.  We also came to know about a one-armed lighthouse keeper who died of a heart attack many years ago, but whose body still appears on occasion to this day on the seventy-first stair of his tower.  We finally broke up and headed back to our bed and breakfast for the night, left with much to ponder as we retired to our own rooms.

Tomorrow we will discover more of the city and in particular the Whitby Abbey, but for now the day has left us all with tired feet and a belly full of fish and chips.