Going to St Bees

     It sounds like a nursery rhyme, "Going to St Bee's".   Only on a Sunday morning going from Keswick to St Bees by public transportation was very nearly a case of you can't get there from here.  
       The transport website that maps out trips for you could only sputter, " Leave early! Leave at 7:00!  Leave at 7:20!"  and quote bus schedules that don't exist or don't exist anymore.  Nevertheless,  we set out. 
        Having lived in Asia for awhile, one thing I enjoy about Northern Europe is that I can pass undetected, at least until I open my mouth and give the game away.  No one ever recoils in horror and shrieks "You're American!"   In fact, they rarely mention it at all but they probably think "Oh, so that's why she's so bloody ignorant!"  And they very kindly answer my dumb questions. 
         A lot of people apparently consider bus routes to be one of their areas of expertise.  They didn't always agree with each other, but they did try to help us.  And because we're in a different country where everything is a bit of a novelty, it wasn't so bad taking bus....after bus....after bus.  Three buses and six hours to go 31 miles.  But we got there, we got there. 
        Maybe we should have taken a taxi.