In case you didn't know I learned how to speak Welsh this weekend...just kidding. But I can thank Wikipedia (only the most valid source on the planet) for providing me with my blog title, which means "Wales forever" and is supposedly Wales' motto. Since when do countries have mottos? Does the US have a motto?
Anyway, I am taking advantage of the free wireless on campus. Since the internet is limited in my dorm, I am taking this opportunity to download my TV shows from last night so I can watch them later. Along with the episode of Grey's Anatomy from last Thursday that I still haven't been able to watch.
Saturday morning I left bright and early to catch the bus to go to Wales. It was a nice drive through the English/Welsh countryside and my inability to sleep in moving vehicles allowed me to appreciate the sights. Our first stop was in Caerleon, the site of an ancient Roman amphitheater and army barracks. Its always interesting to see how this stuff is all still standing after all these years. It makes me think of my Roman history professor who always raved about how the Romans were so far ahead of their time when it came to architecture. I can't say he was wrong since they have some pretty impressive structures all over the world, which we can still see today.
After leaving Caerleon we went on to Caerphilly Castle, which I can't really describe except its an ancient medieval castle. Before entering the castle they gave us 45 minutes to eat, not nearly enough time when there are 100+ students on the tour and only about 2 places to eat. Our tour guide told us two really disgusting stories which I can't really repeat here but they involve some pretty nasty torture. Feel free to ask me to elaborate if you are so inclined.
Our final stop for the day was at the Museum of Welsh Life. It consisted of old Welsh buildings that had been moved and restored to one site. They gave us way more time than we needed to explore the place, which seemed to be a recurring theme throughout the weekend. It was cold outside and no one wants to be forced to spend so much time outdoors in that kind of weather. I did get some really pretty pictures of the fall scenery though.
After leaving the museum they brought us to our hotel, a bed and breakast literally in the middle of nowhere. I volunteered to sleep on the top of the bunk bed they had given us, since my friend Tessa has to sleep in the top bunk of her bed that she shares back at her flat in London. They dropped us off "in town" for dinner, a town that consisted of only three restaurants that were open, and this was on a Saturday night. We managed to find a decent place to eat, and had some pretty amazing nachos. It seems like I manage to find some good food everywhere I go. We returned to hotel after dinner and watched some British television, then made it an early night as we were all in bed by 10:30.
On Sunday they took us to a coal mine in Blaenafon, Wales. We got to wear some pretty funny looking helmets which came in handy since I hit my head more than once on the low ceilings in the coal mine. I am sorry I wasn't able to document these helmets, but they told us on the bus not to bring our cameras since anything with a battery was not allowed in the mine. The tour guides were actual miners, and they had some pretty interesting stories to tell. The one that I liked most was about the pit ponies, the horses that were used to pull bins of coal to the exit of the mine. He told us about a horse (named Welsh...so creative, haha) who stopped in one particular room of the mine, refusing to move on into the next room. The miners believed that the horses had a sixth sense about these things, so miners would always stay back if their horse would not budge. As it turned out, the ceiling to that particular room caved in, and the pit pony had saved the miner's life. Of course it could just be an urban legend, but I thought it was pretty impressive.
After leaving the coal mine, we stopped for lunch. For the second time this weekend they dropped us off in a place with limited places that were open, and not nearly enough time. We managed to eat at a Pizza Express (one of my favorite places in London, and way better than it sounds) although we had to scarf down our food pretty quickly.
After lunch, we got back on the bus and went to Tintern Abbey, our last stop of the day. It was still pretty beautiful, considering that had been virtually destroyed by Henry VIII when he dissolved all the monasteries in England. Our tour guide told us a little bit about the monks, and what a meager life they lived. They wore only white robes, and were forced to consume a meager vegetarian diet. I guess you sign up for that kind of lifestyle when you decided to be a monk, but I know I would never want to be one. We spent a short amount of time here, but it was still nice to see one of the important sites in Wales.
All in all, it was an okay weekend. If you're only in England for a short time I wouldn't put it on the top of your list though, since it involves doing a lot of traveling all over the country. And definitely don't stay at the Dare Valley Park Hotel, unless you want a wilderness experience. I found out later that it was situated on a campground, so that probably explains it. Until next time, cheerio!
You can view my album from Wales here.
Cymru am byth
Tuesday, November 11, 2008
Posted by Rachel at 8:55 AM
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