Wales Tales and other FUN.

 Last weekend I headed off to Wales with Carolyn, Lydia, and Amanda, which proved to be quite the adventure of firsts: First time in Wales, first witnessing of a beating, first stay at a hostel, and first Jack Daniels, to name a few!  Carolyn and I arrived in Cardiff, the capital of Wales, Friday around 1 o'clock.  We were supposed to take an 11:15 train, but someone had been hit by a train (intentionally or not I do not know) so we were delayed at the train station until 11:45.  We left Paddington and headed for Cardiff Central, arriving safely.  The ride was absolutely stunning.  I can't get over the English countryside.  When we got to the train station, we sat outside a nearby Burger King and ate our packed lunch of cheese, bread, and apples.  A really handsome Englishman then started making conversation with us because he found our lunch humorous, saying it could be a protest for healthier food options.  He originally was from England proper but moved to Wales some years ago for work and because his girlfriend is Welsh (darn!).  He asked what brought us here to which we said we were going to see Tintern Abbey today.  He told us he had led worship services there years ago and proceeded to explain his entire religious history, which was sort of awkward because I couldn't understand if he was still religiously active or not.  He was puzzled as to why we were going and didn't seem to know of Wordsworth's poem "Lines Written a Few Miles Above Tintern Abbey" which is why we were going and he kept going on about religiousity. Regardless of his lack of literary knowledge, he was very friendly and lovely to look at, so it was a pleasant conversation.  He soon left us and we were left to wait for our train to Chepstow. 

When we arrived in Chepstow we had to walk from the train station into town in search of the bus which would take us to Tintern Abbey.  These buses come every hour or so, and we just missed it, so we wandered around Chepstow for a while.  There were many cute shops and antique stores so it was a pleasant time.  In the sidewalks are engraving in both Welsh and English which I assume are some poem but I am not sure.  They were very pleasant thoughts though; I especially liked this one about cheese!  Everywhere/everything in Wales has both Welsh and English, for the record.

English towns seem to have an obsession with banners strung across the buildings.  It makes it very nice to look at and festive, I must admit! The British also like to use bicycles as decorative touches.  I really enjoyed this one; I also saw one strung with onions.

After looking around Chepstow we headed back to the bus station to await our bus.  Carolyn ran inside a store to get a bottle of water, so I was left alone with some old men who were also sitting there.  They were keeping to themselves until they suddenly included me in the conversation,

wanting to clarify if I was girl or not so that they wouldn't use bad language.  Apparently my hair deceived them?  I laughed it off and we were starting to make conversation when this younger man who had to be drunk or on drugs or probably both came out of nowhere and threw one of the old men up against the bus stop wall and started punching him, yelling "I hate you!", "how dare you!" and other such obscenities.  Then a young woman started yelling at the guy (seemingly his girlfriend) to stop and that this isn't necessary.  She started crying and called the police and the guy finally stopped punching the old man but kept yelling at both the girl and the man, calling the girl a "pedophile".  I sat there, scared for my life, not knowing what to do.  I felt like I should help the old man somehow, whose face/nose was dripping blood at this point, but I also didn't want to stir up this guy's anger and get myself killed.  All the other old men just sat there seemingly unperturbed which puzzled me but I decided to take their lead because perhaps there's a long history I don't know about.  The bus finally showed up and one of the old men got up and asked me if I was going on this bus, to which I flusteredly replied yes, and Carolyn (who had finally come out and gave some tissues to the victim) and I got on.  The police finally showed up, the assaulter ran off and I don't know that anyone ran after him.  A medic took care of the old man and some other women escorted the girlfriend away, who was a complete mess by this point.  Meanwhile, on the bus, we were sitting amongst some old locals who were carrying on in a jolly good way.  It was seriously the most surreal moment ever.  When I later reported to my flatmates about this, they just shrugged and said "Well, that's Wales!"  Good heavens!

 Thankfully we were soon on our way to see Tintern Abbey.  The ride there was along a windy, mountainous road; I felt like I was going to Mount St. Mary's University - it was very comforting after such a horrific moment at the bus station.  During the drive, we were surrounded by trees and then suddenly we turned the corner and there was a clearing, and there, there was Tintern Abbey.  It was one of the most magical moments of my life.  Wordsworth says in his poem:

"Once again
Do I behold these steep and lofty cliffs,
Which on a wild secluded scene impress
Thoughts of more deep seclusion; and connect
The landscape with the quiet of the sky."

 These words are so true.  Upon seeing it one just feels peaceful - awestruck.  It seems to just have sprung out of nature - I mean, hear it is, with cows grazing nearby!  It's just an organic part of the area.  The abbey is monastic ruins from the 1100s.  It was technically closed when we got there so we could only wander around the outside, but that was totally fine.  It sits beside the Wye River in a beautiful valley.  In the old monk houses are now a tea house and a pub, where we stopped for locally brewed Severn Cider and dessert. 

 I read Wordsworth's poem in AP English senior year of high school and it has meant so much to me since then; I was absolutely thrilled to finally see the building and area of the world that inspired words that shape much of my thinking.  Here's one of my favorite parts of the poem (it's a little long, but so worth it in my humble opinion):

Though absent long,
These forms of beauty have not been to me,
As is a landscape to a blind man's eye:
But oft, in lonely rooms, and mid the din
Of towns and cities, I have owed to them,
In hours of weariness, sensations sweet,
Felt in the blood, and felt along the heart,
And passing even into my purer mind
With tranquil restoration:—feelings too
Of unremembered pleasure; such, perhaps,
As may have had no trivial influence
On that best portion of a good man's life;
His little, nameless, unremembered acts
Of kindness and of love. Nor less, I trust,
To them I may have owed another gift,
Of aspect more sublime; that blessed mood,
In which the burthen of the mystery,
In which the heavy and the weary weight
Of all this unintelligible world
Is lighten'd:—that serene and blessed mood,
In which the affections gently lead us on,
Until, the breath of this corporeal frame,
And even the motion of our human blood
Almost suspended, we are laid asleep
In body, and become a living soul:
While with an eye made quiet by the power
Of harmony, and the deep power of joy,
We see into the life of things

 We left Tintern and headed back to Chepstow for dinner - finally, my first fish n' chips and mushy peas!! It was yummy.  Then we headed back to the train station, but had an hour and a half until the train was to come, so we sat around waiting, getting colder and colder.  I strolled along the tracks singing Ella Fitzgerald to bide the time.  It was a good bonding night for Carolyn and I, to say the least. :)  When we got back to Cardiff we had to find our hostel.  The bartender at the Abbey had told us that Cardiff had the best night life in the UK to which we kind of snorted, seeing as we are coming from London, but when we turned the corner onto St. Mary Street in Cardiff, we were proved wrong in our doubt.  The street was bustling, closed off to traffic, every single bar and restaurant open and full, with long lines coming out the doors.  It was crazy!  We weren't expecting this though so we didn't bring appropriate going out attire.  Once we found our hostel we chilled there for a while because the downstairs is a bar.  Our hostel is "Bunkhouse" and their tagline is "Beds. Bar. Boogie." Precisely.  The downstairs interior was adorable, with birdcage hanging lights and big made up beds to sit on.  The basement felt like a speakeasy.  They played 1930s-1960s music which was a blast to dance to.  Overall, the hostel felt very safe and clean, which was great and a good first one to stay in for me.  The only bad thing that happened was when we came back Saturday night, two people (a boy and girl) had taken my bed! I had to then take a 3rd bunk above Lydia and Amanda, which was fine, I just don't know why they would disregard my towel on my bed and think it was open to take.  Anyway, Friday night Carolyn and I had to leave the hostel around 1 to go pick up Lydia and Amanda at the train station.  Once we got them, we all went to sleep, with a big day ahead of us.

 Saturday morning we wandered down the streets of Cardiff, and lo and behold there was a street market!! We seem to find these in every town we go to!! I love the UK.  There were food, clothes, jewelry, and antique vendors.  We tried these pastry things one guy was selling, which were pretty good.  At length, we got to the end of the street and finally arrived at our destination: Cardiff Castle!! The castle foundation dates back all the way to the Romans but has seen many changes over the years.  Inside the information center they had dress up clothes!! We took full advantage :) 

The castle grounds contain the castle proper, the keep, and the manor, which is a more recent addition, and by that I mean like, the 1400s or something.  There is also a giant catapult on the green.

 The keep is surrounded by a moat which has ENORMOUS lily pads.  We climbed to the top of the keep and the view is absolutely spectacular.  The only bad part is that the stairs to get up there were incredibly steep. I saw my life flash before my eyes for the second time that weekend. 

I would like you all to notice the greenness and lushness of the grass here.  The UK is the most lush place I have ever seen.  All the grass in this country is beautiful and cushy, and the flowers around here are all incredible and still blooming.  I guess it's because of all the rainfall.  It makes for very beautiful train rides and walks!

Apparently from up here you are supposed to be able to see another local castle in the distance, but I couldn't find it :( 

 After the keep we headed to the manor house, which was INCREDIBLE.  The architecture inside this place was insane.  Here was a vaulted ceiling in one room.  There were multiple fireplaces, each one gorgeous with tiles and marble.  In the dining room the upper parts of the walls were painted to tell the story of some king's history...Charles, maybe?  All the stained glass windows are different kings and queens.  The house seemed to also have a strange obsession with animal paintings.  There were many perplexing monkeys around the house, painted and sculpted.  My favorites included this pig playing a bagpipe, as well as a monkey trying to put a noose around a mouse and an angry cow's head in a hanging picture frame.  I'm not sure how these guys configure into British royal family history, but it was highly amusing!

After we finished looking at all the different parts of Cardiff Castle, we headed to the train station to go to Bridgend for a town festival called "Feastival" which we had read about online and wanted to experience.  The trainride was about an hour longer than we expected because we took a circuitous route unknowingly, but it was beautiful and took us along the coastline!! However, on the train were some middle school age boys, and let's just say that pubescent male Welsh accents are about the worst sound I have ever heard in my life.  Especially when paired with really awful hiphop music blasted out of headphones.

 We arrived in Bridgend and street upon street was filled with tents selling all sorts of delicious foods.  I got "The Must" crepe to start, which had nutella, caramel, bananas, and cookie crumbles on it.  It was to die for.  Next I had a Traditional Welsh lamb pasty, which was perfect English cuisine and what I had been needing.  I also got a sausage on a stick which was quite yummy too!  They were hosting karaoke as well and everyone who participated got free curry, but we were all so full that we didn't participate.  We wandered into some shops in town too, which were nice.
 

 While we were wandering through town we saw some cool castle-looking top in the distance so we decided to go in search of what it was.  We risked our lives crossing the road, wandered up a long, steep stairway up a hill, and found a church, graveyard, and castle!! It was really neat.  The best part was that this was one of the highest sites in the city so we had a breathtaking view of Bridgend.

 After seeing the ruins we went back into town and got drinks at a bar, Three Horseshoes.  As September was waning, I took the opportunity to celebrate Jack's Birthday month and got a Jack Daniels and Coke.  We then headed back to Cardiff, sharing the train with the trashy women of Bridgend who were going into Cardiff for the nightlife.  Let's just say we saw too many short skirts on too many legs that should not have been wearing them.  These women were also just outrageously loud and drunk, pouring themselves vodka shots on the train and harassing an 18 year old boy who was sitting next to them. Oh, Wales.  Your people continue to leave such a good impression.  We got back and hung out at Bunkhouse, played jenga, and then went to bed.

 Sunday we headed to Cardiff Bay which was a nice area with very lovely views.  We saw both the inner bay and then the outer channel from a walk down the Barrage.  We also saw the Dr. Who museum (although didn't pay for the tour), the Docks museum, and the Norwegian Church where Roald Dahl was christened.  We also met a nice older woman and her dog who told us how the area was being developed and becoming much nicer than it used to be.  We ate at an American Diner which was rather humorous, and pretty tasty, although the fact that the fries were extra and didn't come with the meal was outrageous and completely Un-American.  Then we headed back to the train station and witnessed our last bout of domestic abuse for the weekend: a man yelling at his wife and throwing her bag of lingerie into the train and then reclaiming it and yelling at her for being stupid or something.  She just sat and didn't reply.  It was so bizarre.  Thus we left Wales on a pleasant note!!

 Monday I had my first field trip for my Architecture in London class to Bedford Square which is the epitome of Georgian architecture, and we also saw The Russel Hotel which is entirely terra cotta - awesome!

 Tuesday night Carolyn and I saw FUN. in concert!!!!! They were absolutely amazing!!! The concert was so full of energy and their opener, Walk the Moon, was fabulous too - great times!! Afterward we stopped into this pastry shop on the street.  I got a chocolate croissant and a milkshake, which was quite literally that - milk with some candy bits shaken into it. Fail. But the croissant was good!  A 40 minute tube ride later I was back in Mile End and thus ended a lovely evening.