What a fun weekend! Let me do a re-cap, for y'all.
I spent Friday and Saturday in Wales, gallivanting around the country. On Friday, we hiked up the Black Mountains, and the clouds were seriously on eye-level at one point. The hike was mostly up hill. It was amazing!!! The only bad part was avoiding sheep poop. The view from the top was breathtaking, once we could see holes in the clouds to view the land below us. We also got to pet a horse that may or may not have been a wild stallion. Thank goodness we're getting so much exercise here, b/c most of the food is so rich. Also on Friday, we went to a town in Wales, famous for all of its bookstores. I bought a 100+ year-old copy of Dickens' Hard Times! I've been wanting to read that for a while now, and I'm so excited about the ancient copy. I'm contemplating giving it to Dr. Lorentzen after I finish reading it- he loves Dickens.
After that, we went to a priory and then to our home for one night- St. Briavel's Castle (and when I say castle, I mean castle!) Though the moat was dried up, it would have been there. haha. Also, there was a dungeon with a fake skeleton in it. We stayed in the old prison. It really was a prison at one point! There were even etchings on the walls from hundreds and hundreds of years ago....too bad we couldn't read any of them b/c they were all in Old Welsh. Nonetheless, I'm sure they tell the secrets of threats to the wardens and so forth. The people at the castle made us a delicious dinner Friday night- lasagna, salad, garlic bread, etc. Also, we had strawberries and cream for dessert, in honor of Wimbledon!
On Saturday morning, they also made us a delicious traditional English breakfast (sausages, eggs, stewed tomatoes, beans, croissants, etc.) The only difference between traditional English breakfasts and traditional Irish breakfasts is that Irish ones also contain potatoes and black&white pudding (no- I didn't try it; no blood for me!)
Then, for Saturday afternoon, we went to TINTERN ABBEY!!! That was huge for me, b/c I'd read the poem in my British Victorian Novel class just this past spring. I was so excited- and it really was beautiful. We took a nature walk, too, around the Abbey, and got to see a wedding party. After that, we went to the bridge that marks the mid-point between Wales and England- so cool! I'm pictured below, straddling the line b/t Wales and England- I'm in 2 countries at once!! There was a fair going on in the city with the bridge (Chepstow), but we didn't have time to go. After that, we drove back home to Bath.
On Sunday, I slept in until 2 pm! Please don't judge. That was the first time I've slept in since I've been here, and it felt great! Then, Danielle, Kirby and I got Linner/Dunch at Las Iguanas, a Brazilian restaurant. I got the chimichangas- yum! After that, I went grocery shopping at this teensy little supermarket called Sainsbury's Local. It's about the size of a small convenience store, and it's the only supermarket open past 5 pm on Sundays, so you can imagine the size of the line! I got peanut butter and bread so that I can make sandwiches for lunch every day this week (I'm trying to save money for London).
After that, Kirby (my flatmate) and I went to Mass at St. John the Evangelist. There, I met a really cute old British woman, who couldn't help me find the bathroom for the life of her. Bless her heart. We walked all around the church and even into the backyard trying to find it, and we eventually had to walk back inside and go down the side aisle to get to it, while Mass was starting. She was so embarrassed. By the time we got back, Mass had started. Since she came by herself, I asked her if she wanted to sit with Kirby and me, and she seemed really happy about that. She told me that it was nice to have someone ask her for help with something. That really touched me. God Bless that sweet old lady & you all back home!!
With Love,
Kelly
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