WALES!!!!!!!!!! Wales was so pretty!!!!!!!!! There were so many sheep! Some of them were fluffy! Some of them were shorn! The horses were wearing blankets...err...dresses. In summary, I am going to miss those train rides from town to town gazing upon the idyllic, provincial scenes. It was just so relaxing and wonderful.
While in Wales, I visited (where the hell is the colon?. Also, why is the question mark above the "0" and the quotation mark is over the "2" and signing into email was a pain because where on this stupid keyboard did you put the at symbol. I finally just broke down and Googled it to copy and paste.) Found it! While in Wales, I visited:
Manchester--not technically in Wales, but in England, but being on the North East border of Wales, it was cheaper than going the other way around. They have some great squares and an adorable little art museum. I was super excited because my pet dog's litter-mate lives in that museum! It was good to see a friend. If zou have no idea what I am on about, go to the Meijer Gardens and visit my pet dog. He lives near Rodin's Eve. Randomly. Super randomly, I was looking for dinner and just wandering until something struck my fancy and I found Shakespeare's. there was nothing on the menu that I could eat, but I did have a pint there.
Chester--this was probably the cutest little town since ever. I loved it. It was once a strong Roman settlement, and not-actually-that-long-ago, they excavated a Roman amphitheater. Neat. Small, but neat. The main attraction form the ancient Roman standpoint is clearly the wall, which surrounds the old city. You can still walk along most of it and I did. The locals were extremely friendly, which was a bonus as I visited the Cathedral, one of the few Catholic Cathedrals still in the UK.
Bangor--I know, you have never heard of Bangor. It is in the north west of Wales, and served as a good point for castle exploration in the area. Also a very cute town. also, this is where I started to feel as though Wales is, in fact, a foreign country, as the locals spoke Welsh almost exclusively. I think they enjoyed practicing their English with me, though. I had no idea how to pronounce the castle name of Caernarvon Castle (cuh-NAH-vuhn) but it was gorgeous. Very lush. And you could climb everything. And it was on the bay and very strategic. Beaumaris was also built by Edward I, but he ran out of money before he could finish it. It is the perfect example of a medieval castle, if only he had been able to finish it. Of course. This means that he and his lovely family never lived in Beaumaris, and so it is has been maintained within its state of ruin. All of the parts of there, the shell is complete so, again, you can climb it and stuff. What is the only room that they actually did finish? The chapel. Good man.
Cardiff--Where to begin. This is the capitol of Wales. Thez are verz proud to be Welsh. like. Verz. It is interesting to say the least. The hostel that I stayed at also had a bar, so I was all set to drink and drink and then stumble upstairs safely to my warm bed. So, I headed down and was kind of giggling at the taps: Brains from Wales, an English Ale, more Brains, and Brooklyn Summer Ale. I was about to order a Brains variety when I noticed the cooler of bottles...complete with my bff Dirty Bastard from Founders. You simply cannot make this shit up. I flew 8 hours to get a beer that I can have in downtown GR. Beer City ftw. Speaking of drinking, please file away the information that everyone in England has their bachelor/bachelorette in Cardiff. And the friggin coordinate. We're talking over a dozen guys in Top Gun flight suits and dozens of ladies in flapper outfits. Oh, and apparently in England, a bachelor party is a stag and a bachelorette is a Hen party. I do not think that I will be adopting that vernacular.
The bay area is really nice. Mainly because I had such good weather while I was there. At one point I walked into a museum (the Pierhead) and the greeter asked where I was from; upon telling him he said `oh! Thank You for bringing the sun with you! We are not used to this heat!` It was 75... and I don't think that is how it works, but you are welcome. There are a multitude of nice shops and lovely restaurants. The concert hall is down there. There was an amazing street performer that I watched for a while. The best part of the bay? the Doctor Who Experience! Life. Changed! But, at the behest of Monica, who hates reading my blog because she wants to hear from me directly...and because she is the only one who will understand anything that I am about to say, I will save this for personal stories only. Except to say that, yes, it is bigger on the inside and yes, I did escape the angels.
I went to Cardiff Castle which, after seeing the others, was too new and kind of lame. Saving grace: There was a Renaissance Festival!!!! Gini! Kim! Blood makes the grass grow! Kill! Kill! Kill! Guys, guys. this may be an über-nerdy part of my past that I never have discussed until now, but Ren Fest got me through high school. No, really. And in Wales, it came full circle. I was giving the performers guff and starting chants and at one point they were like: Give a cheer for Sir Walter! ... that was rubbish! I want you to cheer like Americans. And I let out a huge holler and then the MC was like: Exactly like that fair maiden.
But really, what could be better than seeing a full on joust within the yard of an actual castle?
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