Oh, Wales. I’ve never been somewhere before that literally makes me want to curl up in a little ball and stare at sheep all day. Seriously, I loved Wales. I would live there in a heartbeat, as long as y’all come with me, of course.
We (everyone studying in London through the Brockport program) all got
to spend a weekend visiting South Wales and then Bath, and let me start by telling you that there is nothing cooler than waking up in a country full of castles.
We went to Chepstow Castle first, and I’m pretty sure everyone else there thought the group of us were completely nuts – we scurried all over the remains like squirrels and took so many pictures that I think my poor camera went into some kind of coma because it’s been making awkward noises ever since.
After the castle and a delicious lunch of hot cocoa and a real scone (complete with jam and clotted cream… heaven!) we headed up to see Tinturn Abbey, the remains of a huge abbey also in Wales. However, it started snowing on our way there.
People here don’t do so well with snow. When we got to the Abbey, there was just a light dusting and the snow was falling in that really soft, peaceful way. Everyone else seemed to think it was the Apocalypse, though, because they shut down the exhibit so they could send all the workers home. Us New Yorkers know a thing or two about snow, so we weren’t fussed – but it was hilarious that we couldn’t get in to see the inside of the ruins because of a little snow.
Similarly, when we finally made it to the little inn where we would spend the night (picture on right), we couldn’t park the bus anywhere down the road it resides on, for fear of not being able to get back out of the driveway in the morning. So we walked. It was a little slippery, I admit, but I loved it because it was the first real snow I’ve seen all season.
Caer Llan, our inn, was perhaps the most amazing place I’ve ever stayed overnight. It was beautiful inside and out, and the view…ohhh goodness. We wandered around a bit, saw some sheep, played a game of Wizard’s Chess (seriously, there was a giant chess set outside – how cool is that?!) and then came in for drinks and a hot supper.
Our nighttime adventures were incredibly funny, but also slightly embarrassing. Our room included a balcony that boasts a great view by day, but that night all we could see was a thick white mist clouding over everything.
For some reason, this freaked all of us out (six girls in one room) and we were convinced someone would come in through the balcony and murder us all. Because, you know, that’s totally what would happen at a beautiful and peaceful inn in South Wales, right? We got ourselves worked up so badly that one girl finally got up and checked the balcony door. Unlocked. Crap.
None of us could lock it, so we decided to go find one of the guys down the hall to help. My friend, Erin, went in search. She came back hunched over, laughing hysterically, and told us this:
She banged on what we all thought was the boys’ room, but instead of Sean, Bryan and Scott, the door opened to reveal our bus driver – a middle-aged man named Saab, half-dressed with mussed up hair. She felt horrible for disturbing him, and hurried away to find Sean.
We teased her about her new “boyfriend” while Sean tried to fix our lock. It still didn’t work, but we were at least rescued from a night of sleepless fear by Erin’s adventures with Saab.
The inn-keeper and his family made us a complete and hearty breakfast the next morning, and then, sadly, we left the countryside and sheep behind.
Our next and last stop was Bath, which you must all visit if you ever come to England. The city has gorgeous architecture and visiting the Roman Baths really is something worth doing. You can even try a taste of the water in the Pump Room of the baths. I didn’t, but I hear it’s tasty…