Hello collegiettes™!
A month after USF, and my spring break has finally come. Worth the extra wait though, as we get two weeks off! I spent the first weekend of Easter Holiday, as they call it here, with my friend from USF in Wales. We battled mishap after mishap, but somehow it all worked out in the end. It was definitely a learning experience, and we learned that instead of being stressed, angry, and lashing out at each other over missed train connections, it’s better to just laugh about it, attempt to understand the new route you’ll take to Cardiff and move on. Travelling is stressful. There are lots of reservations to make, deadlines to meet, and expenses. Be sure to travel with people whom you can relax around and understand each other.
Our missed train connection (I mean, who schedules a 3 minute train connection, really??) was merely the first of a crazy two days. We wandered around Cardiff, getting lost of course, but the highlight was definitely Cardiff Castle. The Castle and grounds are amazingly beautiful, and hundreds of years old. We walked through tunnels in the castle wall that served as World War II bunkers. The music and narrations that were playing over the speaker system were unnerving, and merely a glimpse into what it would have been like as a soldier in World War II.
Our hostel was clean, comfortable and secure. Plus there was free breakfast. No, it’s not like a continental breakfast in the United States, but on a traveller’s budget, the toast and cereal were a welcome sight. We booked our beds in a six bed mixed dorm room, with a shared bathroom. This essentially means that there are six beds in the room, that will be rented out individually, with a bathroom down the hall to share with other dorm rooms. The price of a dorm bed is normally 30% less than a private room. This was the second hostel I have stayed in where there is only one other female (in a co-ed dorm) in the room. Yes, sometimes the dorms can fill up and that can be hectic and frustrating with loud roommates. But, overall, we’ve really lucked out.
The next day came with our big adventure. We booked a gorge walking tour in Brecon Beacons National Park. The park is about an hours drive north of Cardiff, the capital of Wales, and we were told – not reachable by public transportation. Well, we had no access to a car, and simply refused to believe the half a dozen people who told us it can’t be done. We took a train for an hour, got off and then took a city bus for 45 minutes. A one mile walk and we were at the entrance of the park! Not too bad. Of course, we then had to travel within the park for our meeting point. And this is where things got tricky. It would have been easiest to call a taxi, and I wish we had, but we ended up walking another three miles, only to be rained on, slipped in mud, and exhausted. Eventually we caved, got a taxi, and were there in no time.
What is gorge walking? It’s a high intensity, adventure packed water activity. Everyone dons wetsuits, life vests, and helmets and treks off into the river (with water about 45F!), to float and wade through the rapids, scramble, climb, and traverse the boulders, hike and crawl up waterfalls, and jump off of ledges into rivers and pools of water. The best way is to explain it through photographs.
scrambling up a small falls
jumping off of a ledge into a pool of water
scrambling through caves and archways
climbing rocks and water!
Gorge walking is not for the faint of heart. My friend and I were the only females, out of about 30 gorge walkers we worked with that day. But don’t let that intimidate! It was fantastic to be out of the city, doing something active and hands on.Us girls are just as strong, and sometimes quite a bit braver than the guys. I highly recommend trying an alternative activity. Museums, history and castles are wonderful, but take in more than just that!
Coming up next, I am going to Italy. I’m excited to travel more, and share all of that with you!
Until next time,
HCxo,
Heather
Photo Credits:
http://www.visitwales.com/~/media/1ac4f397f2624c408fd6d6ea68a67b14.ashx?as=0&h=344&w=612
http://www.adventurebritain.com/wp/wp-content/uploads/2011/08/gorge9-300×225.jpg
http://media-cdn.tripadvisor.com/media/photo-s/06/4f/96/5d/sbri-cymru-ltd.jpg
http://www.up4itoutdoors.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2011/06/0222.jpg