Sheep, sheep, and more sheep

It's the long-awaited Wales update! But first...

...last night was the roller disco birthday party, and it was fabulous. The club is this warehouse near the railyards, with three different dance (skate) floors with three types of music. And while I tried to dress a bit disco, I was definitely outdone by most of the people there, who also seem to come there a lot, considering they could actually dance with skates on. Jenny, Liam, and I (and a whole bunch of Jenny’s friends), on the other hand, could barely stand (I fell twice), but had a great time. Despite the bruises today, I would definitely go again – there’s nothing like rollerskating to Michael Jackson. :)

Now, about Wales. Erin and I took a backpacker tour for three days, where they carted us around in a big yellow bus (not quite a schoolbus, but barely more comfortable) and showed us the sights of Wales. Our tour guides, Laura and Postman Pat (he looked just like a kid’s cartoon character, apparently) were incredibly hilarious and made the trip tons of fun. We also travelled with 18 other people, who were all really nice (all except for this one crazy Canadian girl…oh, Canadians…)

For our first day, we had absolutely gorgeous weather, which is weird for the UK, especially during this spring, which has been particularly cold. After a couple hours on the motorway getting out of London, our first stop was Tintern Abbey, this 13th century (I think?) abbey that was lying in ruins. It was really nice – and good to stretch our legs – but more importantly, in the larger scheme of the trip, the abbey’s cheesy gift shop was the place that I first discovered Kendal Mint Cake, an English energy bar that’s basically pure sugar and that tastes exactly like the inside of a peppermint patty. Mmmm mint cake – as Erin could tell you, I was desperately searching for it for the rest of the trip, dropping into many, many cheesy souvenir shops (after I was addicted to the sugar rush, of course).

Then off to Caerphilly Castle, which is the second-largest castle in the UK (after Windsor). It was very picturesque and ruin-y, which made for good pictures. Also, Erin had to physically restrain me from shopping after I discovered how much cheaper shoes were in Wales. Then off to the Brecon Beacons, a national park in the central area of Wales. After promising us we would take a “short hike” to see a “beautiful waterfall,” the whole group trudged up a steep incline in now-70-degree weather, passing a little trickling spring on the way. Fabulous. But after sweating and straining all the way to the top, we were rewarded by a gorgeous view and a really nice breeze.

We headed back to the bus, which had baked in the sunshine this whole time (fabulous), and then headed off to Abergavenny, where we would spend the night. After a shower (ahhh), we headed out on the town, where we ate at a cute little Italian diner, enjoyed a pint of Brains (the local brew), and then went off in search of something resembling a nightlife. After being informed by the bartender at one place that Abergavenny “used to be” a lot of fun (after which he promptly walked away, leaving the “why” a mystery), we thought we had solved that problem by walking into a pub playing live music. Unfortunately, it turned out to be open mic night for 50- and 60-somethings (and up), and we walked right out, unfortunately losing one of our group in the process (I think he thought it was on purpose and never really forgave us, although we think he secretly loved it and found himself an…ahem, “mature” Welsh girlfriend). After a bit more fruitless searching, we headed back to the hostel, where we were promised a karaoke party. When the “party” turned out to be an old guy tunelessly murdering Frank Sinatra, we played some pool and went to bed. So, yeah, that’s Welsh nightlife.

The next day was cloudy, windy, and a lot colder. We headed out really early, and stopped for scenic overlooks on the way, almost getting blown off the cliff in the process. We stopped in a really cute little town for lunch, where we saw our first National Milk Bar (exactly what it sounds like), and Erin and I had a great conversation with a cute little old woman in the button shop (where I also got some awesome buttons for earrings). Then off to Castell-y-Bere, a Welsh-built castle ruin high on a hill above a really green and gorgeous valley. After learning more about Welsh legends (and watching a truly hilarious amateur re-enactment of the legend of King Arthur), we went to Portmerion, which is this fabulous resort town built by a really eccentric guy, who filled it with all sorts of eclectic architecture styles and bizarre little touches. It was really weird – it looked like Italy or some place on the Mediterranean, but was definitely on the cold, windy, cloudy Welsh coast.

Then off to see Mt. Snowden (the highest point in Wales), before heading to Caernarfon, where we spent the night (in the nicest hostel EVER). Erin and I walked around, took pictures of the huge castle, walked along the shore, and ate at this cute little restaurant with cheesy nautical touches (where I had this delicious ocean pie, filled with all sorts of fish and shellfish and baked with potatoes on top…mmmm). That night we went out to see if the nightlife in North Wales is any better than in Central Wales. It was…ummm…a little more strange – can’t really call it “better.” We went to the pub next door, which was nice (except for the inexplicable repetition of Keane on the jukebox), and then headed off with a big group to local clubs. The first place we went was filled with Welsh teenagers (including a reeeeally pregnant one – there are TONS of pregnant girls in Wales), and they were playing a techno version of the Titanic theme, which, oddly enough, people seemed to enjoy. After two more bizzaro pubs/clubs, Erin and I called it quits and went back. Welsh nightlife is too weird for me.

The next morning, after a near miss with the toaster (one of the girls on our trip stuck a knife in the toaster and managed to short out the entire 4-story hostel), we headed out for the day. First stop was on the Isle of Anglesea, at Llanfairpwllgwyngyllgogerychwyrndrobwllllantysiliogogogoch (Llanfair PG to the locals), the town with the longest place name in the UK. We took pictures of the sign, and that was about the only interesting thing about the town. :) We also listened to a (badly-recorded) song by local schoolchildren that put the name of the town to music – apparently so it would be easier to remember? (Although we all agreed that the song sounded like their own version of “Springtime for Hitler” from "The Producers." Weird.) Also, it was strangely catchy, and now wanders into my head at least once a day. Ah, Wales.

Then off to Conwy, which had another giant castle, a nice harbor, and the “smallest house in Britain,” which, unfortunately, didn’t look too small with me next to it. Then our last stop in Wales, Llangollen, which was really cute. We crossed an aqueduct across a pretty deep valley, and then headed back to London. On the way back, we stopped at Stratford-upon-Avon, which was really unfortunate, since it was really touristy and busy, and a bit of a disappointment after all the beautiful scenery and wonderful sights in Wales. But Erin and I dealt with it – we took a picture in front of the Harvard House (where John Harvard’s mother lived, now owned by the University), and had some Pimms and lemonade (the best summer drink EVER) in a pub’s garden. Ahhhh, England.

So, yeah, Wales was really amazing. The weather was (generally) great (hey, at least it never rained), and the scenery was absolutely gorgeous. We drove through a lot of mountain passes, and it reminded me of Vermont and New Hampshire, and what I think Scotland should look like (mostly thanks to “Braveheart”…hehehe). Everything was really green and lush, and there were sheep EVERYWHERE – no, seriously, I've never seen so many sheep in my life. Denis, I thought of you and your sheep on a ship. :P It was all very pastoral and peaceful. It was nice to get out of the city (especially on such a warm weekend), and it changed my mind about guided group tours (for the positive). It was a really great trip, and I’m glad I got to see more of the UK. Now on to Scotland!

And...ta da! Pictures!
http://share.shutterfly.com/osi.jsp?i=EeANmLJoxctHD0Y

Wow, that was long. Congratulations if you actually made it to the end of this. If you’ve just skipped down to this paragraph, shame on you! :) That’s all for now…whew. If anything interesting happens this weekend – and that may be debatable – I’ll check back in next week.

Bye for now!

= :)