Oct. 2, 2008: I'm up early around 7:15 am so I can shower and be ready to board the coach for our 2.5-hour drive to Cardiff, the capitol of Wales. I grab a bagel and pop some Dramamine to prevent motion sickness, and after the late-arriving profs show up, we're off. I had my own seat and I felt fine for the first 45 minutes or so, but suddenly ... my stomach begins feeling queasy. I decided I'd pop another Dramamine, surprised that it had been over an hour since I took the first and it didn't seem to be helping. But, nothing can stop peristalsis and I got sick on the bus. AWFUL experience. EMBARRASSING experience. And to top it off, I spoke for the first time to Ceri, my UK Crush, by apologizing profusely while he cleaned the aisle. Face plant!
After feeling a bit better, we arrived in Cardiff only for a major need to use a toilet overcame me and I had to pee - asap! So we were wandering looking for the hostel while I was needing an adult diaper as I was ready to wet my pants. (At this point I'm wondering if the whole trip would be this difficult.) Anyhow, we get to the hostel to find that it's a really great place to stay, and after changing and cleaning up some, we all set out to Cardiff Castle and lunch. Constance and I wandered around the castle admiring the keep, the Victorian-infused house, and the beautiful grounds. Afterward we met up with Lisbeth again and found some others and visited the National Museum and Gallery of Wales for a brief bit of time. Then it was time for shopping at a store called Peacocks which is like the UK version of Forever 21. I bought a really amazing coat that I LOVE and also very very snazzy black boots which are my new favorite shoes.
After dressing up for dinner a bit in my new clothes and some other items, we went to a very nice Italian restaurant where we were served a three-course meal. I started with calamari, had cannelloni as my main course, and finished up with tiramisu. Ceri also had red and white wine sent around to everyone, so it was the first time I've properly been served alcohol and I didn't need an ID. But anyhoo, the other great bit of irony is that I ended up eating dinner beside Ceri at the table I sat at. Joy. But actually it was nice because I did talk to him properly for a bit and he was completely sympathetic about the whole bus sickness deal.
After dinner everyone was torn about what they wanted to do. I had dressed before dinner because I figured nobody else would be going back after dinner to change, and I heard a lot of people saying they were changing clothes before dinner. Also, we went to a really nice place so you'd think people would ditch the hoodies. But no. Most people were still sporting jeans, sneakers, and a heavy hoodie. So I was the only person - other than some of the guys - properly dressed for a night out in Cardiff. The end result is that the guys went wandering, some of the girls wanted to follow, but nobody was dressed for 'clubbing' and nobody had a plan, so everybody acted awkward and indecisive. All of us had our bags and none of us felt comfortable leaving our stuff somewhere, so I scratched the plan of staying out and went back to the hostel where I hung with Laura in the common room, a dude from England, and a New Zealand girl; all of whom wanted to watch Zoolander. The plan was to catch the debates after, but it failed and I went to bed.
The next day, after a nice breakfast, we jumped in the coach again and traveled over a few hills to St. Fagan's where they have the Museum of Welsh Life. It's pretty much a Greenfield Village-esque place where all the buildings were moved from their original locations and reconstructed within the outdoor park. The focal point is St. Fagan's Castle, a 16th Cent. manor house which has stunning views on its grounds.
Following the park, we stopped at a massive Tesco Extra to find food, then drove out to an old Welsh mine where we got to go down for a tour. I'm so glad I'm not claustrophobic! It was really awesome! We couldn't take cameras down, though, because the batteries apparently would spark and cause the methane in the air to, well, flame up and be bad. But it was cool to see the actual coal shield and the stables for the horses. They used horses to power the mechanisms until 1959. 72 horses would be housed - permanently - underground until their deaths. Also, our guide told us many grisly stories about mine explosions and cave-ins. Not a nice job to have. Also note: hard hats are not a fashion statement by any means; especially when one is having a Frumpy Nerd Day. Also, the views from the mine were AMAZING. The photos do not do the scenery justice. You gotta be there, man. Another note: Zoolander is quite appropriate viewing for the mine - "I think I've got the black lung, pop - cough cough."
After the mine we got back on that bloody coach again for another 2.5-hour ride to the coast of Wales. This hostel was a step down, but we liked the rooms and again, hello ocean!!! First time I'd ever been so near the ocean. After dinner a few of us went out blindly in the dark to find the ocean. Did I mention at all that Wales is freezing cold, by the way? Chicago is a windy city? Try anywhere in Wales! But anyhoo, we listened to the waves for a bit before returning to the hostel. A few of us hung in the common room watching a Welsh game show and trying to guess the answers without having a clue what the heck the questions were. Laura and Jodie were doing horribly, then Jodie left the room and suddenly Laura got five in a row. Granted, the Peter Jackson one was just obvious. But still, pretty impressive. She is now dubbed the Cuchulainn of Welsh game shows. I think you have to be in our Multicultural Literatures of Medieval Britain class to get that reference. Anyhoo, a great bonding experience for everyone occurred when Katie brought out her Catchphrases game and our whole group played for two hours. It was quite fun and awfully hilarious. I did pretty well, I thought.
The next morning we woke and had breakfast before taking a proper look at the coast. It was breathtaking to say the least, even though it was windy and rainy, though a little warmer. I had a moment when I went climbing up the road and was looking out from the cliff that I was a lot like Marianne from Sense and Sensibility; a lot of whipping and dripping hair with the wind and rain, and the picturesque scenery behind me. I basically wanted to sit and stare at the water forever. It was so peaceful, even with the gale storm upon me. But then I had to run back to be on time for more coach travels!
Onward! Today's journey brought us to Pembroke Castle which is full of rich Tudor history. Our guide was very knowledgeable and energized about what he had to tell us. Of course, the gale followed us, and Ceri seemed to be longing for temperate and smoggy, but I was totally put into an outdoorsy mood in Wales and completely enjoyed stomping through soggy grass and mud and puddles within the grounds of an old castle where Henry VII was born.
Following Pembroke, we took a quick detour to St. David's where this absolutely stunning cathedral is located. Beautiful pictures ensued. I don't think anyone will deny that this was everyone's favorite place for photos. I'm really partial to the coast, but the scenery here was incomparable. And I so wanted to stay in the little village. They had a lot of quaint little tea shops and cafes and I wanted to spend some money on a scone and clotted cream and darjheeling, but alas, more coach travels awaited!!!
Another 2-hour drive and we arrived at our final hostel for the trip, the converted Baskerville manor house. Yes, indeed, the inspiration for Sherlock Holmes' story, The Hound of the Baskervilles. All of us girls were packed into the dormitory-style room in the old servants quarters. 12 girls ... 2.5 bathrooms ... it all worked fine. The older crew got their own private rooms, of course. But still, the hostel was quite nice and the dinner provided was amazing: I got my chicken with stilton sauce again!!! And after dinner proved to be quite fun as the hostel includes, not only two pub areas, but there is also a nightclub behind the house which serves the entire area surrounding Hay-On-Wye, the village we were nearest. So buses actually bring in residents from the area so they have something to do with their time in the middle of Gorgeous Nowhere, Wales.
The first thing we did was a bunch of us hung out in one of the pub rooms because it was less crowded, save for a creepy bunch of men holding a bachelor party. Nobody felt comfortable going near the bar, even the guys, so we sort of sat chatting at a table quietly. Everyone actually wanted Emily, Ceri, and Isla to come join us and be the adults there to protect us, and also to chat with us because we like them, and also because it's Emily's birthday, so three of our number went and awkwardly offered to buy Emily a drink and suggested they come sit with us if they wanted. They did such an unfortunate job of being mature and calm that they described themselves as appearing like the three little kids coming from the other room to talk with the adults. So needless to say, the adults didn't come to play with the kids. However, our number grew quite large, my glass of wine was very tasty for a change (a bottle of wine Prof. Murrin bought my dinner table the night before was quite hard to drink), and finally both guys and girls were mingling. Before the Wales trip, there was definite gender segregation going on, so the trip brought us all together. We decided that we'd try out the nightclub, which turned out to be an odd experience, but also very fun. We were somewhat left alone to our circular group (Why do U of C-ers always gather in a circle when they dance?) and we actually spent about 1.5-2 hours there. And shockingly, but most awesomely, Emily showed up. I was quite sad she did not bring Ceri and Isla with her, simply for the benefit of Ceri appearing, and possibly requiring his presence in our dancing group, but alas, I go back to the off-limits 30-year old part and I'm less sad.
Note: I finally got to sleep in a bunked bed for the first time ever at the Baskerville hotel.
So the next morning we had breakfast provided by the hotel, hurried back onto the coach, Ceri counted our number again for the 30th time to make sure no one was missing, and we left for the actual village of Hay-On-Wye because it's number of book stores makes it famous. I couldn't find To Kill A Mockingbird in three stores so I decided it was a loss and went looking for sweet baked goods. I bought a piece of blackcurrant pie which is probably my new favorite pie flavor. On the other hand, I had a mayo and prawns sandwich which really messed up my stomach.
So, our last stop before heading back to London's smog was Tintern Abbey, so again, we jumped on the coach for another hour-plus ride. This time we took a really backwoods scenic route where our amazing bus driver navigated over some really tight and narrow streets - nay, lanes - and our bus was scraping the trees a-plenty before we got to this little remote location within a valley where - surprise - people actually inhabit the place - so we all jumped out to look at the ruins of the abbey for a half hour before we all rushed the nearest toilets and jumped back on the bus for our 3-hour ride back into London.
All in all, it was a fantastic trip. Completely unforgettable, particularly the sights. I'd love to go back again one day in a different situation. This time was different because everyone had their own agendas. Walking around alone along the coast and enjoying the SUPER fresh air was fine because there is a kind of personal experience to it that was nice, but naturally you come back to wishing your family or closest friends are there to enjoy it all with you. The trouble with the abroad group is we are all together for the quarter, but we're not buddy-buddy friends, so it's a little different.
Ultimately, I couldn't have asked for a better weekend. Even with the awful coach riding, particularly the one heading into Cardiff, and the fact that I've had a cold the entire trip, still, I loved the trip and I can't wait for the Yorkshire visit as I'm sure it will be just as thrilling. I also really hope I can make it up to Edinburgh and over to Ireland, because I really love the countryside. I may be a city person, but I can definitely appreciate remote valleys and cliffs.
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