Year Round Showers Bring March Flowers?

So a lot has been happening lately. First of all, Thursday the 17th of March was another outdoor pursuits day. We went canoeing in the Menai Strait, between the island of Anglesey and mainland Wales, and learned some camping skills. Canoeing was really nice and peaceful and a lot of fun.  We started off just practicing in the dock and throwing balls at each other but then we went up the strait for a while. Somewhere not too far up the strait we pulled our boats in a bit up the strait and got out for lunch. We pitched a shelter because it was sprinkling and let me just say that the process was far more entertaining than it should have been. Our group never does anything the easy way. For one of the corners of the tarp we wanted to get it higher so Woody decided it was a good idea to  take this giant branch, tie the string to it, and try to poke it between two branches on the tree. Obviously that did not work out too well but Llion's, our instructor, face was hilarious as he watched Woody try this. Eventually we tied the string to a stick and threw it through the branches. It worked well.. but then... rather than tying the string around the tree they tie it to the giant branch they had tried to use earlier and used it as a weight. It worked but it was just really funny.

Our Awesome Shelter!

Riley and Amy balancing on the edges of the canoe

So after our shelter was pitched Llion taught us how to carve wood pieces so that they'll catch fire easier and let's just say that my knuckles were incredibly ungrateful and I do not see wood whittling in my future and leave it at that. We also got to play with flint and steel and light cotton balls on fire which, again, was far more entertaining than it should have been. After that we started our camp fire and ate lunch and roasted marshmallows. The marshmallows here do not taste the same.. they almost taste fruity. They also don't catch fire which worries me a little bit. Anyway, after our fun with marshmallows we were off through the woods to start our next activity: abseiling. Abseiling is that thing when people repel themselves down a wall on a rope by themselves. It was fun. One girl even decided to climb back up the cliff (in a safety harness, of course) and it was pretty impressive, especially since that cliff was slippery. Then after our abseiling adventures it was back to the dock in the canoes. On the way back we stood up in the canoes and rowed. Some of us even stood on the edges of the boat. I did it and it was terrifying and I think I sat down just in time to avoid falling in the wintery waters. And then it was back to the dorms. It was a very good day.

Tintern Abbey

The next day we set off for our weekend in Cardiff, the capital of Wales at the complete opposite side of the country. The bus ride was completely silent for the first half because one, we left at 8AM and two, it was the day after St. Patrick's day. Not everybody was in the best of shape. On the way down we rode along the border of Wales and England, stopping at a cathedral and Tintern Abbey. Tintern Abbey was absolutely gorgeous. It was a Cisterian abbey founded in 1131 with continuous additions until 1536. There is no roof and no floor, just walls. I loved it. Then an hour after that we arrived at our hostile in Cardiff. I was pleasantly surprised by our hostile. I had never been in one and I had not heard good things about them, but this one was was very nice. They gave us breakfast in the morning, they had a garden, a movie room, and 6 beds to a room, and very close to the center of the city. It really was not bad at all. We had the night to ourselves so a group of us went to go find dinner. After walking around the city for two hours trying to find Chinese food we finally gave up and ate at an Italian restaurant. It was back to the hostile after that for some chill time with the group.

We saw this tower on the way to the restaurant. It says "Brains" and is part of a brewery. It made me laugh.

Cardiff Castle

The next day we started with a tour of Cardiff Castle. There were so many different types of architecture due to the many different owners and restorations over the years. The construction began in 1081 by William the Conqueror. The most impressive renovation, however, did not happen until the middle of the 19th century. The third marquis of Bute turned part of the castle into a palace with his extravagant renovations. The are rooms painted with 24k gold, precious stones embedded in the walls, multiple different types of marble. There is a room in the palace portion of the castle that is insured for half a million pounds. It was insane! Gorgeous, but insane. After the tour of the palace we had some time to wander around the castle grounds and go into the keep. Spring is definitely here because everywhere you look you can see daffodils and they make me smile.

After our tour of the castle it was off to Millennium Stadium, the national stadium of Wales and home to the Wales national rugby union team. It is the third largest sports stadium in the UK and has a retractable roof which I thought was pretty cool. We got to see the locker rooms, the boxes, the press room, and go up into the seats. It was pretty cool. I didn't think I was going to like it too much because I don't really care for sports but it was actually kind of fun.

Garden at the Museum of Welsh Life

New Art

Then after the stadium was a visit to the Museum of Welsh Life. It had a lot of old buildings and houses from different areas of Wales and exhibitions over traditional crafts. It even had sheep! There were newborn lambs and they were adorable. And there was a really beautiful garden in front of a castle they had on the property. They also had an old supply shop that they had moved there that sold all sorts of jams, cheeses, and fudge. It was just fun to look around the place. After the museum we were dropped off in the city center to wander around for the rest of the night. I went into a couple of gift shops and then it was off to find dinner. We did end up finding a Chinese restaurant but oh, British Chinese food does not compare to American Chinese food. I think it's funny that there are differentiations between different types of Chinese food, but there you go! They are vastly different and a Chinese food restaurant will definitely be one of my first visits upon arriving back in the states. Anyways, we got our food and went back to the hostile where a lot of us played games. It was a nice night.

Lambs!

The next day we went to the National Museum of Wales where I spent most of my time in the art gallery. I discovered I really love marble statues and they just amaze me. I would love to know how people get them so smooth. Then it was back on the bus to start our journey back to Bangor. This time we drove through the middle of Wales and it was absolutely gorgeous. It was nothing but rolling green hills, some trees here and there, and, of course, sheep. I just listened to my music and looked out the window between naps on the 6 hour bus ride. All in all it was a really good trip.

Tree Outside the National Museum 

So then the next few days quickly became my least favorite days since I've been here. I had to write this dreadful paper worth half of my grade and let me just say I have never put so much effort into a paper. "For the sake of social cohesion, should material causing offense to religious adherents be suppressed?" It was awful! Thank you to all of you who helped me by reading over it and keeping me sane for the most part.

View from Holyhead Mountain

Rock Climbing

The day after I finished my paper was significantly better. We went outdoor rock climbing on Holyhead Mountain for outdoor pursuits and it was so much fun! It was really challenging but, in someways, it was also easier than indoor rock climbing. There were less things to grab but I didn't feel so weighted down and there were things you could do on the real wall that you can't do on the fake walls. There were four different sections of the wall that varied in difficulty and I got to the top of all but the second to hardest one. I felt pretty pro and I really like climbing. It was a gorgeous day in Wales, too. It was actually sunny and warm and I GOT A SUNBURN! Not one that lasted very long, it was gone by the end of the day, but still.. it was there! A sunburn in Wales, who would have thought. Then again, I am just a freckled albino so if was going to happen to anyone it here it would have been me. After we got back from class, some of the other girls and I cooked and watched movies. Sometime later in the night we also somehow got into a towel whipping fight with some of her flat mates and I don't think I have laughed so hard in a very long time. As Sheilagh and I were leaving her flat mate decided to chase us down the stairs and try and whip us again. I have a couple bruises from that night but I laughed so much it was worth it.

Belaying the climbers

And so finally we come to the end of this novel. I'm sorry this entry is so long, but so much has happened! Well, until next time!

<3 Melissa