Thursday, March 3rd was a trip to Mt. Tryfan with outdoor pursuits class for a little bit of mountain scrambling. That did not start off so well but it ended up being a really great day. In the beginning I felt really nauseous and really just did not want to be there. I had to stop a few times and then I felt bad for holding the group back. But I really wanted to do this activity so I pushed through it and I'm so glad I did. I felt better after about an hour and when we got to the rocky part of the mountain the fun really began. It was a blast scrambling up that mountain side and the further up we went the steeper, and more fun and dangerous, it became. There were parts that we probably should have used equipment for, but instead Llion just stood on the ledges helping us around making sure we wouldn't fall. I've always loved climbing things and I think that if I lived in a mountainous area I would definitely be doing this often. When we got to the summit of the mountain (3010 ft.) we took a break and ate our lunches. Then after lunch we had the option of jumping between the Adam and Eve rocks. These rocks at the top of the mountain are about 7-8 ft tall and 5 ft apart. Doesn't sound so scary, right? Well it wouldn't be if there wasn't sudden death/ maiming on 3 of the 4 sides surround the jump. Luckily the rocks are big and flat so it wasn't that hard. Then after that began my least favorite part of mountain hikes... going down. You would think that most people would hate going up and welcome coming down but I am completely the other way around. I am so clumsy, the mountains are steep, and gravity is not working in your favor. When I was coming down I took my sweet time and I am not ashamed. When we were coming down we saw a rescue helicopter but it was just going up in down in the same place over the mountain. Then our instructor told us that his friend was actually training Prince William in the helicopter so that was pretty cool. All in all awesome day.
That next week we had phenomenal weather and I took the sunshine-filled opportunity to do a lot of walking and jogging with Amy. More walking than jogging because of all of the different forms of exercise, running would have to be my least favorite. I like dancing, swimming, biking.. heck through me on the elliptical machine for a couple hours.. but I hate running. I really enjoy walking here, though, especially when the weather is nice.
Saturday I revisited Llandudno with some of the girls and it was ok. There was not a whole bunch to do, just walking around. However, at the end of April the town apparently turns into a giant Victorian fair and I will definitely be going. It looks like so much fun from the pictures! I wonder if I can find a costume anywhere...
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| Chillin' on Llandudno Pier |
Sunday was another field trip. This time we went to Harlech Castle and ended up playing an epic game of hide and seek. Me and one of the guys found a hole in the wall that actually led to a tunnel and we hid in there. Pretty awesome hiding spot but we were found. After the castle we went to a town called Portmerion which is an Italian style village on the coast of North Wales. The architect had the idea that architecture could actually enhance the beauty of the natural landscape of done properly and I think he might have accomplished his goal because it was absolutely gorgeous and I am not one for buildings usually. The buildings were all different colors and there were a lot of arches. The buildings were very artfully placed too so that the village looked like it belonged there. It was beautiful and I took far too many pictures. On the way back to Bangor we stopped by the folk-tale site of Gelert's grave. Gelert was the dog of a Prince who was left to watch the baby. When the lord returned there was blood all over the house and he did not see his baby so he rushed to conclusions and slew the dog on site. Then he heard the baby cry and when he went to the baby he saw a dead wolf on the ground. The prince was filled with remorse and gave the dog an honored burial. Poor Gelert. Then after that we stopped by the Snowdon Horseshoe, which is the range surrounding Snowdon, just to see it and then it was back to Bangor.
This weekend we are heading to Cardiff, the capital of Wales, for 3 days and it is sure to be fun. We will be staying in a hostile and I will be eating a lot of peanut butter sandwiches. There will also be shopping as souvenirs should be able to find in a big city and one of my best friend's birthday is coming up. So excited for real stores! Bangor is cute in its quaintness but the shopping is severely lacking so this is great! But this trip could not come at a worse time because I have a major assignment due next week. The one downside to the UK system is their assignments. Yes, you have no homework and very few tests but it also means that each of those things are weighted very heavily. I have an essay due next week worth half of my grade in the class. If you know me then you know that the fact I started this essay more than a week before it is due shows how much it scares me. But I will prevail if I have to live in this library for the next week! I actually quite like the library. The windows are huge so there is a lot of natural light which I absolutely love. Well, until next time!
<3 Melissa
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