My Fall Holiday to Wales

What a wonderful place! Wales is like a fairy tale by the sea. I greatly enjoyed the outdoors, food, and signs that I could not begin to read on my five day holiday. Although the Cardiff Airport is in the absolute middle of nowhere resulting in an exuberant taxis fee, it was worth it. My hostess Adell and her flatmate Matthew were great company in the new country.

I arrived late Friday night at Cardiff Airport. Adell and Matt met me at the airport in order to drive to Swansea where they lived.



The next morning I got to soak in some of the most spectacular scenery. It was a clear and blue day at Rhossilli and the water was almost as blue as the Carribean Sea. We had lunch behind a big rock breaking the wind on the cliff. Our trip was complete with a trip through a pasture of cows and sheep. It was an invigorating experience and I felt as if time did not exist on those rocky shores. Unfortunately it did.... I missed two weddings and the funeral for my great-grandmother Saturday. However, my great grandmother lived all 95 of her years to the fullest and she wanted all of her grandchildren to do the same. What a wonderful woman she was and somewhere through the clear blue sky I could almost see her smiling.



Sunday was a layed back day where we took a short trip to The Mumbles. This was one of my favorite things I did in Wales. This is the hometown of my favorite actress, Catherine Zeta-Jones. It was also my favorite because of the sailboats and sea walk. We had lunch at an Italian cafe on the walk. It was fantastic! I had a Bre (sp?) and grape sandwich and we split an ice cream sundae that we mixed ourselves at the table. Hazelnut ice cream is something I highly recommend! We also took a short walk to the castle. (What trip would not be complete without a castle?) That night I tried curry for the first time. Indian and Turkish cuisine is like the Mexican restuarants of the UK. However, I enjoyed my mushroom curry a lot and would like to bring this experience into Edinburgh.



Monday we took a bus to a place called Pernard which is another seaside village. The weather was rougher and the tide was up. I think it gave a wilderness look to the high cliffs and valeys. There was the ruins of the castle which allowed Adell and I to fantasize about what it looked like in its full glory. After getting lost on a golf course and being rescued by a nice old Welsh man, we headed back to Swansea. That night we tried "Pub on the Pond" with Adell's hiking club. I think pub food is the closest to Southern cuisine with all the fried selections. Met some really nice people and got in a little late.



My last day was really laid back. I really did not do too much at all. We took a walk through this rather large park and I finally captured a few pictures of British squirrels for my aunt. I spent the afternoon reading and surfing the web while Adell was in class. When I waled down to the convenience store I saw one of my friends who was a student at a class I had at USM. She was an exchange student last year and had returned back to Swansea Uni. I felt guilty for not informing her of my trip, but I was glad to run into someone I know an ocean away. I also watched the movie ITrainspottingI which was interesting because it is set in Edinburgh and stars Ewan McGregor as a druggie.

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My trip back to Edinburgh, as mentioned previously, was an adventure. I got back to my dorm by 6 pm and am so happy to be back to my "home." I had a great holiday, but glad to be back to Scotland where the holiday really never ends except for a few days out of the week.