Bor Da!

On Saturday evening I arrived in Bangor, Wales – about an hour late, but still in one piece. Though I have come to love travel, particularly by rail, I loathe delays and detest missing connection, especially when it’s only by a few minutes or so. I suppose that’s just the way it goes. Cold though he was, Ross picked me up from the station and took me to the dorms where I met Renee, my most wonderful hostess. It was a little odd to be in a university dormitory again after living in a house for so long. That night we went to Weatherspoon’s for dinner. I had lamb cawl with malted bread and a pint of something, the name of which escapes me at the moment. All of it was fabulous. We walked through some of Bangor and back to the dorm. After a cup of tea it was about bedtime for me. What Ross did with the rest of the night I don’t know. Sleep was my top priority.

Sunday morning I woke up to mountains, blue sky, vast waters and the sound of seagulls, none of which I had been aware of the night before. It really is amazing how much different a town or city is by day than by night. I joined the rest of the Central program for their last field trip to Anglesey. Our first stop was at Beaumaris (“the beautiful marsh”) Castle, one of a series of Norman castles built by Edward I many moons ago for the purpose of establishing English military presence in Wales. My first “real” castle, the world-famous example of classic concentric design was a wonderful site to see. Though the castle was never finished, there was a moat, a double curtain wall, and a number of the usual castle “staples,” many of which could be seen from the top of the castle walls. Though the weather was unexpectedly nice, the castle was dripping with recent rain, giving it the dark damp effect that I had imagined a castle here would have. Two swans and three signets swam in the moat, reminding me a bit of my own family of five. We walked into the town, along the beach, and past the Castle bakery before hopping back on the bus.

At some point we stopped to snap photos of the Menai Strait Bridges – Menai Bridge, the work of Thomas Telford, and Britannia Bridge, the project of Robert Stephenson – both of which are great feats of engineering and quite important in the history of travel to Holyhead.

We drove through what I considered some beautiful Welsh landscape, and onto climb the 115 steps of Marquess of Anglesey’s Column. The view was, like the rest of my Welsh experience, breathtaking, but strong breezes and a touch of rain soon sent us down the tower. Our next stop was at Llanfairpwllgwyngyllgogerychwyrndrobwllllantisiliogogogoch (translated “St. Mary’s church in the hollow of the white hazel near to the rapid whirlpool and the church of St. Tysilio of the red cave”), which has the longest name of any town in the UK, where we grabbed lunch and snooped around for a bit. I may never be able to pronounce it, but I am content saying I visited “the town with the longest name.”

Our next stop was to be a short pilgrimage to Bryn Celli Ddu, a burial chamber and henge considered the best passage grave in Wales. Unfortunately the mile-long walkway to the grave was flooded. This stopped all but three (Brady included) from finding a way to the mound. The rest of us watched as they jumped fences and sloshed through water-drenched fields and back.

Our last stop was on a beach near Newborough Warren that provided a nice view of the “magical” Llanddwyn Island, which is not quite an island and remains attached to the mainland at all but the highest tides. Llanddwyn menas “the church of St. Dwynwen, the Welsh patoron saint of lovers. Dwynwen was the daughter of a prince and fell in love with a young man named Maelon who, fool that he was, rejected her. She prayed to be released from the unhappy love and dreamed she was given a potion to do so. The potion, however, turned Maelon to ice. Dwynwen prayed that he be revived, that all true lovers find happiness and that she would never again wish to be married. She retreated to the solitude of Llanddwyn Island and became a hermit. Her story makes me wonder if perhaps that is the best way to be happy ;)
The timing of our arrival at the beach couldn’t have been better. The sun was just setting over the water and the clouds parted allowing the light to reflect off the water and play across the sky. We traipsed over sandbars and algae-covered rocks in order to reach the edge of the shore, where I spent some time in reflection as I stared at the mountains behind me and the glassy expanse before. Then it was back to Bangor for a nap. That night Ross and I went to mass at the Catholic church and then had a delicious dinner at the noodle bar and drinks to the tune of live jazz at the Greek Tavern. I wasn’t up too much later and eventually found some sleep on my air mattress.

Monday was the first of three days I spent unsuccessfully trying to get to Snowdonia to ride a horse, climb a mountain or even just take a hike. I have been told of the beauty of Snowdon and its surrounding peaks, so I remain a little disappointed that things just “didn’t work out” (translation – Ross and I are apparently incapable of correctly reading bus schedules).

After we missed the 7.35 bus, we waited for the 8.00, which never showed. We ended up catching a train to Conwy, where we climbed the city walls and walked around the town. The view of the mountains and the pier and the ocean were once again spectacular. I wonder if Welshmen every tire of the scenery that daily surrounds them. It is enough to make this finicky female want to throw on a pair of boots and trek across the cliffs.
Walking the walls led us to the castle, where I had quite a good time taking photos, climbing passages, and imagining what life there was like so very long ago. It was helpful to have Ross as my free tour guide. When we finished with the castle we walked into town for a little souvenir browsing and some lunch. Over three months in England and I had yet to try fish and chips. Slathered with a good amount of salt and vinegar it was pretty tasty stuff.

Home for some time on the Internet and a much-needed shower, then I was off to a program class to learn a little something about Welshness and snap a group photo. Following class we headed to the Yellow Pub for drinks courtesy of Tecwyn, the amazing Welshman who had led the class, the field trip, and the lives of the students in the program. I stayed at the pub and hung out with the girls until it was time to hit Time for some dancing and drinks. After freezing outside for a bit we got in, only to discover that it was not pound night at this particular club. After finishing the first ground of drinks we were off to The Octagon (aka Ocki) where 1P entry and pound drinks were the order of the evening. I got back to the dorm around 2.00 am and headed to bed.

Tuesday we sufficiently slept in until 10 am. About an hour later we made a grocery run to Morrisons and then prepared lunch in Ross’s kitchen: sandwiches that were too good to be a quick meal, then again a glass of wine improves almost any meal. We didn’t have a lot of time to hit the mountains this time either, so I settled for a short tour around Bangor. We walked along the beach and hit the pier before going back up the hill once more. That night I attempted to make it to Evensong, but apparently it wasn’t taking place as the Cathedral doors were shut. Back to the Internet until it was time for dinner. Green beans, stuffed tortellini and garlic bread were most satisfying. After dinner Ross and I joined some kids at Weatherspoon’s for drinks – I cashed in on a pint of Welsh Pride that Brady had promised once upon a skype conversation. That night I turned in at a semi-decent hour, hoping for Snowdon once again.

Wednesday I woke up and rushed my oatmeal and tea, burning my tongue in the process. Ross met me and we trekked down to the bus stop only to realize the 8.00 bus hadn’t been running since the end of October. No horses. No mountains. But we did climb to one of the highest spots in Bangor to watch the sun finish rising and take in the beautiful scenery. We got back early and I was able to pack and be on my train for Shrewsbury by 10.15.