Somehow, despite still being
incredibly tired and sleeping on a squeaky blow-up mattress, I managed to wake
up before my alarm at 6:45 to go for a run before anyone else was up. Running
is a rather convenient way of exploring, and I ended up running 3 miles on a winding
road out here by the RYG Centre. I started out wearing my iPod, but as soon as
I heard the birds and bubbling creek during a break in the music, I decided it
was practically a crime not to take advantage of listening to the nature sounds
of Wales around me. For the rest of my run, up and down the hills and around
quaint stone houses, I listened to the numerous sounds of Welsh birds, the
bleating sheep that sounded suspiciously like someone “spewing” as they say
here, and the sound of the creek and the slight rain that was coming down. I
also flashed a few peace signs to some unimpressed sheep who watched me with
their eyes as I passed. Running in Wales is like running in London in that it’s
a wonderful sensory overload—simply replace the view of cars, people, and
buildings with trees and sheep, and the fleeting smell of crepes and car fuel
with the lingering scent of pine and rain. In other words, definitely worth
sacrificing 30 minutes of valuable sleep.
Everyone else rose relatively early
for a quick breakfast, which included croissants that could kick the Pillsbury
dough boy’s butt, so we could get on the road. We also packed our lunches for
Caernarfon Castle and loaded our belongings onto the coach. After a winding
drive on which thankfully no one spewed, we had the chance to explore the
medieval Caernarfon Castle by the Menai Straight. There were many towers,
rooms, and halls to explore, making it the perfect setting for a game of
hide-and-seek—had we been 5 years old and therefore more energized!
We also explored the small shops
and markets in the small town built around the castle. In addition to a gift
shop with sheep postcards (in case we didn’t get enough pictures on our own),
we quickly found a homemade ice cream shop called Palas with unfamiliar flavors
like Elderberry and JaffaCake. Unfortunately, being by the sea posed new
problems with seagulls. Not only is Wales infested with millions of sheep, but
it is also home to hordes of evil and hangry seagulls obsessed with pooping and
stealing our sandwiches. (Ask the Kelsey/i’s…)
Next, we departed for the Grand
Llandudno Hotel. We will be staying here for the next few nights. After
dropping off our bags, we walked to the Great Orme, a prominent limestone
headland (AKA a big rock) on the coast of North Wales. We took the cable cars
to the top and some of us even got to ride in the car where the torch was
carried to the London Olympics in 2012. While at the top, we took several
pictures before bravely traversing back down, taking our sweet time to ogle the
breathtaking views of the Irish Sea. Eric restored our dwindling energy with
his secret stash of blue raspberry bon bons. Upon reaching the bottom of our
journey, we stopped on the beach to admire the wind turbine farm built into the
ocean. This is a huge sustainability effort in Wales, as it produces enough
energy to power 1/3 of the homes in Wales. Let’s get going, America—we’ve got a
lot of ocean available to fill with windmills!
We had dinner at Wetherspoons, a
restaurant located in what used to be an old theater. The food was great,
although the service took a little longer than expected at times—and one group
of us even got a free dessert for having to wait. Good thing we are skilled at
keeping conversation rolling for 2 hours! We then headed back to the hotel to
relax and get ready for bed, as we have a big day tomorrow—Mount Snowden, here
we come!
Kelsey Ewald
Senior, Health Promotion
Tara Jackson
Senior, English Teaching
