Blogs from Anglesey, Wales, United Kingdom, Europe

Hello everyone this is Jessica Peters and I am writing about our adventures we experienced this past Friday. First off this is my first blog ever so bear with me everyone. Hopefully I don’t put you all to sleep. Second off, our days in Europe are dwindling down! We only have four more days here. Today marked the first official day in Pen Y Pass and the view is amazing. When I ate breakfast this morning I could gaze out each window and see beautiful sheep covered mountains in the backdrop. Breakfast was filling for a change with more choices than just toast. After our full meal of eggs, sausage, hash browns, and backed beans (a normal breakfast choice in Europe????) we all boarded the bus. After a good trek across Wales we found ourselves at ... read more

Alysa Goeke here.... Two forty five AM, we were woken up from a fire alarm that felt like it lasted hours. Eventually we found out was not worth leaving our rooms or beds; We suppose some one thought they were being fun pulling the alarm. To top that off we all had to wake up around 6 or 6:30 AM; needless to say the whole group was cranky and fell asleep right away on the bus. As we traveled through the country side we all stared out the windows. What a sight! First thing coming into Wales we cross a bridge over the beautiful Bristol Channel. Beauty has just engulfed us since the day we arrived in Europe, but how gorgeous Wales is! In my opinion Wales has given the best first impression. I love the ... read more

Not a great title, but it is the best I could manage when attempting to put together a report on the northern coast of Wales and the Wirral in western England, conducted in immediate succession from the flash tour of southern Wales. The first port of call was the rural island of Anglesey, which is largely overlooked by tourists, as it is best described as a Welsh outpost with a few key reference points which put the island on the map. Separated from mainland Wales by the Menai Straits, the trunk road which leads to Holyhead, the island's chief town, is the quickest way to traverse the full length of the island, but not, might I add the prettiest route. Nor is the town itself, in my view, anything too worthy of picture-postcard material, but the ... read more

Did you know that each of the countries that make up the United Kingdom each have their own patron saints who have been chosen as the protector of the nation. For Wales it is Saint David who is their patron saint and they celebrate Saint David's day each year on March 1st. England has Saint George and Scotland has Saint Andrew. In addition to Saint David for Wales, the Welsh also have a Dragon as their emblem, how cool is that, like out of Harry Potter! You can see it on their national flag. Here's the story centuries ago a red dragon fought with an invading White Dragon. His pained shrieks caused women to become ill, animals to perish and plants to become barren. Lludd, king of Britain, went to his wise brother Llefelys in France. ... read more

Before heading off to my new exotic destination in the East...I stopped by the United Kingdom again to visit Ali's parents. The United Kingdom is often referred to as the UK... it can also be called Great Britain. A country with many names! The UK is made up of 4 countries, England, Scotland and Wales. Northern Ireland is also part of the United Kingdom too. People speak English in Wales but many also speak Welsh. Welsh is a celtic language and very very different to English. I'll post another entry to show you more about the Welsh language and also tell you about the name of a town which is a really really long name you wouldn't believe it! I was lucky to be able to visit Wales with Ali's parents who stayed in an island ... read more