Blogs from Aberystwyth, Ceredigion, Wales, United Kingdom, Europe

Am Dienstag war wettertechnisch gesehen der schlechteste Tag und deswegen hab ich nen kleinen Roadtrip vorgeschlagen. Nach nem schönen Frühstück mit Mo haben wir uns von Llanidloes (ll im walisischen spricht man übrigens aus, wie wenn man nen Sprachfehler hat und lispelt... kanns nicht besser beschreiben^^) verabschiedet. Auch im Regen ist die walisische Landschaft schön und deswegen war die Autofahrt absolut nicht langweilig. Wir sind die Küste Richtung Süden runtergefahren und haben einfach irgendwo angehalten und in ner Regenpause nen Spaziergang am Meer gemacht. Ich hab mal nen Finger reingehalten, ist gar nicht salzig?! Warum nicht? Aus der Nordsee kommt man doch sonst mit ner Salzkruste raus, oder? Gegen Nachmittag sind wir dann zurück nach Aberystwyth, ne Studentenstadt ungefähr in der Mitte von der Westküste von Wales. Da ist die Nationalbibliothek, die wollt ich mir a ... read more

As my time here in Wales quickly approaches its end, I find myself looking back upon the person that arrived at the Aberystwyth bus station, in the rain, after 20 hours of traveling, wondering why I had decided to come to Wales, of all places. Good question. It’s been like sliding down a snow and ice covered slope. I’ve been having the time of my life, in awe of the amazing things that scream by, laughing the whole way down. But as I speed faster and faster towards the finish of this icy ride that has been the last five months, I find myself clinging to anything that will slow my decent to the inevitable end of my journey. As a result, I’ve come up with a few reflections, musings and contemplations on what has characterized ... read more

I took a walk from Aberystwyth along the coastal path five miles north to the town of Borth. It’s great walk with the sea on one side, farmland on the other. The only downside of being on the coast was the wind. Walking up some steep hills, you use as much energy to lean against the wind trying to push you off the cliff into the sea as you do moving upwards. As I arrived in Borth it began to rain, and the walk back was looking much less exciting. The next bus back to Aber was in three hours, and as I looked around, cold and wet, I happened to see somebody walk by with a hoodie that said, “Aber Surf Club”. I followed him back to a group of guys stripping down out of ... read more

Okay. So the plan is for this to be a photo blog, but here's a start to what my time here has been like so far. Getting here was hilarious, embarrassing and awkward. As soon as I collected my baggage in Heathrow I knew I had brought too much. My bag was marked "HEAVY: You may need assistance in lifting this bag". Great start. I managed to drag my bags across various stations and in and out of trains, looking like the stereotypical lost tourist. I eventually made it to Aber by bus twenty hours after leaving San Francisco, because the train lines had flooded. My introduction to Aber has been filled with many awkward and embarrassing situations. Amongst them have been meeting a forest bum after getting lost on a run outside of town; being ... read more

Went to Aberystwyth for a long weekend with Paola and Lisa. Getting there isn't the easiest of journeys, roads in wales tend to be a little on the slow and twisty side. Friday was our first full day, and we were blessed with a cloudless sky and brilliant sunshine, temperatures reaching around 75 degrees which is good for September :) We all decided to head for the beach and take advantage of the sun. So armed with factor 12 sun-cream we all headed off. Since it was Friday and most people were at work, we actually had a complete bay to ourselves....heaven :)) We also braved the water for a swim and to our surprise it wasn't too cold, so we had about an hour on the water. We had some visitors, well actually several thousand ... read more