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Published: March 11th 2009
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After riding bicycles I thought it best to stay grounded and relax for a while. Luckily I went to the perfect place to relax. When my mom was in England when she was younger, she lived with Juliet and her family. Well now Juliet has a family of her own and I got to visit them. It was the second time I had met them, but it felt as though we’d known each other forever.
It was great to be in a family setting, because it really felt like home to me. John, Juliet, and their son Oli, were extremely inviting and caring, and were so kind to me, even though I was nearly a stranger in their home. They fixed me home-made meals, gave me anything and everything I needed, and showed me around their farm and the nearby town, Hay-on-Wye.
Hay-on-Wye is right on the border of Wales and England along the River Wye, and it is known as the town of books. There are over 30 bookstores, and I was fortunate enough to go through every aisle of 5 of them in about 4 hours! These bookstores were packed with shelves and shelves of books sorted
by subjects so detailed that it was impossible for me to actually choose which book I wanted to purchase. When I walked around Hay, I was overwhelmed with the amounts of books, but luckily I really enjoy meandering through bookstores for some reason.
John, Juliet, and I went out into the Brecon Becon Mountains outside of Hay, looked at a few churches, walked to the top of one of the mountains, and climbed through shrubs and hedges on the way down. Now this mountain walk wasn’t anything like the one I did for OP; it was more of a hill, but it was still a really fun walk and the view of the valley and the hills was absolutely gorgeous. Plus, walking with John and Juliet reminded me of trying to walk somewhere with my parents: they bickered at each other about which way was closest to the path we should take. I was impressed with what we had climbed through on the way down, taking the route one of them had suggested we avoid. Regardless, we all had a good time.
I was also shown around the farm and I got to see the countryside. The fields
on the hill were like patchwork. It was beautiful! The farm was nice to walk around because I was told stories, and the history of the farm; plus it was a farm!
There were a few times Juliet insisted that I try certain food I wouldn’t have otherwise. So I had steak, cabbage, vegetable soup, pork chili, and pie. These don’t sound too bad at all, but then I had faggots, mushy peas, and spotted dick. Actually, these were great British dishes, and I liked them all a lot. Really they are just fancy words for meatballs, mushy peas, and cake with custard. Apparently mushy peas are a Welsh delicacy; which doesn’t sound good, but with mashed potatoes they aren’t too bad. I wasn’t arguing with them for forcing me to eat dessert either!
This trip really made me feel like I was at home because we talked a lot about farming, teaching, school, our families, the weather, sports, and history, among many other things. It was nice to relate to someone and talk about home especially. I was very sad when they saw me off on the train, because I really felt like they were a home
away from home. It was great!
When I got back, I had time to unpack and sleep before I left for our fieldtrip the next morning. We first went to Harlech Castle, which was neat because the sea used to come right up next to the side of the castle. Also, it had beautiful views in every direction.
Then we went to Portmeirion, which is a town built on the premise that the architecture should enhance the landscape. It seemed like a combination of Greek Isles, Little Italy, and the place Mamma Mia was filmed, but in Wales. The daffodils were just about to come out, so if we would have gone a little later, it would be absolutely gorgeous. But nevertheless, the town was still really pretty. Plus the various buildings were really neat and it was just a nice little town.
After a very relaxing few days, I was able to sleep in on Sunday, play volleyball, and prepare for a full day of classes Monday. Then Tuesday was OP and we went gorge scrambling! Essentially we were climbing up a river, across rushing cascades, around rocks, under waterfalls, and through the woods. It was
an exciting thrilling experience, and at the end we jumped into a large pool at the base of a huge waterfall. We all had so much fun, despite being freezing cold once the water got into our wellies and down our sleeves. We got back, had tea, and took a nice warm shower. I was chilled to the bone, but wouldn’t have traded that experience for anything!
After a nice, low-key week, I was ready for that challenge, and ready for whatever is next. But I have a lot of school work to do so I can get ahead and enjoy my weekends away. I am so grateful for being in Wales, so I can visit friends who treat me like family, and so I can go on adventures like gorge scrambling. This week definitely was a great reminder of what a great decision I made coming here!
xxx
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