Autumn half-term trip: Wales

One of the nice things about the British education system is that the year is punctuated by regular week-long breaks. The first one was at the end of October. Since one of my reasons being here in the UK to begin with is to tour around, I decided to go to Wales for part of my half-term break. Wales was not on my original list of places to visit, but I needed something nearby that I could enjoy with minimal hassle and money so I could return to do work on Friday. In the previous weekend, I went to a camping trip with some of the students and two teachers (both Welsh), and so to make the long story short, I went to Wales. (Note: the picture is a stain glass window version of the Welsh flag.)

Interesting Welsh fact: there are almost 4 times more sheep than people in this country!

I spent a couple of nights in Cardiff, touring a couple of castles and a Science centre called Techniquest. (Even on holiday I can’t get away from the Science teacher role!) On the day I arrived I also went to a movie theatre for the first time since arriving in the UK. I watched Wallace and Gromit in The Curse of the Were-Rabbit. It was good fun, though I think Wallace is a little too silly for my liking.

I spent a night in Swansea, hiking along the Three Cliffs Bay along the Gower Penisula. I had to walk through a golf course to get to the shore. Some of the hazards on this course: cow and cow paddies! Some of the greens were fenced in to discourage the cows to enter them. At Swansea, I also met some interesting people, including a very friendly bus driver and a woman looking for a B&B who was very grateful that someone actually took the time to help find her one (thanks partially to my copy of “Lonely Planet”), later eating at a church converted into an Indian Restaurant. It was neat atmosphere. I spent the last night in St. David’s, the smallest city in Wales. Population: A little more than 1000 people. I even went to an evening service at the Catholic Church in St. David's just to hear some singing. (Apparently two pilgrimages to St. David's is equivalent of one pilgrimage to Rome!) The singing wasn't too bad, but the tenors were often flat and the basses were behind tempo and overpowering. I guess some things are the same in different parts of the world!

I have added some pictures of my trip in my yahoo photo album if you wish to see them.
Kevin