Showing posts with label Wales. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Wales. Show all posts

Monday, January 14, 2008

Harlech Castle is Scary

See, usually I love castles. I made Ashley come on a trip wth me to North Wales with the sole purpose of touring castles. I love castles of all levels of deconstruction. I loved the first two castles we visited (Conwy and Caernarfon). Then, we went to Harlech Castle.
First, proof that I do like castles.
I look happy to be here in this photo, right?




But there were millions of signs like this:




And I was hungry, so I was shaky.
I was tired, because we stayed at a B&B and had to wake early for breakfast.
My legs were rubbery because we had walked up and down millions of castles stairs for two days straight.
It was windy, and as the sign above stated, there was little barrier to keep me from flying off the side of the castle and into the ocean.
It was wet, so the stones were slippery.
And, to top it off, I was wearing my danskos.
Ask my mom to tell you a story about what happens when you wear danskos on slippery welsh stones. She has a good story.
Anyway, all these factors combined made for this face:





I was terrified, cranky, and most of all, astonished that I did not lke this castle. I usually consider myself a pretty adventurous person, but in this case I just knew that I would have little control over being able to catch myself if I lost my balance.

Harlech is a scary castle.

Friday, January 11, 2008

Silly Castle Adventures With Ashley



I was going through all my Wales footage at work, and I found several clips of conversations/incidents do I not only have no recollection of, but made me laugh out loud. So, I put a little video together. It's kind of a little present for Ashley, but I thought some of my other friends might enjoy it too.

Maybe.

It is pretty silly.

Just promise you won't judge me for thinking this is funny.

: )

Thursday, December 13, 2007

Miss me!

Hi guys. This is my sign off. I am going to Wales for three weeks. Yay! I leave on Monday, and if you want to find me at all during the next three week period, go to

http://christmasinwales.pnn.com

Or, fly out to Wales. But that seems a bit extreme, so I'd just visit the website if I were you.

See ya there!

Wednesday, November 28, 2007

Become virtual Luggage

Most people know by now that I got a new job as a journalist for PNN.com. You also probably know that I am going to Wales for Christmas.

What you may not know is exactly just how awesome my job is. I am going to be "working' from Wales. I have a website called A Girly's Christmas in Wales. (http://christmasinwales.pnn.com) and I am going to be posting movies, photos, journal entries, audio clips, and other little yummy treats that demonstrate Welsh culture while I am over there.

It's going to be legendary. (thanks, Neil Patrick Harris)

Anyway, my question for you is this:

Do you want to come with me?

Well, I can't actually physically take you to Wales with me, as much as I would like to. Not unless you are a pilot who can charter a plane to fly a gaggle of PNN-ites over the pond for us.

But if you follow my adventures online, it is like I am taking you with me. You become my Luggage. My virtual Luggage.

How do you become Luggage? First, Join PNN.com and set up your own website. Yes, you get a free webpage out of the deal. Then, join the Christmas in Wales Group. Post the Luggage icon on your page so I know where you are. (If you don’t put a Luggage tag on yourself how will I ever know which bags riding around the airport carousal are mine?)

Then, just sit back and check Christmasinwales.pnn.com every morning to find out what you will be doing that day.

It’s a pretty sweet deal. Join PNN.com and I’ll lug you around Wales with me this Christmas.

Wanna come?

Friday, October 05, 2007

Monday, September 03, 2007

A Girlie's Christmas in Wales

It's official! I am going to visit Ashley in Wales this Christmas. Here are a few thing I am looking forward to doing (besides seeing Ash):
  1. Meeting his family. Finally!

  2. Goin' out with the girlies!

  3. Wearing a bow on my head on Christmas. I will technically be his Christmas present and should adorn myself appropriately.

  4. Bringing California wine to Wales to give to all my dear ones.

  5. Buying Christmas ornaments at Harrods.

  6. Seeing castles.

  7. Taking Wind Street by storm again. Ahhh... the good old days.

  8. Teltelys, sausage rolls, Sunday dinners, cadburys...

  9. Taking cool pictures.

  10. Riding the London Eye. Never did it!

  11. Going to the Tower of London. Never did that either!

  12. Taking a nice drive around the Welsh countryside. I didn't get to see much that you couldn't see by train last time!

yippee!


One of my fave pics from the last time I was in Wales, just for the heck of it!


Sunday, August 26, 2007

Geography

This is what I had for dinner:
















(it's cider and bangers and mash).

Then, I put on the kettle and made myself a nice cup of tea.


















(it's Tetley's)

Then, I came very close to ordering this online:




















(I decided to wait until next payday)



I'm just curious, though...



...what country do I live in?

Wednesday, July 11, 2007

Honorary Welsh Girl Hears the Mothership

I found this pen in my notebook yesterday, and I have no idea how it got there. I have never seen it before in my life.

The other side of the pen reads: www.studyintheuk.org. I have already done that. And it may be pure coincidince, but my time in Wales was such an important time in my life, that I feel like the sudden and inexplicalbe presence of this pen in my life means something.

Maybe it's trying to give me direction. When I was in Wales I was completely confused about myself and my place in the world. I was lost and lonely, but I was accomplishing a goal that I had my entire life. I was living abroad. I was studying abroad. I was traveling to Italy. I was falling in love in a foregin country. So while I was a little lost hobbit on a crazy adventure most of the time, there was such importance and purpose behind my life that in a strange way I felt romantically fulfilled. I could have given Wordsworth a run for his money.

Maybe I'm just supposed to focus on saving for and planning my next trip abroad. Maybe I am supposed to focus on my writing. Maybe I am supposed to work harder at making a career out of my writing.

I have no idea where I am going with this post other than this: a symbol of a very important part of my life has surfaced lately, and I think it is trying to tell me something.

*** "Not all who wander are lost." J.R.R. Tolkein ***

Sunday, March 25, 2007

A Promised Adventure

I ran into a trio of people a few days ago that lit an inspired fire within me.

Three people walked into a winery I was visiting: two guys and a girl. I could tell the guys were British the second they walked in the door. They had tousled, just slightly tousled hair, and were wearing polished looking sweaters. The kicker? One guy was wearing a scarf in typical British/European fashion: folded in half, then looped through it's self around the neck. The two guys spoke, and their posh English accents confirmed it.

I asked where they were from. They told me, but I was too excited to even really hear what they said. I found out that one of the guys was living in Seattle (the girl lived there too). I told them I spent a year in Swansea and they were actually excited about it. One guy laughed and said "how'd you end up there?" I also told them I was from Seattle, and I felt like we were all excited about our location connections. It was so fun to have them respond so enthusiastically; usually the British rest on their reserve sides when I talk about Swansea, but these guys were excited with me.

And we all liked the same wines we were tasting too. I joked that we could all share a bottle of wine together. I was kind of serious, though. I wanted to follow them home!

I’ve been looking for some sort of direction in my life lately. I’ve been waiting for something exciting and important to come my way. After my favorite little trio left, I realized what I want to do. I want to go back to the U.K.

I’ve been thinking about going back to the U.K. for awhile, but the moment I had a few days ago made the plan feel right in my soul. I’m implementing a savings plan and I am going to the U.K. for a month in the summer of ’08. From there, I will decide whether I want to move there, or whether I want to seek out a different adventure. It will be so good to see all my friends again, it will be lovely to see my honorary home land in the summer, and it also leaves possibilities for Ashley and my relationship.

More importantly, it's a plan. And it promises adventure.

photo taken at the Gower in Wales, June 2004

Wednesday, February 07, 2007

Ah, daffodils.

My daffodils are popping up! I was worried that they wouldn't pop up at all, an experience that would make me the absolute worst gardener ever, considering daffodils are so easy to grow. But a few days ago, one brave little bud broke his way through the dirt, and now his friends are following.

I never cared much for daffodils until my year abroad in Swansea. The Welsh winter was hanging heavily over my head and heart, and it seemed like everything was depressing. But sometime in March, my mood began to change course. For weeks I had noticed clumps of what looked like onion roots in grass patches along the bus root into town. One particularly gloomy day I was gazing out the window on my way into town and I realized what all those "onion roots" really were. Daffodils. Happy, yellow, bouncy daffodils all over town. No matter how gloomy the weather was, or how dismal my spirits were, those bubbly little flowers just wouldn't quit. Even when a violent storm was brewing that was sure to break their stalks and rip off their petals, the daffodils were happy. The winds blew, and they bounced about like they were dancing. It was like they were partying at their own funeral: bobbing around in the wind to the tune of music only they could hear. Some of the daffodils survived the storm, though they were a little worn from all their partying.

I think I love daffodils so much because they are brave flowers. They are like little messengers of spring, popping up before all the other flowers to make sure everything is all set for everyone else's arrival. They light up winter with their yellow and bouncy attitudes while they are there, then bravely fall shortly after.