A Week In Wales

These are just some pictures of my first week in Swansea. I am still a little unsure of how to add images so if some of the pictures, or all of them, seem a little out of place please just be patient.


Okay, I think I've figured out this picture deal. Top left is a picture of (from left to right) Alexandria, me, and Marta. This was taken on our first full day at uni. We hadn't had orientation yet so we didn't know where anything on campus was. By the way in case I forgot to mention it my uni is literally across the street from the beach. Now let me explain. Beach is a relative term here. The tides here typically range from about 20 to 30 feet. They're the second largest in the world behind Nova Scotia! Its about a mile out to the water at low tide and it comes in at about 15 mph so there is no out running it. Anyways if it looks like I'm at the desert in some of these pictures don't be alarmed, I am, but there really is water out there somewhere I promise. The picture to the right is of Nicole, in the green, and Marta, in the blue.


For the parents and anyone else who may be so inclined as to inquire what a traditional style dorm room at the University of Wales, Swansea looks like please reference the pictures above and below. Top left is my bed evidently, at the foot of the bed is the sink and a chair that you'll see in the top right picture. To the right of the bed and sink is the desk/dresser/wardrobe and bookcase, bottom left. They like to consolidate here. I'll be here for another two weeks and then I'll be moving to Hendrefoilen Student Village two miles from campus. I'll have my own room but in a flat (apartment) or house type setting with a kitchen and a community toilet (bathroom). Once a kitchen is acquired goldfish crackers and peanut butter would be greatly appreciated. If you should have the desire to make a donation to the, "Starving exchange students fund," please contact my mom for a mailing address and further instructions.


Below are pictures from our trip to the Gower Peninsula and Worms Head. Those are the actual names and no I haven't been drinking, today. The picture to the left is Three Cliffs Bay. This the view of it on the way to the Gower. I have yet to see it up close, only from a distance so far but still amazing.

Below is Rhossili Bay which is the body of water that surrounds the Gower Peninsula. This is the same bay that my current dorm is named after. That's a nice thought indeed.

That long skinny spit of land in the picture below would be the Gower Peninsula and those two bumps at the end would be Worms Head. You can only get to Worms Head at low tide because at high tide they become islands. Always check the tide tables or go with guide. Two people apparently got caught out there by the tide about three days before we were there and only one made it back. That happens a lot here. Its a lovely place though.

Above would be me at the Gower. It was a little chilly but for Wales it was as close to perfect as it gets

This would be Carmella, me, Marta, and Amanda at the Gower.

This is the trail that leads from a pub at the top of the Gower down to Rhossili Bay. I went to Mount Pilatus in Switzerland a few years ago but I didn't get a picture of any of the thousand icy stairs that I had to climb to get there. I learned not to make the same mistake twice. This is the trail that I took down but more importantly its the same trail that I had to take up. They have an appropriate rule here, if you're going down you have to stop for those coming up. Its like four way stops in Knoxville, ah a piece of home.

Now that's something I recognize, salty, dirty, fishy ocean. I love it! Rhossili Bay is freezing but I've never loved being cold as much as I did when this one was taken.

A pub with a view. Need I say more?

Above is a shot of Nicole and I at St. George's while out on a, "Presidential Pub Crawl." Yea we definitely went pubbing with Owen, the student body president on our second night here. Have I mentioned yet just how much I love Swansea. Sorry guys twenty-one came early this year!

A sunset on the beach with good friends. This is what I traveled 4,048 miles for. If you squint you might be able to see the Statue of Liberty but she's very small of course. The locals thought that we were crazy for getting our feet wet but I've been waiting my entire life for this, let the them stare!

We went to the Museum of Welsh Life. They disassembled local Welsh houses from the 1500's through present day and reassembled them at this site. You can go in to each house and talk to a local guide. Its really interesting. Anyways, these are a pair of skates from the beginning of the 20th century. I was excited.

This was a sign in one of the homes at the museum. It is now my motto for the duration of the semester. You can click on any of the above pictures to get a larger view just hit the back button to come back to the post that you were looking at.

These next few pictures are from the grounds of the castle at the museum. They wouldn't allow us to take pictures of the inside but let me reassure you, it was out of this world. It once belonged to the Lords, Dukes, and Earls of Plymouth.

Marta and I on the walkway across the pond.

A picture of me in the gardens in front of an abbey that was on the outside of the castle wall.

Nicole and I on a very uncomfortable but beautiful concrete bench in the castle gardens.

Me in front of the castle.

This is the first castle that I've had the privilege of visiting on this trip but I'm hoping that there will be many more to come.

We also took a trip to Big Pit mine which is located near the capital of Cardiff in Wales. The mine was shut down in 1980 due to thanks to Margaret Thatcher. The mine had been operating for 100 years. It is now a Welsh heritage museum dedicated to the preservation of the industry's history and the life style that once dominated the region. All of the guides were once miners, most of them at Big Pit, as were their grandfathers, fathers, children, and grandchildren. We actually took the lift down to pit bottom and toured the inside of the earth 300 feet below the surface. All of the equipment is still in place as is much of the coal. This is a must for anyone who may find themselves in the region. The picture above is of me, Nicole, Amanda, and Amy.

They also required that we wear hard hats and head lamps. My light almost went out in the middle of the tour but hey that's just part of the experience I suppose. The man that was issuing hard hats asked us where we were from and when we said Tennessee he began singing the Tennessee Waltz! I don't even know that song and I was born and raised there. The straps around our wastes are holding gigantic batteries for the head lamps and a small canister, similar to a pony bottle in scuba diving, for emergency breathing in case of fire or lack of proper ventilation. That was good to know. I have never had anyone tell that I was safe so much in one concentrated block of time. In all honesty, the canisters don't actually work anymore they're only there for authenticity but the ten pound batteries were definitely originals and they still worked!

Well, that's my week in a nut shell. From trains to coal mines and the beach I've seen it all and now, thanks to the internet, so have you. Sorry again for taking so long but as I said before my internet was down and not being one for computers anyways there wasn't much that I could do. I hope that you have enjoyed this virtual tour of Wales because I sure hated the three hours that I've spent creating it. The rest of this week will probably be spent going to my British culture and politics course and reading at the beach. This weekend, however, we're hoping to go to Chepstowe Castle and Tinturn Abbey and perhaps to mumbles. Oh the places I'll go. I'll keep you updated. Please keep the comments coming. Also, for anyone wondering I'm six hours ahead of the central time zone over here so good night from Swansea.