Well hey there e’erybody! How y’all doing today?
Why, you may be askin yo’self, is this little lady
speechifyin’ as if she done been born in the backwaters of a Tennessee swamp?
You may say,“This girl been born in dat Indiana, she tweren’t raised to be talking
like dat. Aw naw, she done gone crazy living amidst them high faluting English.
Revertin her mind to her inner southerner.”
 |
| Feeling strong hiking! |
Putting
aside my attempts to write in a southern dialect, I have found that living in
England has made me come to love different aspects of America all the more.
Also, I think I am writing from a bit of an odd frame of mind since there is a
giant burning light in the sky whose overwhelming effervescence blinds me and scorches my skin. I mean,
it is a whole 5°C/40°F here! And, not a rain cloud in sight! The rarity of this
phenomenon (that I have the pleasure of experiencing) works in such a way on my
mind as to inspire me to remember other points in my life when the sun and I
used to be frequent friends. Times when, though it was bitterly cold, we would
greet one another with a loving embrace, knowing that soon, in a matter of
months, we would bask in one another’s company, enjoying warm summer breezes
and lazy afternoons. These sunny afternoons bring me to remember corn fields,
cicadas, fireflys, creeks, mud, and heat; which inevitably causes me to think
of the South and therefore makes me adopt a Southern style in my writing (and
sometimes even my thinking... If only you knew how often my inner monologue
employs a Southern twang to comment on proper English society. “Why don’t dem
English smile at one another on da street? T’ain’t too hard. Alls you gots to
do is turn up dem little corners of yo’ mouf. And den you done shared a bit
o’sunshine with someone else. Now, ain’t that nice?” It’s quite fun, but I must
admit, mainly entertaining only for me, as it is my inner monologue…).
Anyways, apart from the glorious glories of the gleaming sun
and its capacity in making me channel my inner southerner, things in the UK have been
quite dandy. I did in fact go on an adventure to Snowdonia National Park
(finally made it!)! Since my study abroad is being coordinated through Butler
University, every once in awhile Butler throws us little parties or
get-togethers. My trip to Northern Wales was just such an event.
I,
and one other of the four Bristol-Butler students, decided to go on this
all-expenses paid trip (“all-expenses paid” mainly because the cost of it was
included in our initial fees and we couldn’t get the money back even if we
wanted to…). We began by catching an early bus to another bus that would
ultimately take us to Bristol Parkway station. Honestly, as a side note, if you
are
ever travelling to Bristol via train and trying to compare Bristol
Parkway versus Bristol Temple Meads, definitely go Temple Meads. Parkway is
fine enough, but such a hassle to get to since it is on the outskirts of
Bristol. Also, while you could take a bus to the city center and connect from
there to wherever your heart desired, it is SO much easier and quicker to go to
Temple Meads. So. much. easier.
Anyways,
Paige and I boarded our train in Parkway and commenced our then 5-hr journey
that would take us all the way to Bangor in Northern Wales (where we would then
catch a coach to our hotel). It was a long, packed in, and rather slow
excursion. For some reason the train decided that instead of hugging the coast
of Wales, it would be more expedient to crisscross across Wales, go into
England for a bit, and then hug the Northern coast heading West to get to our destination.
This really confused me at one point when I noticed the coast was on my right
while I was facing the forward motion of the train. For about a good 7min I was
trying to conceptualize my position on the train trying to approximate where
the coast should be if we were heading North. Becoming frustrated, I gave up my
attempt to understand when the only conclusion I could draw was that we were
already in the North and were heading West, which seemed absurd. No train in it's right mind would take such a roundabout method to go to the North…but I forgot Occam's Razor, which in the words of Sherlock Holmes, "How often have I said to you that when you have eliminated the impossible, whatever remains, however improbable, must be the truth?"(gosh, can I just say, I feel so nerdy and awesome for just whipping that one out.) The impossible was that I was in an alternate world that embodied a mirrored reality of our own, placing the coast on my right. The improbable was that the train would take such an indirect route. The razor won. On a less nerdy note, the train was WAY overbooked, and my cramped legs
felt the tension of all the disgruntled passengers having to stand in the aisle
(as well as their baggage) while aboard.
But,
we finally arrived in Bangor and were deposited into our hotel. Northern Wales
seems to have a mystical sobriety to its rough landscape. Scattered along the
heather strewn slate hills are goats and lambs clambering along looking for
morsels of craggy grass to eat. And the ever present mist seemed to not just be around the hills, but
in my very eyes as everything I looked at was obscured by vapor. I tried to imagine
the sun burning fiercely over the landscape, revealing its slated slopes and
tripping waterfalls in harsh relief; but I found my imagination could only take
me so far as the mist obfuscated my inner eye.
 |
| A herd of wild goats at the look out point |
That
night, Paige and I went down to the bar to join in on the pub quiz Butler had
planned. We happened to join a random group of people who had open seats next
to them. When the quiz began, I quickly realized that we had chosen well in our
randomized seating. The quiz was set up in four stages, Liberal Arts, Science,
Geography, and Miscellany. The team we had joined was intensely competitive,
and very bright. I loved being able to contribute to a group that, well, was so
smart! Ultimately, the entire thing took us maybe 2hrs, but in the end my group
pulled in front and won the quiz (as well as massive quantities of Cadbury
chocolate…mmm.) This accomplishment was only further highlighted by the fact
that out of the some 200 students there, the ten of us came out on top! Sweet
sweet victory.
 |
| A snapshot of me after we won the pub quiz! |
The
next day I went on a ½ day hike up to an old slate mine. As you can see from
the photos, it was stunning. Also, fun little tid bit, the place where we were
hiking was also the location of the battle scenes found in that 80’s classic
film,
Willow. I was extremely excited about this information since my brother
Torrey and I both really enjoyed that movie growing up. Torrey, if you’re
reading this, IT WAS AWESOME!
Later
that day, I went kayaking. We bundled up, put on water proof shirts and pants,
and put on helmets. As we paddled out into the middle of the small body of
water a serenity enveloped me in the water surrounded by hills; the very
environ compacted mist. Yet, while it was very pleasant to paddle out onto the
water, I learned that the small lake we were on was all the water we would be
on. No little tributaries to go up, no baby waterfalls to go over, in fact, the
longest kayaking trip possible in the UK would last no longer than half a day.
I just started laughing at this idea when I realized how massive the water
system in America must seem to those Kayakers in the UK. Heck, I was able to do
a two -week trip of mainly kayaking before college, and that didn’t even
include rigorous maneuvering.
 |
| Overlooking the location of the "Willow" film |
It
is a funny thing looking at English countryside in comparison to American (this area of Snowdonia being excluded. The pictures show just how lovely it was and wild).
Again, I know I live in Indiana, a very very flat state, but nonetheless, even
Indiana seems to have a more wild landscape at times than a majority of
England. I think it is because England has been settled for soooo long, whereas
America has only been around for some 200yrs. Also, in America we place a high
premium on preserving our landscape, keeping wild things wild (to a certain
extent. I am mainly referencing Teddy Roosevelt’s work on the National Park
System). It is apart of our national mythology, the American identity, that the
wilderness around us challenge, inspire, and cultivate us (Thoreau, Emerson,
Irving, etc). While there are definitely people in England that enjoy outdoor
adventuring (mtn biking, hiking, camping, canoeing, kayaking, etc), I believe
they tend to be among the minority since the opportunities aren’t nearly as
vast here (granted, it is a small island, and therefore less land mass to work
with) as they are in the U.S.
Anyways,
beyond my pontifications, that night Butler threw us a party full of fun music
and colored lights. It was quite enjoyable, though as the night went on and
more drinks were consumed there were certainly some interesting dance moves that
started to pop up on the floor, this only added to the overall entertainment.
 |
| The beginning of wonderland |
The
next morning (Sunday) the some 200 students packed themselves onto a number of
coaches and we headed into the town of Llandudno. Now, Llandudno is an interesting place because of its
obsession with Alice in Wonderland. At many sights around the town you could
stumble onto a wooden statue of the Mad-Hatter, the Queen of Hearts, the White
Rabbit, or even a very scary looking Alice herself. Not only that, but they
have an entire park trail dedicated to recreating aspects of wonderland. Paige
and I just happened to stumble upon this happy little place when we climbed up
a small foot-trail going up a steep hill. We were utterly delighted when we
found all the creative statues around the park. Funnily enough though,
Llandudno has only a very tenuous connection to Lewis Carroll. If you are
interested,
you can take a look here.
 |
| No White Rabbit, I dont know if it's ever good to be late |
So,
what’s in store next? Well, this coming Wednesday I embark on my grand European
adventure! I fly out to Lyon, France to stay with my former highschool teacher,
Mrs. Klopp, for a few days. That coming Tuesday, my old friend from highschool,
Kathryn, will join me in Lyon and we will initiate our 15day Eurail global pass
which will take us around the coast of Italy, into Switzerland, onto the slopes
of Austria, up the
Romantic road in Germany, into Belgium, and deposit us in
Amsterdam. It is going to be a whirlwind experience, and I am so excited! Right
now, the thing that is weighing on my mind is how I am going to strategically
pack my
44 liter backpack with all the essentials I will need for my two week
trip… I am still trying to figure this one out. Right now I am thinking bare
essentials in terms of toiletries, only about 3-4 shirts, shorts with active
wear tights to compensate for warm and cold weather, and finally my sneakers,
and maybe my gray converses…If anyone has any suggestions, I would love to hear them! Well, I’ll take a photo of my bag when it’s all
said and done. Worst comes to worst, I’ll come back smelling funny after
deciding to ditch my toiletries, or come back with only a few pieces of
clothing after donating the rest somewhere.
Also,
since my bag is so small and my computer relatively large and heavy, I think I
will be leaving it behind. I hope to still be able to update you all about my
trip, but it’ll probably be in smaller segments (hopefully more frequently) and
without as many photos. All that to say, I’ll be playing this by ear in terms
of blogging while I’m backpacking.
 |
| More of Wonderland |
Well, I hope you all enjoyed my ramblings, and even if you didn’t,
good for you for finishing anyways! I hope you all are blessed and well! Have a lovely day!
Anyways, apart from the glorious glories of the gleaming sun
and its capacity in making me channel my inner southerner, things in the UK have been
quite dandy. I did in fact go on an adventure to Snowdonia National Park
(finally made it!)! Since my study abroad is being coordinated through Butler
University, every once in awhile Butler throws us little parties or
get-togethers. My trip to Northern Wales was just such an event.
I,
and one other of the four Bristol-Butler students, decided to go on this
all-expenses paid trip (“all-expenses paid” mainly because the cost of it was
included in our initial fees and we couldn’t get the money back even if we
wanted to…). We began by catching an early bus to another bus that would
ultimately take us to Bristol Parkway station. Honestly, as a side note, if you
are ever travelling to Bristol via train and trying to compare Bristol
Parkway versus Bristol Temple Meads, definitely go Temple Meads. Parkway is
fine enough, but such a hassle to get to since it is on the outskirts of
Bristol. Also, while you could take a bus to the city center and connect from
there to wherever your heart desired, it is SO much easier and quicker to go to
Temple Meads. So. much. easier.
Anyways,
Paige and I boarded our train in Parkway and commenced our then 5-hr journey
that would take us all the way to Bangor in Northern Wales (where we would then
catch a coach to our hotel). It was a long, packed in, and rather slow
excursion. For some reason the train decided that instead of hugging the coast
of Wales, it would be more expedient to crisscross across Wales, go into
England for a bit, and then hug the Northern coast heading West to get to our destination.
This really confused me at one point when I noticed the coast was on my right
while I was facing the forward motion of the train. For about a good 7min I was
trying to conceptualize my position on the train trying to approximate where
the coast should be if we were heading North. Becoming frustrated, I gave up my
attempt to understand when the only conclusion I could draw was that we were
already in the North and were heading West, which seemed absurd. No train in it's right mind would take such a roundabout method to go to the North…but I forgot Occam's Razor, which in the words of Sherlock Holmes, "How often have I said to you that when you have eliminated the impossible, whatever remains, however improbable, must be the truth?"(gosh, can I just say, I feel so nerdy and awesome for just whipping that one out.) The impossible was that I was in an alternate world that embodied a mirrored reality of our own, placing the coast on my right. The improbable was that the train would take such an indirect route. The razor won. On a less nerdy note, the train was WAY overbooked, and my cramped legs
felt the tension of all the disgruntled passengers having to stand in the aisle
(as well as their baggage) while aboard. 
That
night, Paige and I went down to the bar to join in on the pub quiz Butler had
planned. We happened to join a random group of people who had open seats next
to them. When the quiz began, I quickly realized that we had chosen well in our
randomized seating. The quiz was set up in four stages, Liberal Arts, Science,
Geography, and Miscellany. The team we had joined was intensely competitive,
and very bright. I loved being able to contribute to a group that, well, was so
smart! Ultimately, the entire thing took us maybe 2hrs, but in the end my group
pulled in front and won the quiz (as well as massive quantities of Cadbury
chocolate…mmm.) This accomplishment was only further highlighted by the fact
that out of the some 200 students there, the ten of us came out on top! Sweet
sweet victory. 
The
next day I went on a ½ day hike up to an old slate mine. As you can see from
the photos, it was stunning. Also, fun little tid bit, the place where we were
hiking was also the location of the battle scenes found in that 80’s classic
film, Willow. I was extremely excited about this information since my brother
Torrey and I both really enjoyed that movie growing up. Torrey, if you’re
reading this, IT WAS AWESOME! 
Later
that day, I went kayaking. We bundled up, put on water proof shirts and pants,
and put on helmets. As we paddled out into the middle of the small body of
water a serenity enveloped me in the water surrounded by hills; the very
environ compacted mist. Yet, while it was very pleasant to paddle out onto the
water, I learned that the small lake we were on was all the water we would be
on. No little tributaries to go up, no baby waterfalls to go over, in fact, the
longest kayaking trip possible in the UK would last no longer than half a day.
I just started laughing at this idea when I realized how massive the water
system in America must seem to those Kayakers in the UK. Heck, I was able to do
a two -week trip of mainly kayaking before college, and that didn’t even
include rigorous maneuvering. 
Anyways,
beyond my pontifications, that night Butler threw us a party full of fun music
and colored lights. It was quite enjoyable, though as the night went on and
more drinks were consumed there were certainly some interesting dance moves that
started to pop up on the floor, this only added to the overall entertainment. 
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