Tuesday, August 20, 2013

Beaumaris Castle, Chester and Trwyn Du Lighthouse

The adventure in Wales continues as a slightly painful, disastrous experience, somehow juxtaposed against beautiful scenery and mystical castles. I am beginning to understand how the stereotype of a rugged grumpy Welshman has come to be. So if you ever find yourself in northern Wales, I suggest you take the opportunity to breath in plenty of fresh air, take long miserable walks, and surrender yourself to the peace and tranquility that surrounds you.

Of course, peace and tranquility are great and everything, but there's only so much poignant riverside meditation and sheep watching you can do, so I suggest you take a wander around these places as well:

Beaumaris Castle - I'm not a huge fan of castles. They're a bit like churches or temples if you ask me, but Beaumaris Castle is definitely worth a visit. It is one of the most complete castles in Wales, and I am told it is a beautiful sample of Edwardian architecture. Even if you're not that into architecture, it is a really great interactive experience, its numerous walls and tunnels offering plenty of opportunities to explore and let your imagination run wild. Once you make it out of the dark slightly creepy tunnels within the castle walls, you can meander on top of these same walls and enjoy the refreshing green-ness of surrounding fields. You can easily spend an hour if not more at this site. It is also child friendly and has mini playground with a bouncy castle next door.

Chester - Although not technically a Welsh city, at least a fourth of it is in Wales so it counts. It is home to the Chester racecourse, known as Roodee, the oldest racecourse still in use in England. Races take place throughout the year, with special racing festivals in August and May. These offer a great chance to don your best heels and grandest hats, and make like Eliza Doolitle and holler "move yer bloomin' arse!" at passing strangers (or horses). Aternatively, you can wander around and admire the wonderfully preserved and restored medieval architecture, and walk a top the city walls.

Trwyn Du Lighthouse - A visit to the lighthouse on a beautiful day is like stepping into a picture postcard. Your frustrations instantly melt away as soon as you step onto those white pebbles and feel the heat of the overhead sun. It is a great place for lounging, reading, drawing, flying kites or crab fishing.  Across the water you will also see Puffin Island, the ninth largest island off the coast of Wales and more excitingly, a Special Protection Area for coastal wild life such as Puffins and Great Cormorants. If you look hard enough you might even catch site of one (or both) of the seals that live in the bay.


Friday, August 16, 2013

Bangor and the Eisteddfod, Wales

I have shingles. Sigh. It is the most painful horrible thing ever and it is definitely making me hate Wales a tiny bit. And traveling. It is also making me question my fascination with traveling. One of these days I will post about the dangers of traveling, as well as my top ten countries worth visiting.

First, a bit on the magical Eisteddfod of Wales.

Pronounced es-TETH-vod, the Eisteddfod is a festival which takes place in Wales every year around the first week of August. It is a national festival, a time when all Welsh clans gather, travelling from all parts of the country, and even all parts of the world such as Welsh Patagonia, to celebrate and declare the strength and vitality of the Welsh language and culture. Within the grounds of the Eisteddfod, you are in a different world, a magical world of druids and bards, dragons and soothsayers. At least that is what I'm assuming it was like back in the 12th century when the festival tradition began. The druid tradition is still followed to the extent that ceremonial gatherings such as the awarding of the chair for poetry (an actual chair at that), is overseen by an Archdruid and her council of 150+ other druids, all dressed the part and all scholars of the Welsh language, music, or literature. Poetic bards are called upon to entertain the crowds with lyrical mastery between speeches at ceremonies. Dragon cheese and ale are popular (so good), and although there was no sign of any soothsayers, there was a mysterious procession of people shrouded in white with skeletal horse masks on.

While many traditions are of pagan origin, the stone circle left behind on site each year, many new ones have been incorporated over the years, such as the flamboyant giant of a pink tent at the centre of the grounds. It draws attention from all directions, screaming to be seen yet peacefully sitting amongst rolling green fields and white fluffy sheep. The festival is a very large event, one which requires a year's planning and fund-raising to organize. It is something for young and old, and refreshingly, it is something which all generations truly seem to enjoy taking part in. Young boys and girls eagerly practice their steps for the traditional clog dancing competitions, modern theater and art performances are available for viewing. Older people interact with non-Welsh tourists in Welsh taster classes, and even academic and political discussions are organized to debate the future of the Welsh language and culture. There is something very special about the way visitors of the Eisteddfod interact, the joy and laughter which permeats the air, and the general sense of acceptance of the self, the specially designated areas for children to run and scream and destroy things. A truly ingenious use of haystacks.

As an outsider it is really refreshing to see a culture within a larger nation which strives to maintain its identity, and enjoys doing so. My observations may be slightly skewed of course, but that is certainly what it feels like within the rose tinted tent.

 More information about next year's Eisteddfod can be found here.



Tuesday, August 6, 2013

Nazi bunkers, fishing and oil rigs

So I'm back in Europe, but this does not mean I have stopped travelling. In fact, I'm travelling more than ever, nearly to the point of delusional exhaustion which results in me walking into doors. Safe to say I'm happy that I will be in ONE place for a whole three weeks. Amazing.

This one
At the end of June I went to Norway to visit that one there > and had a great time. It was beautiful. I discovered that fjords in Norway are everywhere (it is one of those things you have to see to believe) and the people are lovely, albeit slightly sceptical of my very obvious foreign-ness. They are also very tall. I have never felt smaller than when surrounded by tall blonde Norwegians in blue blazers in a cramped bar in Stavanger. It's not like you exactly care though when you're in the company of good friends and you're all acting a bit loopy on the dance floor.

Stavanger is the cutest little seaside town/city. It is technically a city, because it has a cathedral, but it really feels more like a town. Especially when you see a giant cruise ship docked in the harbor towering over the wee wooden pubs and houses. Old Stavanger lies on the left of the harbour if you're facing inland, and is comprised of tiny white wooden houses, tiny flower gardens and cobbled streets which lead you up the hill to the tinned mackerel museum. Very cool and interesting if you're into old labels and adverts, but it was enough just to see the free exhibit at the front. To the right of the harbour are pubs, restaurants and more meandering cobbled streets which lead you to more pubs and restaurants.  

I would like to say that many Norwegian stereotypes apply. People are tall, blonde and outdoorsy. They dress very smart in navy blue blazers, or practical down jackets and wind breakers. A trip to the coast includes a fishing trip on a boat. Rocks and boulders resemble trolls and wooded areas look like they were taken straight out of an illustrated fairy tale book about the animals of the forest. Unexpected factors of this trip included the sheer number of pale peach jelly fish in the sea, the exploration of spooky nazi bunkers on the cliffs of Hausvik, and the horrible monster of a hangover that I had after drinking one too many øls. Locals beers are delicious. I particularly recommend the White Dog Lervig øl from Stavanger.



Finally, the landscape. I think this is where I finally understood the utter fascination some artists have with landscapes. Don't get me wrong. I have always enjoyed a good view, but never really understood why. Then standing on the side of a cliff peering out into the ocean, I realized that nothing compares to that feeling you get when you are confronted by the sheer size of the world in comparison to your tiny self. There is nothing that compares to standing on top of a rock or a mountain surrounded by nothing but scenery, giant jagged rocks plunging into a sapphire coloured ocean, bright blue sky above you, wind whipping at your hair and waves crashing against the rocks below you. And then the technological addiction kicks in and I understood the frustration so many landscape artists must have felt as the tried, and still try, to reproduce an image of their surroundings. Try as I may, no picture will ever capture that feeling. But a drawing might.





Sunday, August 4, 2013

Summer travels

This year so far, has been all about travelling. I regret not having kept this blog going for the past couple months, because even though I am not discovering new joys of residing in the Philippines anymore, it does not mean I have stopped discovering the joys of adventure travels! This month, from tomorrow onwards, I will be residing in Bangor, Wales - working and learning new geeky linguisticky things, but also hopefully exploring the coast, going to ancient druid festivals, and getting my surf on. At least learning to. My aim for the next three weeks then, is to post at least one blog per country missed in the past two months (Vietnam, UK, Norway and Germany), plus the Welsh adventures. Ambitious I know, but at least I'll get some done.

Currently I am in Germany, enjoying some home time and eating hearty and delicious german bread, butter, potatoes and beer with a bit of extreme gardening on the side. I know I'm biased, but sometimes there isn't anything better than that. I leave you with pictures of the lovely German countryside which is one of my homes: