Cardiff, Wales

This last weekend, February 20-22, my friend Bailey from Northern Arizona University and I took a semi-spontaneous trip to Cardiff Wales to see a bit more of Great Britain and this wonderful world we have the opportunity to explore. This trip was a little more unique than the last few because I tried out my new backpacking backpack that works as a carry-on on an airplane and therefore, I had to pack a lot lighter. I only got to take one camera lens with me and no going-out clothes which was a little uncomfortable since our hostel, The Bunkhouse, was in the heart of the city center and was located directly above a pub.


We met a lot of very interesting people during our journey to Cardiff as well as once we were there. Some loud, some not so sane, others were some of the most incredible people I have ever met. It was a fantastic journey that all began with a six-hour bus/coach ride and a few drinks at a nearby bar. Met some really cool people there and prepared our next day's activities.

The "Armadillo" theater-Welsh on the left, English on the right

We started off with an eight AM breakfast and headed out for Mermaid Quay (pronounced KEY, I learned). This harbor was the freshwater entry point before merging with the ocean. This harbor was one of the most beautiful places especially in the morning when there was no wind and it looked like a large glass mirror.

Mermaid Quay

Aussie driver in red

We ended up splurging a little on our trip and went on a one-hour motor-boat tour of the islands out past Cardiff and got a bit of a history lesson as well. After the driver, an incredibly cool Australian, did some donuts in the harbor and showed us some of the local scenery we headed off for the harbor walk.

Bird sanctuary

Flat Holm island once inhabited by Vikings

Bailey and I after the windy ride

Cardiff pier

Cardiff city and storm clouds moving in

 On the walk around harbor was where I saw the most beautiful ocean landscape I have ever seen. The low tide left damp rocks that revealed a glimmering texturized shine on the sandy beach and was absolutely breathtaking.

 We then found the location of the three circles which have become a Cardiff tourist attraction and only cost the Wales tax payers forty thousand pounds (as we learned from the Australian boat driver). As you walk around the harbor and boat through the water gates you see strips of yellow paint seemingly randomly but when you stand in a specific square you see the random yellow lines turn into three perfect circles.

By the time we had gotten back around the harbor the rain sprinkles had began so we sat down for some lunch and found a nice day resort spa that we could crash for the rest of the afternoon and evening. And that is just what we did. For ten pounds ($15ish) we were able to use the spa facilities and relax in the pools, steam room, hot tub and relaxation room; fair to say I was in heaven.

Statue commemorating sailor who adventured to Antarctic and never came home

Millennium Stadium

We ended our night with an appetizer and were treated to drinks by a guy from our hostel. That was an interesting story to contribute to our pallet of interesting people we met.









On  our last day in Wales we spent the majority of our time at the gorgeous Cardiff castle on an incredibly rainy day. We got a guided and self tour and spent as much time as we could indoors to escape the downpours. Wet shoes and light-packing was an experience as I didn't have an umbrella or change of shoes which would have come in handy that day.

Cardiff Castle

Overlooking Cardiff

Terrible photo of me wet and cold at the castle!

On our walk from the castle to the Cardiff National Museum we got soaked by a roadside pond that a car conveniently drove through right as we walked by it. It was fair to say we were not dry until eight hours later when we finally got back home. The museum was really quite cool though, for both adults and children, and half-breeds like myself. There were tons of exhibits, all for free, ranging from the history of photography and historical artists to how the earth was formed with dinosaur exhibits. We spent some time there before we started on our six hour coach ride back to Nottingham where I slept fabulously that night.

I had an amazing weekend in Wales. It was such a blast traveling with my good friend and being able to share a laugh and have someone take a photo of me for once. We decided that overall, our favorite thing we did was go on the boat ride because that was such a uniquely Cardiff experience. We also loved the spa and exhibits as well as the stories we came home with. I can't wait for my next adventure!

My time in England (so far)

For all the family and friends back home, a little update on school: 

My house is cute and fun, I get along famously with my housemates, all five of them! I have been in university here for three weeks now and although I am not a fan of my Tuesday/Thursday 9am classes, I don't really mind my classes at all. They are, for the most part, intriguing and entertaining and I have made a lot of friends, though most of them are international students. I am craving the attention of a pet and am really missing my dog back home or being around pets in general.

Arkwright building- Nottingham Trent University

Some of the Climbing and Mountaineering crew on an Ocean Wednesday pub crawl(80s theme)

My walk to school(on a nice day)

I have gotten really into climbing since I have been here and have signed up for a week long climbing trip with the mountaineering club I am now apart of to Portland, England the first week of Easter Holiday (spring break). I am still finalizing plans for the second week but would like to go to Paris! I also have plans, though not booked yet, to go visit a friend in Holland for a long weekend at the end of April and then my parents will be arriving May 4!!! This is something I am really looking forward to..the homesickness has started to set in a bit; though that may be because I have a cold and want someone to make me soup.

It rains a lot here in England and seems to almost always be gray and cold. We have had several gorgeous sweater-wearing days this week but then the rain started again. Overall, England has been an experience and I will post photos of the town and my house upon my arrival back from Wales!

Thanks for reading, miss you all very much!
Coughs and love,
Dana

Stonehenge and Bath in a day

On Saturday, February 7th I took a bus trip with two of the girl's from my university in Arizona with a hundred or so other international students from Nottingham Trent University and the University of Nottingham to the historical Stonehenge and the city of Bath.

Stonehenge

Our first stop on the bus trip was Stonehenge, the site of the historical burial grounds of just over 200 individuals around 3000 BC. We only had about an hour here (and some might want to double check my facts) but it was extremely bitterly cold out. It was an amazing site to see such a historical place built without modern technology and something that is still standing today.



Our next stop was the city of Bath located in south England. This city is famously known for its Roman baths that are the only source of natural spring water from the earth core in the UK.

When the Romans settled in England in 60AD (again, feel free to check my facts) they founded this source of healing water to which they dug pools for the sick and ill to bathe in. They dedicated these pools to the Roman Goddess Minerva and held many animal sacrifices there as well as healing rituals in the pools and temples.

Bros in Bath

We spent several hours here; it was well-worth the entrance fee. I hope to eventually go back as I would love to be able to see more of the cute town, but unfortunately we were on the bus's schedule. The history and beauty of these two places are astounding and I would recommend them to anyone who would like to learn a bit about the history of our ancestors.
My favorite thing I have found on these trips is just to walk around, absorb the history, and take photos of it all. :) Enjoy!

The original source of the mineral water

Sacrificing Podium(what's left)

Next my friend Bailey and I are headed to Cardiff, Wales!

Venice, Italy

Venice was a postcard city; so unlike any place I have ever visited on this earth. I spent my three days there with a camera attached to my face as everything to see was so beyond the laws of nature. The old-fashioned water systems that were put into place over 800 years ago still stand today, navigating between islands by boat with the sea underneath you and snowy mountains in front of you.

 DAY 1

As I did through most of Italy, I spent my time wandering, getting lost and ending up in parts of Venice that were so true to the Venezian lifestyle.

The view from my hostel

Grand Canal

During my first few hours of my time there, I was able to wander over many bridges, and see a lot of beautiful architecture, directly on the water; no cliffs and sandstone bluffs holding up these wonders from above the sea. I was able to enter into shops and see all of the things that Venice has been known for for hundreds of years; it's glass, masks, and lace, all of which were abundant throughout the islands.

Venezian Mask

DAY 2

Bridge of Sighs and my massive head

I arose earlier the next morning to catch a water-bus over to the Piazza San Marco, or St. Mark's square where the renown St. Marks Basillica stands. Upon arriving I found myself in a mad scene of vendors and artists all trying to sell me something; selfie sticks, post cards, or paintings. It was a mad and overwhelming scene yet so classic I soaked it all in. I ended up pulling out my map for a moment and noticed that I was standing on the bridge that looked out at the Bridge of Sighs (that explains all of the selfies where I was standing). After taking a selfie myself, I headed over to the St. Mark's square and found myself walking on raised planks to get inside the basilica.

 It amazed me at how flooded the area was and how it was such a normal thing for all of the locals there. When it becomes high tide, the water rises up through the drains and floods the square, even rising into the church. However, through hundreds of years of near-daily flooding, the church remains unharmed by erosion, corrosion, or water damage of any sort. It was amazing to see how well-kept everything was and how differently everything was built. Growing up near the water I watched as the bluffs would be pulled away by the ocean over the years sometimes even pulling a home in with it; this wasn't completely uncommon. It was amazing to see how differently things were built to withstand mother nature.

The marble and stone details all remain in tact and admired day after day. We weren't exactly allowed to take photos inside either, so I do apologize for the few that there are that I did sneak-take. 










After spending some time in the square, I hopped on another water bus over to the island of Murano where I stayed until sunset later that evening. I had such an amazing time in Murano just wandering into shops, seeing what each person was making in that shop and how their art contributed to the art of all of Murano. 

 

One person would make miniscule beads from the glass sticks, another would thread them, and another shop would tie together hundreds of strands of miniscule beads to make jewelry. Other shops would make their own beads or statement jewelry while others would create mosaic jewelry by fusing little glass beads into a picture or mosaic. These were my favorite pieces of art and it was so fascinating seeing how they were made. 

By the end of the evening I had covered most of Murano by foot and ended up on the other side of the tourist-ridden island. Here, I found a genuine lifestyle of the Venezian people flooded with churches, animals, gardens, laundry on rope blowing in the wind, and evening dinners commencing. 

Murano Church

By the time I had hopped on a boat back to the main island it had gotten quite cold.

 I ended up in a restaurant where I ordered a pizza and I can say from all honesty that it was the best pizza I have had in my entire life. 

While stuffing myself I received a text message from a girl I had met back in my hostel in Bologna who had an English friend who was also in Venice and told me to go and meet him. While trying to figure out exactly where to go on my new adventure I waited for directions at a famous hole-in-the-wall wine bar where if you purchase one drink you could eat as much as you wanted from the appetizer buffet. Though I was stuffed I did wait with some wine (which was abundant and cheap(!)in Italy) and some new German friends I had met outside.

It turned out that the place I was supposed to meet this friend, was the same place they were all headed! So they took me out with them where we met up with this friend as well as some friends he had made who were Canadian. Our group of four turned into a group of nine and we all ventured out and ended up in an underground  Italian club where there was a live DJ who rapped in Italian! That was one of he most amazing nights since my time in Europe, so unique and unexpected. 

DAY 3

The next morning, I was woken at 5am by an inconsiderate girl who needed to leave the hostel early for her flight and just HAD to turn on the overhead light to see. In all of my time spent in hostels I was shocked as to how inconsiderate that was as most people use cell-phone lights or a bathroom light to grab their stuff and leave; most pack the night before so as to not disrupt others in the room. By ten AM I had to wake up, pack up, eat, and check out. This morning was a little tougher than most as I had been constantly on the go for the last week and had a long night the night before. My hostel, the L'imbarcadero, was such a nice hostel with a fantastic staff and location. I would recommend it to anyone going to Venice(besides the roommate all was wonderful!). 

The woman who ran the place let me leave my luggage there for the day as I didn't have to be at the bus stop until 6 in the evening. I ended up walking over to the Rialto bridge where I did some window shopping and hung out with some of the people from the night before. We ended up going back to the Piazza San Marco, doing some more window shopping and wandering, and grabbing some food before finding our ways to our next destinations. It was a much more mellow day just spent with some new friends to close off an interesting journey. I bought a new book for the bus and flight, and began my trip home to England. 

So many alleyways!

Although it was a difficult trip alone with many language barriers and different types of people, I am so thankful for the experience that I was able to have and the people I was able to meet whilst there. I can't wait to go back to Italy this summer and see the rest of this country's beauty.

 After landing late in the evening in England, I was able to successfully pass through customs with the correct student visitor visa, enabling me to study at Nottingham Trent University the following week!