Bess' Travel Diaries: England + Wales, Part 1

The journey beckons {& begins}...

• {overnight flight} U.S.A. to Heathrow Airport, London {I sat next to a lovely young American woman who lived in England with her husband & children.  She even gave me her phone number in case I had any problems on my solo adventure!}
• Heathrow Express train to London's Paddington Station {It was here that I nearly sat down in the middle of the mass of moving humanity & cried.  I was exhausted, lugging my luggage behind me {that must be why it's called luggage}, & being told something different each time I'd ask how to get to the little town in Wales where I was to stay for the 1st 3 nights.  But, I managed to hold it together.  Thank You, Lord.}
• London, England to Wales {by trains}   

Dear Diary,

Wales is pretty darn cold!  The natives were out in short sleeves & shorts, while I was bundled in layers & still shivering!  Not to mention, the B&B is quite a long walk from the train station.  What have I got myself into?

P.S.: "Awryt butt" (which sounds like "all right but") apparently means "hello friend" in Wales-speak {something to do with bud, as in buddy, only they call it butt}.  Not where I come from buddy...or should I say butty.

Here's the room where I spent my 1st 3 nights {& killed 2 of the 3 sinister-looking spiders of the trip.  Ugh!}  It was a room for 2, but I stayed in it solo {of course}. 

This old silver skeleton-style key fascinated me.  They still use these antiquities over there!  In fact, it was the key for the front door of the B&B, which was formerly a vicarage {thought to be built in the 1600s}.  The floors were awfully creaky!

 

I spent so much of my time on trains or at train stations.

On day 2 I traveled to Cardiff, the capital of Wales.

Dear Diary,

Today on my way to Cardiff, I chatted with an elderly lady originally from Northern Ireland.  As we neared a rail station, I took the chance to ask her what station it would be {asking questions is all I ever do, it seems}.  She told me Welshpool, so I sat back & listened to her describe how her old aunt fell & broke her hip & went down hill from there {as I was waiting for the Shrewsbury station, not Welshpool}.  As the train began to pull away again from its stop, the lady {Margaret was her name} finally took a breath & looked out the window.  These are the words that next came out of her mouth: "Oh, no!  This was your stop!  I'm so sorry, I didn't think we were there yet!"  To make a long story short, I had to get off at the next station, get a train going back the other way, & wait for the next earliest connection.  Oh hum well, that's travel for ya!

Coming back from Cardiff proved even less appealing, as I missed the train by mere minutes that I should have taken {note to self: 24 hour clocks are a terrible confusing invention}.  I had to wait about knowing that I wouldn't be coming into my little B&B town until after 10:00, which meant a long dark walk.  So I did what any normal girl would do alone in a foreign land, I begged someone to use their cell phone & alerted my B&B hosts that I would be getting in rather late {hoping beyond hope they'd read between the lines & offer to pick me up from the station}.  Sadly, they said they'd be out themselves...  So, I did next what any solitary, worn out girl would do on a strange foreign mass, I went into the restroom & cried.  On the long dark stroll home {note: when I say stroll I really mean speed walk}, I sang almost silently the old hymn from long ago... "What a friend we have in Jesus..." & prayed.  He was with me all the winding way.  Day 2 was quite something.  What next?  All I know for sure is, "what a friend we have in Jesus!"

P.S.: So glad I brought along that mini flashlight {a torch, to the Brits}.     

bustling streets of the capital {note the Welsh flags flying}

these pom-pom-like flowers were so tall & large {sorta like something you expect in Alice in Wonderland}

clock tower {part of Cardiff Castle, which I toured}

click here to learn more about the castle

fancy angelic decoration above a fireplace {inside the castle}

one of the many stained glass windows

dining room for wee royals

study area {love the window seats}

this is one of my favorite pics {yep, I'm a bibliophile}

Norman Keep {located inside the castle walls}



bright ivy creeping up the ancient stones

Well, this closes part 1 of my Travel Diary.  Stop back by soon for the rest of the adventure!

Love from Wales & Back Again,

-Bess-