Strumble Head

On our last day on the coast, we went to see a lighthouse. Strumble Head that is.

T'was a nice sunny day out and as it was a bank holiday there were only a few other folks around. We stared at the lighthouse a bit and then set off to do a small portion on the coastal path. Oh it was so bright and happy out. There was a cool breeze (tornado winds) and the crystal blue water slapped the shore with a soothing "shhhhhh" noise. 

And then WAMO!!

The most eerie fog rolled in out of nowhere. Seriously. Nowhere. It was creepy. And really cool.

We had a cab coming to take us back to the train station so we turned around and headed back for the lighthouse. By the time we got back the sun had reappeared and we even saw two seals staring up at us from the Caribbean waters. This one is Plattsy. Eric was a bit more camera shy.

St. Davids

The next day we took a bus south to St. Davids. This was my favorite place we visited on the Coast last year and that is for two reasons. Both of which are food items. The first; Celtic Crunch ice cream. It's toffee ice cream with nuts and chocolate and honey and nougat and it melts in your mouth - as ice cream does. The second is a burger but not just any burger. It's Welsh beef and has some kind of delicious sauce. I've thought about it a number of times in the last year and Lukas and I really only came back for the burger.

Here's the zinger. It was a Sunday and the buses don't run on Sunday. Fortunately there is the Puffin Shuttle which runs up and down the Coast between Fishguard and St. Davids. The Puffin Shuttle, a short little bus seating only 24 was being driven by Colin, a happy Welsh man who looked a lot like Austin Powers. Colin picked us and about 6 other people up in Fishguard. He was very nice and made lots of jokes and silly remarks to us while he was driving. We picked up a few more people and the lot of us all became giggly friends on account of Colin making everyone feel so comfortable. He would even stop and pick people up off of the side of the road. Sweet little man. These little coastal towns have lots of narrow roads and hair-pin turns that run right along the cliffs. Colin would have to back up to the edge to turn around and everyone would squeal and laugh. "That'll do!" one man shouted, as we creeped closer and closer to the edge.

Halfway through the ride we got to Abereiddy Bay, a popular beach that can only be reached by a narrow, one way, dirt road that goes almost straight down the cliff. We waited on a steep incline for about 20 minutes. Some jerk at the bottom of the hill would not pull over to let the other cars come down. Technically going uphill has right of way and he would not budge, holding up about 16 cars trying to come down onto the beach. Colin sat patiently, mildly amused by the guys jerkiness. "I'm sorry." he announced, "If you have any connections, we won't make it."
"Why does this always happen when you're driving?" a little old lady asked Colin and he laughed to himself.
"Well this won't do!" another lady shouted and she hoped off the bus and stomped down the road and shouted at the stubborn man at the bottom of the hill. "Colin has a route to do!!"

What could be driven in 20 minutes took 2 hours and 10 minutes. Everyone cheered for Colin when he finally got us back up the hill and into St. Davids. Lukas and I hoped off the bus and made a beeline for the Celtic Crunch. Once that was done, we headed for the coastal path. We came upon some rock climbers, ancient ruins, blackberries, and a beach where we decided to spend the afternoon.

I found it to be most chilly on the beach. The temperature was great but that wind!! We ended up sitting amongst the rocks rather than the sand as there was a sort of windbreak behind the boulders. Lukas scurried around in a nearby cave while I laid across a rock like a lizard. We chose to leave the beach early so that we could go to The Sound Cafe for our burgers before we caught the bus back to Fishguard. To our HORROR the place is under new management and our beloved burger no longer exists. We scarfed down two mediocre burgers that cost way too much and then hustled to catch the bus. And we waited. And waited. It occurred to me that it might be stuck in Abereiddy Bay again on account of all the people that would now be trying to go home at the end of the day. About 35 minutes later the shuttle arrived and good ole Colin was driving. The lot of us filled all of the seats and there were still quite a few stops to go. 

More and more people packed on. We were definitely past the 24 person limit. Again everyone was laughing about it and squeezing in so people could stand in the aisle. One kid in the back even passed around a bag of mints for the whole bus. "Would you like mint Colin?" someone asked, pushing the bag forward. Soon, people were sitting on people. Children were stacked three high, and bags where piled on top of bodies. We couldn't stop laughing. It was so ridiculous. At this point Colin wasn't even making people buy tickets, he was just cramming them in and hoping that we didn't pass a cop. Finally, the bus could hold no more. There were seven people waiting at the next stop. Colin politely told them that they wouldn't fit but knowing there was no other bus on Sunday he said he would come back to get them once he emptied out. And so we went on. But then everyone started rooting for him. "Come on Colin, we'll make room!" and then shoved even farther back, creating a 3-foot space near the door. So Colin circled round and we picked them up too. "We could put fourrr on the rrrroof!" one particularly Welsh accent said. "And thrrrree on the back bumperrrrr."

We eventually made it to a stop where half of the crowd climbed out. Colin used this time to figure out who had paid and who hadn't. Everyone who hadn't paid stepped outside and paid for their ticket. This took approximately four minutes however he was blocking a road and in turn held up about 6 cars. "Therrre's grrrridlock in west Wales!" the man cackled to himself. After all, the only thing that holds up traffic in this farm region are the sheep. Waiting to ride down into Abereiddy bay a man overheard Lukas telling someone we were riding all the way to Fishguard and he offered us a ride. This saved us about an hour and the guy driving happens to work for the Welsh Tourist Bureau. He takes people on tours all over Wales and works on promotions and media. Lukas got me his business card and I REALLY want to send him some pictures. What if they made it to the guidebooks!!

Back To The Coast

The moment I've been waiting for!!! We finally got back to the Pembrokeshire Coast. Lukas's friend Kez and his lovely wife Nia are from Fishguard, a little town up on the north side of things. So off for a visit we went. It was a bit overcast when we arrived but Kez and Nia picked us up from the train station and took us around the tiny little town, which took approximately 3 minutes..

We had a quick lunch as Nia rushed us out of the restaurant. "We have to meet Joe and Flora!", she exclaimed. "We have to go crabbing!!".  Apparently it's a pastime to tie bacon to string and dangle it off the dock to catch crabs. Once everyone has a crab, you race them down the boat ramps. Nia was so excited about this and is clearly an old pro - managing to tie 3 pieces of bacon at 6 inch intervals all down her piece of string. Unfortunately the tide was too low for this adventure and no one managed to catch any loot. 

We gave up after while and the sun made an appearance. The AberJazz festival was taking place here this weekend so we sat outside and listened to the tunes. Later we went to Nia's friends house where we ate fish n' chips and saw a rainbow. I started to feel sick here. Prior to their house, Flora and Nia insisted I try organic cider. I did, and it tasted strange. At first I thought I felt sick because I was sitting amongst a toddler and his bacteria toys and soiled clothes. Then I thought of the cider mixed with greasy fish and boy - yick!! Nothing actually became of this though it prevented me from a few hearty cackles when Nia knocked over two drinks and the toddler brought up the rear, batting a mug of tea off of the coffee table with an inflatable pirate ship. I spontaneously felt better and then considered feeling guilty for silently accusing the child.

We spent the evening around town meeting various friends from high school and such. Mostly I was incredibly cold, though everyone else seemed to think it was nice out. I find it odd that these people can be all bundled up in coats and still think it's nice weather. It rained on us a bit and so the 10 or 12 of us hid in a shed. During this time we told jokes, found a big spider, and were blinded by various cell phone cameras.

Kez's Dad put us up for the night and MAN!! It was the greatest house ever. I loved the kitchen so much it hurt way down inside. Everything was unfinished wood and stone and farm housey. Giant windows and high ceilings. He lives up on a mountain outside of town and has his ritzy art gallery in the back yard. Oh that kitchen!!! I told him I was moving in and he mumbled something with his Welsh accent and then stepped outside. You just wait Papa Kez. Just wait.

While Kez and Nia went off to see friends the next day, Lukas had them drive us to Newport (Just 7 miles away) so we could climb Carningli Mountain. It seems my summer of cowering indoors has rendered me somewhat... girly.

It was a tremendous view. Those colors. I was entirely exhausted once we got to the top. Little did I know, Lukas was plotting to put me on the Coastal Path. We walked from Newport to Dinas. I did my best to be pleasant and not complain too much. Once we got back down the mountain, through the town, and onto the path, I forgot to whine about my aching joints and burning calves. Gosh it was so pretty. This place is a little hidden gem. It's a shame no one really knows about it. I would surely move here if it wasn't for the harsh winters. The locals here are beyond friendly - giving us rides and meals on multiple occasions. "We don't get many Americans round here." they say, "But the ones we meet are so friendly!"

Caerphilly

Caerphilly is a glorious cheese town. People visit Caerphilly on account of a 13th century castle fortress thing, built to help a guy named Gilbert take over Glamorgan, a chunk of south Wales. More importantly to me though, they make cheese. And lots of it.

Upon my arrival in Cardiff, Lukas took me to the grocery store for my required goods; welsh cakes, custard cremes, hummus, and cheese. Last year I bought standard sandwich cheese. This year Lukas insisted I try a local cheese and suggested the Caerphilly brand. And so I bought it. And so I have eaten two blocks of it since I've been here.

It's just a quick little bus ride out of Cardiff to get to this charming little town. I know I said Cardiff was colorful but this place... I just can't explain. Deep deep colors. We walked around a bit and sat and had baguette sandwiches by the castle moat. Once inside we discovered there was a wedding going on and were instructed not to join in. T'was a neat castle. Spiral staircases, long creepy corridors, etc. Mostly I enjoyed being on the top near the turrets as I could look down onto the merry wedding reception. While I hemmed and hawed at the big bride and tiny groomsmen, behind me Lukas was trying to climb the turret up to the "restricted area" where they proudly fly the Welsh flag. Bad kid.

I insisted he stop "right this instant" but he continued springing up and down, desperately reaching for the ledge. This jump, he informed me, has been completed once before on a previous trip to Caerphilly. He in fact climbed to the top and stood proudly about his dodo-like disposition. Unfortunately this time his flip-flops were to blame for the failure and he was in fact, very disappointed.

Once he gave up on acrobatics and I finished creating the dialogue for the party down below, we headed back into town for cheese. Glorious cheese. I told Lukas I would move to Wales if I could work for the cheese monger. He told me I'd be "all blocked up". 

To my HORROR they had sold out of Caerphilly cheese for the day but had a nice selection of other Welsh cheeses. "FINE!" I shouted in my mind, stomping one foot on the ground for effect. In reality I smiled and acted like I wanted alternate cheeses the whole time anyway. 

I settled for a cheese from Snowdonia called, "Green Thunder" and politely handed over my change. I threw Green Thunder into Lukas's backpack and away we went back to Cardiff.

The Thunder and I are now close friends. The way he crumbles when I toss him just so. The bits of herbs that shimmer in the florescent lights up above. The way the cheddary goodness melts on my tongue...

Caerphilly is a glorious cheese town.

City And Color

Wales is such a colorful place. Mostly this is because of the abundant displays of weeds and flowers but also the light here just seems to make colors deeper. Blue blues and green greens. Cars, people, signs- there's color everywhere. Just like Charleston. I attempted to go into the city part of the city to take pictures but you know, a city is a city and people are busy and trying to get places. The difference here is that people will wait patiently for you to take a picture even though you're blocking up the sidewalk. In New York they push past you and grunt and wish horrible things upon you. But being the way I am, I still feel very guilty holding up things to take pictures, so I don't. I steal a picture here and there when I can press my body up against the side of a building, pull out my camera, point, shoot, and run away.

As I've mentioned, there is an abundance of green space here. I don't mind at all capturing these open areas thus, I show you the same pictures over and over. So anyways, the first pictures are the burbs. Last year, I told you all of the houses are the same, built all at once during the industrial area. Moving out of the city center takes you through a maze of these houses. It's easy to get turned around because they all look the same!!

 I'm thrilled by the gardens and flowers and pretty girlish things. I walked to town yesterday to have lunch with Lukas and we sat in the grass behind his office building. It just so happened to be full of flowers and trees, a monument to something war related, and a number of pigeons and squirrels.

The city consists mostly of ornately styled buildings. There are just a few big bland rectangular buildings. These are Lukas's science labs and nerd buildings. Most everything else; hotels, stores, train stations, restaurants, museums, etc are elaborately designed or somehow Charlestonlike. I wandered into the shopping area yesterday and was so overwhelmed by the crowds and noise that I ran away almost instantly. I thought Charleston had bad mobs. I was happy to run off though. We were meeting friends in the park for barbecue.