(Note that I didn’t say “see” a Taylor Swift concert.) So Rachel and I might have been the only two people in Swansea this weekend who weren’t there for the music festival. That wasn’t for want of trying—we turned up outside the venue about an hour before Taylor Swift was set to come on so …
If I judge cities by their castles, then Swansea gets a 6/10. The castle gets bonus points for dating from the late 13th century and for having largely evaded Victorian tampering, but loses some points for not being open to the public. The best you can do is walk around the perimeter and peer into …
Stopped over at Aberdare long enough to throw the contents of my duffel in the wash, bolt down lunch, throw the wash back into my duffel, meet up with Rachel N. from Cardiff (not to be confused with Rachel P. from Vancouver), and catch the megabus to Swansea. We appear to be the only two …
So I did the starving student thing where instead of paying admission, I climbed up on the steps around the corner from the Pump Room and peered over the rail so I could get a free look at the baths. Unfortunately, since hoisting my chin over the rail required both hands, I have no pictures. …
I got a little soggy wandering around Bath today. The problem with unpredictable rain showers is that they cause me to overeat. I’ll be wandering around minding my own business taking pictures and reading plaques, and then the skies open up and I dive for the nearest bakery with clotted cream and central heating. Also, …
I made it (after five train transfers and one bus) to Bath, one of my favorite cities in England. I arrived late in the evening and, loath to squander the blue sky (in light of tomorrow’s weather forecast), wandered Bath with my heavy backpack till the sun went down. Now, for a history geek, the …
In my ignominious flight from Cardiff on Saturday, my packing method consisted of going through my room like a hurricane throwing things back into my duffel that I’d just finished unpacking from Cornwall. As a result, my shower bag—shampoo, conditioner, face scrub, shower gel—got left in my cabinet. So in Conwy, I had to go …
I cheaped out and didn’t pay 11.50 for castle admission (I would have, but with half the castle closed for restoration, I really felt I should only be paying 6.25). So to bring you this post, I poached my own photos from my first visit to Conwy two years ago. Behold, a rather vintage castle …
When I plan a trip, I create a folder in my inbox in which to put booking confirmations and e-tickets. Generally, these folders have names like: “Malta: May 8-15.” “Italy: June 2-14.” “Swansea, May 25-27.” The current folder is called: “Avoidance Tactics: Indefinite.” Why I am in self-imposed exile from Cardiff is a very long …
Picnic dinner: View:
~Edit~ Listen up, y’all—take a look at the context of this blog before you leave comments asking me for advice on witchcraft. This is a student travel blog about a semester in Cardiff. The post is about cool trivia I learned at a charming small museum in Cornwall. While I’ve been enjoying the fact that …
Having fallen unreservedly in love with the West Cornish cliffs during my visit to Tintagel, I knew I had to get myself back there at least once before I left. So, lured by the Museum of Witchcraft and Magic, I made bookings in Boscastle. Now, say ‘Boscastle’ to any Brit and, though Boscastle ought to …
A few stragglers that finally uploaded from the Malta photo collection. This is St. Julian’s Bay, not far from St. Julian’s Tower, which I still do not have an adequate picture of: Strikingly clear jade water: One of those colorful fishing boats that Malta is famous for:
On the whole, this seat-of-the-pants thing has been working out pretty well for me, with the exception of turning up in rainy Penzance in sandals and a tank top. I got back to Cardiff around noon and stuck around exactly long enough to throw the contents of my duffel bag in the washing machine, eat …
These are from the window of a New Age shop in Penzance:
Only a mile or two from Penzance is St. Michael’s Mount, an island community connected to the mainland by a causeway: For most of the day, the causeway is submerged. You have to look up the tide tables. The island becomes accessible for only about four hours every tide cycle. On the island, there’s a …
Toto, we’re not in Malta anymore, but we’re still packed for it. I tried to eat breakfast in Penzance overlooking the sea, and got blue toes for my efforts (yes, it is every bit as cold and drizzly here as the sky implies). So before I could embark upon my explorations for the day, I …
Here’s the top of Penzance’s shopping street: I just like this pub in the old section of Penzance because it’s called the Admiral Benbow and it has a pirate on the roof, references to Treasure Island: Here’s the harbor: Here’s the harbor six hours later with the boats stranded on the sand: (The boats in the …
Anna and I flew back to Bristol Airport and made it as far as Bristol Temple Meads station, at which point I looked at the departures board and tacked an impromptu vacation onto the end of my impromptu vacation. Okay, it wasn’t quite as spontaneous as that, but pretty close. As in, planned about 48 hours before …
The souvenirs are just Malta-themed kitsch with discreet made-in-China stamps. It’s nothing to cross the world to see… …till you look up and realize you’re in a gorgeously preserved medieval palazzo: If you look, the bones of the old building are still there beneath the tourist rubble: I wish I knew more about this building. One of …