Back from Wales!

... and oh so jetlagged. Yes, I'm a bit of a zombie, but my trip was fantastic, so it was very worth it. :) I got home late Monday night after 2 days of travelling, so at this point I think I just need to get some extra sleep so I can feel normal again and start going to the gym to get rid of the damage all the white bread and jam did to me! Here is a summary of my itinerary (with a few choice photos):

1) Day One - Arrive in Cardiff on an overnight flight with very minimal sleep; find my hostel; nap for an hour; visit the National Museum Wales; visit Cardiff Castle; and hang out with crazy-fun Canadians from Mississauga at my hostel while I plan the next few days of my trip!

National Museum Wales: I was not a huge fan - their storylines and exhibits were not particularly coherent (keep in mind I'm more critical of such things than most people!) - but it was interesting to see how the Welsh think about themselves within the context of the planet's evolution.

Cardiff Castle: A neat place in that it's located right in the centre of the city - I loved the gorgeous "animal wall" that bordered the sidewalk next to the castle. I was cheap and opted to only tour the grounds, rather than the house itself, but the tower was very cool.

2) Day Two - Travel to St. David's (on the west coast) from Cardiff to see the cathedral, and then on to the beautiful little town of Cardigan for the night. Not as simple as it sounds - I had to take a coach, a train, and a bus to St. David's, and then another bus to Cardigan! If only everything didn't close at 5pm...

St. David's: Gorgeous seaside town with amazing views and a stunning cathedral. Too bad I only had an hour there!

Cardigan: Very quaint little place where I was thrilled to find a cheap B&B so I had my own room! (I can't tell you how luxurious that felt after the hostel in Cardiff...)

3) Day Three - Travel on the bus to Aberystwyth, a great little university town, and then on to Machynlleth (I still can't pronounce this one properly!) for the afternoon market and to take the train to Tywyn and Aberdyfi.

Aberystwyth: Just a brief stopover here on my way north, unfortunately, but being a good Canadian I had to try a Welsh doughnut! It was interesting (more like a sweet bun than a doughnut), but very tasty... chocolatey dough, creamy chocolate filling, and covered with powdered sugar instead of glaze.

Machynlleth: I loved this place. Unfortunately, the Celtica Museum had closed the previous year, but I browsed in the marketplace and did a fair bit of shopping. I stayed at another B&B here, run by a wonderful and very welcoming couple.

Tywyn: I came here specifically to see St. Cadfan's Stone, a tablet inscribed with the oldest written Welsh. Unfortunately, the church the stone is in (of the same name) was closed! I was very disappointed, but then decided to take the advice of locals and walk 4 miles down the beach to Aberdyfi... let's just say that while I still made the train, one cannot always trust the advice of locals!

4) Day Four - North to Porthmadog, on the edge of Snowdon National Park, which I decided to make my base for the rest of my stay in Wales. Unfortunately, I didn't get to do nearly as many things as I wanted to while here (hiking up Cadair Idris and taking the Snowdon Mountain Railway up Wales' highest peak among them), but it was a good place to start!

Porthmadog: I did not like the town itself that much, but I was staying at the Snowdon Mountain Lodge about a mile outside in a village called Tremadog, which was just beautiful. The building the hostel is in is actually the birthplace of Lawrence of Arabia, which is pretty neat. Lots of sheep and good walking trails, and the transit network in the area made it relatively easy to get around.

5) Day Five - Spontaneously decided to do some "horse riding" today, which is an interesting experience if one has only done Western style riding before.

Unfortunately, the girls who were sent out to lead us on the ride through the countryside were not what one would call "mature", and there was a lot of bickering that dramatically expanded my knowledge of British profanities. That said, I blocked them out for the most part and really enjoyed the ride. (Although, judging by the photo of me on the horse, the horse didn't enjoy himself much at all!) So sore the next day, though...

6) Day Six - My last day of sightseeing in Wales. So sad. I decided to be incredibly ambitious and see two castles and the Italianate village of Portmeirion, all in one day, and by public transit. The others at the hostel thought I was crazy, but I did it! I finished off the day with a well-earned ginger beer in the woods. Amazing.

Caernarfon Castle: Wales' most impressive medieval fortress, and the place where Prince Charles was invested as Prince of Wales. It was great, and I'd highly recommend the guided tour to really get a sense of the place and what life was the like there.

Portmeirion: One of the most beautiful and serene places I have ever been to; it felt very "utopic". Unfortunately, due to my schedule, I only had about 40 minutes there!

Harlech Castle: After a very steep hike up to the castle from the train station, I decided that, even though Harlech is much more ruinous and small than Caernarfon Castle, I liked it best of the castles I saw. The quietness of it and its crumbling walls gave it a sort of imposing power the other two castles I saw lacked to a certain extent.

7) Day Seven - Back to Cardiff today on a 7 hour bus ride. Sigh. At least it gave me lots of time for sleep after staying up late last night at the pub! :) Met up with some Brits from the Snowdon Lodge for a drink in the evening, and then headed to bed so I could get up nice and early for my flight in the morning. I decided I like Cardiff a lot - it's a nice small city, and quite easy to navigate. And it's pretty cool there's a castle downtown!

8) Day Eight - Home to Canada on the plane. After the warmth and sunshine in Wales, it was a bit of a shock to get out of the airport in Toronto to rain and wind!

So that's basically my trip. I think this is by far the longest post I have done so far, but I hope you enjoyed hearing about my adventure. :) You won't believe how much Turkish Delight I brought back with me...