Cardiff

The sun rises and I begin another adventure.

Today was Cardiff, the Capital City of Wales and one of the largest cities in Great Britain. One of its defining features is a beautiful Castle. 

Next trip I'm going to explore inside as well.

Then I went on a lark in the park. Saw some cool standing stones.

Got some writing done and did a little communing with nature.

This square may be familiar to some of you Torchwood fans...

Yes, that's right! It's the Torchwood Hub!

In the television show there is a secret government base directly beneath that monolith looking statue. 

It's pretty cool to stand where the TARDIS once landed!

#nerdselfie #itscold

Then we discovered an odd thing down by the docks...

Ianto Jones was arguably the most beloved character in Torchwood, and upon his death in the series finale (spoiler alert, sorry guys) the fandom freaked out. This little display started with one or two mourning fans who placed mementos of Ianto in the area where the door to the Hub once stood.

Since then, it has grown to be the largest memorial to a fictional character in the world. 

That's right. In the WORLD.

Fangirls, right?

#smh

There is also a little thing called the Doctor Who Experience. Tickets were, regrettably, sold out this weekend as it was the grand reopening. 

Don't worry. We'll be back.

Rhossili Take 2

So we went to Rhossili several weeks ago, but the tide was about to come in over this whole area so we decided not to risk it.

Well today we went back to brave the climb!

This jutting outcropping of rock is called The Worm's Head.

Fellow fans of Avatar the Last Airbender may see some similarities to the Serpent's Pass.

The weather started out grey and rather chilly...

...but warmed considerably when the sun returned.

This rock arch is the only high road to the very edge of the Worm's Head.

Roommate Jackson poses for a profile pic opportunity in front of the arch.

Our friend Alvihlde doesn't know we're taking these candid photos from under the arch. Jackson decided to come join us down the slope on the right. cast mostly in shadow. Crazy.

Not to be outdone, I decided to go through some less obvious paths to the underarch.

For this sight that few have seen.

We discovered a previously untapped precious resource in the world of comfort: this airy, fluffy, windblown island grass will henceforth and forever be known as "Hobbit Grass," as the Shirefolk no doubt stuff their mattresses with the stuff and sleep far more comfortably than we!

After a long trek...

...with many ups and downs...

...but mostly ups...

And more ups

And ups

We made it! 

#totally worth it

Three Weeks Deep

Swansea Beach

So I personally am pretty excited to be living by a beach. Close enough to walk barefoot if necessary. Two blocks away. It's pretty close. 

The actual water is fairly warm, great for walking in to talk to friends, not so great for swimming. (Carmen, I'm looking at you.) With one of the largest tidal fluctuations in the world, the difference between high tide and low tide is so big it's a completely different beach depending on the time of day! Don't try to get to the edge when the tide is out, you will get eaten by sand and regret it.

At sunset during medium tide, it's pretty beautiful. It's a great place for bonfires and for romantic or friendly walks on the beach. The lights of Swansea's industrial area are just being lit in the above picture.

Dusk and a half moon over the bay. Directly across is the coast of Southern England, which you can see on clear days. The sky is clear and the weather is warm. We've only had rain one day since I've been here. 

Sunset over Gower on Swansea beach.

Brecon Beacons National Park

Today Carmen and I went on quite an adventure! We hopped on a bus at 7:50 in the morning headed to Glynneath, where we were dropped off in the middle of a small town where more signs were in Welsh than in English. We asked a cashier who sold us our pack lunches for directions and walked two miles down a residential road to the Brecon Beacons natural park. 

The weather was just right; a little bit cool and slightly humid with no real threat of rain. After a short trek, we entered the Welsh forest and found a beautiful wonderland awaiting us.

Ancient, twisted trees arched over the path from all sides, and moss grew on everything. The path was muddy in some places, but nothing our hiking boots couldn't handle. 

The scenery was like something right out of Lord of the Rings; I almost expected to see the elves of Lothlorien or Mirkwood drifting through the trees after us. When I thought it couldn't get any better, we came upon the first waterfall.

Pretty cool right? They just got better from there.

Like seriously, look at these things.

They were one after another after another where the river had eaten through the bedrock.

Some were layered almost on top of each other.

Most of the waterfalls fell into really deep, clear pools that had been carved out of the stone over the centuries.

Some of these pools were perfect for cliff jumping, which will definitely be happening on a return trip.

Everything was mossy and so slippery, Carmen almost fell in at least a dozen times!

I had to go stick my head in most of the falls, of course.

This was my favorite, falling from a ledge of smooth rock that looked like it could have been cut with a knife.

I climbed to the top of course.

And played in the caves

And learned to use Carmen's auto timer!

The forest was absolutely unreal, and the eerie beauty of it made it easy to see where the Romantic Poets and writers of Tolkien's era got their aesthetic from the mysterious surroundings. 

10/10 would definitely go again! With a towel this time to go cliff jumping!