Having a Wales of a Time

I just arrived back in Birmingham from my weekend away in Swansea! I was able to have a lovely visit with Shona and meet all of her new friends at university.

On Saturday, we took a walk around the city centre and did a bit of shopping. Later, we joined two of Shona's friends to visit a couple of the local museums. Swansea is really a beautiful city. The university looks right out onto a wide beach and the harbour is full of brightly-painted boats. But the best part was the sun! I couldn't believe how bright it was! It's so grey in Brum sometimes that I was shocked by the sunshine-- blinded by the light, haha. After a bit of dinner, we experienced a real residence-living treat-- a fire-drill in the cold! It reminded me of campus living at York!  We spent a few hours (haha) of doing our hair and make-up and we headed out to the local student bar. Although it was pretty dirty and reminded me of Nipissing University's 'The Wall', it was free to get in and the drinks were all under £2, which fit my budget perfectly. It was a bit lame at first, but the music got better and better and I eventually felt comfortable enough to pull out some of my classic dance moves-- including the air guitar during 'Don't Stop Believin'' and 'Dude Looks Like a Lady'. We met some interesting characters (aka drunken Welsh boys) who were very interested in sharing their dance moves and their backsides with our dancing circle. All in all, it was a pretty fun night!

Unfortunately, Shona and I both found it incredibly difficult to wake up this morning, so we had to postpone our plans with her friends. Eventually, we got ourselves showered and dressed and met 2 more friends for a trip to the nearby seaside town of Mumbles. (bahaha, I always snicker when I say that). We took a long walk along the pier and enjoyed some lunch at the café on the waterfront. The tide was out, so after lunch, we walked across the ocean floor and climbed over to 'Lighthouse Island'. It was incredibly beautiful. The sun was reflecting on the water and the waves sounded so peaceful and relaxing. We discovered a couple of caves and got our shoes covered in sand while navigating mollusk-covered rocks. When it began to rain, we headed back to campus and I picked up my luggage and headed to the train station.

I love taking these weekend trips, but I can't believe how much time I spend on and waiting for trains and buses. It took me 5 hours to get home today! Next time, I think I will bite the bullet and drive my little car down to Swansea… we'll see!