A Weekend in Wales

Bangor Uni

Last weekend I made the journey through the Chunnel once more to visit my friend Gini (yes, this is a different friend named Ginny/Gini. They are attracted to me. I can't explain it.) at her study abroad university in Bangor, Wales. I left on Thursday immediately after class and started a long voyage that included a metro, several trains and a lot of waiting, and arrived in Bangor around 10:30 pm that evening.

The first night we went out to a club with some of her flat mates, and I got my first opportunity to see a bit of the town and truly experience Bitch Hill, which is pretty much exactly what it sounds like. The next day Gini showed me some more of the town and the campus and I was able to snap some pictures in the daylight.

First we explored the Bangor University campus a bit, which is much older (and frankly prettier) than the campus of Lille 3. Gini showed me some of the buildings where she has her classes, the library, and the student bars.

We also at lunch at a pub in Bangor and then took a stroll down High Street, the main shopping thoroughfare. We ended our day of exploring by visiting Lover's Lane, a path that winds through a park to mount the aforementioned Bitch Hill (which you must do in order to get to the student housing).

That night we cooked dinner at Gini's flat and headed to bed early so that we could be up to catch a train to Cardiff, the capital of Wales, at about 5am. Cardiff is located on the very southern tip of Wales, while Bangor is in the far north, so the train ride to get there takes about four and a half hours. We arrived just before ten and grabbed a quick breakfast at the train station before hopping on a bus and heading to the Doctor Who Experience, the main attraction of the day.

The first part of the exhibition is an interactive experience, which includes lots of corny jokes, Dalek robots, and even a chance to steer the TARDIS. It involved the most recent Doctor, played by Peter Capaldi, but I haven't seen any of his episodes yet, so it was a bit of a new experience. After this portion we moved into the museum, which includes countless props and costumes used throughout the filming of the series.

 My favorite part was actually explaining the different monsters and costumes to Gini, as she hasn't really watched the show. It made me want to go home and rewatch the series from the beginning.

After we had finished perusing the exhibition, we noticed that just next door to the Doctor Who Experience was something called the World of Boats. It turned out to be a small museum exhibiting different types of boats and how they have changed throughout history. It was only three pound, so we decided to go. Why not?

When we had seen everything in the (very small) museum, we decided to head back towards the city center to do some shopping or find another attraction to visit. On our way there, we decided it might be fun to see a movie since Gini doesn't have a movie theater near her university. There turned out to be an IMAX theater very close, so we decided to go see Interstellar (a film I am very glad I was able to see in English rather than French).

After the movie was over we ate dinner in the mall where the theater was located and started to head back towards the train station to catch a train home. We had forgotten, however, that it was the day of a rugby match between Wales and Fiji (Fiji? Really?), so some of the roads were blocked off because of excessive traffic.

The bus dropped us off a few blocks from the station, and we were rushing to get there with only a few minutes until our train was set to leave. Once we got to the station we realized we wouldn't make it, as there were insane masses of people being filtered into lines based on which part of Wales they were traveling to. Luckily we had our tickets already, so we were able to get right in line, and they actually ushered everyone in that line onto the train we'd been hoping to take anyway. Whew.

There were a couple complications with our train along the way (some vandals threw a brick through the conductor's window, and apparently there was a "fatality" within another train on the line) so we arrived back to Bangor a bit late, and went to bed soon after we got back to Gini's flat.

On Sunday we slept in a bit, and then decided to take a bus to the nearby town of Caernarfon, where there is a castle dating back to the 1200s. We ate at a nearby cafe and then spend the day exploring the castle and shopping a bit.

The castle also featured a museum which detailed the history of the Welsh military, as well as the origins of the castle and its different uses over the years. We saw some beautiful views from one of the turrets, and spent a good deal of time just exploring the many nooks and crannies of the castle.

We stayed in that night and watched some Netflix with one of Gini's flatmates. On Monday, my last day, I went to class with Gini and grabbed some lunch with her before catching my train around two. I had a layover in London for a few hours, and with the time change, I arrived in Lille around ten pm that evening.

I'm so glad that Gini and I were able to reunite in Wales!

La Mia Avventura Italiana

That's right, Italy. It's one of the places I've always wanted to visit. Ever since Lizzie McGuire became a pop star in Rome, ever since Frances found herself again under the Tuscan sun, ever since Audrey Hepburn took a Roman holiday, I have wanted to visit this magical place. And now I finally have.

Of course, real life almost never matches up to Hollywood films, and our trip certainly didn't start out that way. We were flying from Brussels to Milan, which meant that we needed to take a train to Belgium, but our flight was too early so we had to take a bus instead. At 5 am. Before the metros start running. Which, as a result, meant we needed to take a cab to the station to get our bus.

In any normal universe, this wouldn't be a problem. But this isn't a normal universe. This is France, and for some reason (despite my giving him the exact address) the taxi driver simply could not find our residence. We found ourselves wandering around my neighborhood at 4 am trying to explain exactly where we were in French over the phone. We finally to decided to meet him at the nearest metro station, but our relief at finding the taxi dissipated quickly when we got in and noticed that the meter was already running. And that there were already 25 euros on it from the driver wandering around trying to find us.

Now, one of us should have said something. We should have been assertive and said "Hey dude. This isn't cool" (however you would say that in French with the same connotation). But at 4 am, after we'd each slept for about three hours, and had been wandering around for a good 15 minutes trying to find this guy, neither of us had the energy to put in that much effort. So we didn't. And we unfortunately paid 50 euros for a cab because of it (plus I came to find out that I left my French phone in it, so once we got back I had to ride the metro across town to retrieve it from him. What luck).

Yet, despite our rocky start, the rest of our travels went relatively smoothly and we arrived in Milan around 10:30 that day. Once we arrived we rode a shuttle into the city, grabbed a quick lunch and got settled into our hostel before venturing out to see what was to be seen.

We spent most of the day at the Piazza del Duomo, which houses the Duomo di Milano, the famous cathedral of Milan, and is surrounded by department stores, boutiques, and restaurants. We marveled at the inside and outside of the Duomo, and decided to pay for a trip to the top to see the architecture up close.

It's probably the most intricate building I've ever seen in  my life. Each spire holds thousands of details, even miniature statues, and it seemed that each one was more detailed than the last.

The views of the city from the top were also incredible, and I even managed to stand near the railing despite my fear of heights. We spent about an hour at the top before descending to get some gelato and eat on the steps.

We then headed over to La Rinascente, a department store much like Saks or Harrod's. The store has a dining level on the top floor which overlooks the Piazza and the Duomo, which includes multiple restaurants and bars. After perusing through the store for a bit, we decided to head up to the top for aperitivo, the Italian version of happy hour. During aperitivo every drink purchase comes with free appetizers, sometimes enough to constitute a whole meal by our standards. We enjoyed cocktails and appetizers with a spectacular view of the Duomo. Our first night ended with dinner near the Duomo, where Ginny and I both had pasta for dinner and pizza for dessert (we may have gotten a few looks but we didn't care).

The next day we got up (somewhat) early to take a train to Lake Como, about 30 minutes north of Milan. It's said to be one of the most beautiful lakes in Europe and is a destination for lots of celebrities (like George Clooney, apparently. When you search Lake Como there are tons of Google Images of him there).

Unfortunately, the day we were there was a bit foggy and somewhat cold, so the Alps couldn't really be seen behind the lake, but it was still a beautiful sight. After arriving we took some time to snap a few pictures and take in the scenery, and then ate lunch in the small town of Como (pizza again. Are you surprised?). After lunch we decided to take the 'funiculare,' which is like a tram, up the mountain to see the views from the top.

We spent some time at the top taking a few pictures before we went back down to enjoy the bit of sunshine that had appeared. We wandered through the little town a bit more, grabbed one more gelato and headed back to Milan on the train in the early afternoon.

That night in Milan we returned to the Piazza del Duomo for dinner, and found ourselves once again at the terrace on the top level of La Rinascente. Ginny had (and I quote) "the best pizza she's ever had in her life" and I had some divine ravioli. Tired out from our long day, after dinner we headed back to the hostel for an early night.

Our last day in Milan began with a visit to the Castello Sforzesco, a medieval castle which also houses several museums.  The castle is also surrounded by a lovely park, and one of the museums houses Michelangelo's last unfinished work, the Rondanini Pieta. Ginny and I spent a few hours exploring the castle and its museums before heading to lunch nearby, where my last Italian meal consisted of Spaghetti Carbonara and a coke.

During our last few hours we perused the shops, looked for some gifts for friends and took in the beauty of the Duomo one more time. Then, as our last act before boarding the bus to head back to the airport, we headed to Cioccolati Italiani, a dessert bar in Milan. Ginny had one last gelato and I had some delicious flourless chocolate cake to end our stay in Italy.

After returning to Lille, we ended our weeklong break on a high note with a Halloween party at our friend Marie's house. Halloween in France is certainly different - it's mostly only popular for small children, and even then it's not celebrated by everyone. We were happy to have the opportunity to celebrate (since it's one of our favorite holidays in the US) but it was a bit odd getting strange looks from people when walking through the metro station in costume. To be fair, some of them were probably just trying to figure out what I was supposed to be. I was a panda. Regardless of public opinion, though, it was a perfect end to our break.

Perhaps a Bit Overdue

Okay, maybe a lot overdue. But don't worry - you're about to be caught up.

The week before last was a week-long break for Les Vacances de Toussaint. Toussaint is a French holiday which is basically equivalent to All Saints Day. It is a day during which the French pay respect to family members who have passed, as well as their relatives and of course the Catholic saints. That being said, though, the break isn't really a vacation - we were assured many times by the International Relations director, José, that it is a "pause pedagogique," meaning it's a break for students to study and get caught up on schoolwork. We didn't do that, obviously. What do you think this is, school? Nah. It's just study abroad.

Ginny and I (by now it should be obvious that she's my trusty travel partner) began our week with a trip to Mont Saint Michel with Club Ulysse. Two other American girls, Amber and Emily, also came on the trip. We departed at 6:15 am on a Saturday morning and didn't arrive there until... 1 pm maybe? I honestly don't remember. I actually slept on the bus. It was a miracle.

Mont Saint Michel is an "island" located on the border between Normandy and Brittany that's not quite on land and not quite on sea. It's home to a charming village and a beautiful abbey which were built in the Middle Ages, and it is said to be the birthplace of the omelette. Immediately after arriving we went in search of somewhere to try one. We couldn't afford the famous Mère de Poulard, unfortunately, but found somewhere I can only hope is just as good. I had a three course lunch which included a traditional omelette (which is a bit different - the eggs are almost frothy), fresh salmon and a salted caramel crepe.

After enjoying our meal we headed up to the abbey for a free tour. It was amazing to consider that this building is older than our country. MUCH older even.

The architecture of the abbey was beautiful, as well as the views from the top. We spent most of our time in the village wandering its halls, and considering we only had about five hours there, I'd say it was time well spent. Here are some pictures of the abbey:

After our tour we spent a bit exploring the tiny village, and then hopped back on the bus to head to our hotel.

The next day we visited two other towns in Normandy: Honfleur and Etretat. Honfleur was rather small, which was good because we only had about an hour there, but it was incredibly charming just the same. I bought a book about the legends of Mont Saint Michel in one of its tiny book shops.

Honfleur

We had a larger chunk of time to spend in Etretat. The town of Etretat itself is somewhat unimpressive, but visitors truly come for the beach and cliffs that overlook it. Our first stop when we arrived was the stone beach. The views were incredible; it's not really possible to capture the beauty on camera.

After spending a bit of time on the beach, Ginny and I decided to grab some lunch and try a few of the specialties Normandy has to offer. We had moules-frites normandes, which are mussels with cream on them, a bottle of cider, and crème brûlée for dessert.

When we finished our relaxing lunch, we decided to walk up to the top of cliffs to take in the view from there. I got some amazing pictures but they still don't quite do it justice. Ginny kept saying it was the most beautiful place she'd ever been.

Our day ended watching the sunset on the beach, and finally (begrudgingly) getting back on the bus to Lille. Once back, we had just one day of rest before jetting off to ITALY! Which can be read about in the blog post following this one.