I’m getting used to walking everywhere. My legs are starting to recover from training. The weather has improved, fulfilling everyone’s promises. We have seen the sun several times; in fact, I don’t remember the last time it rained.
Wednesday was pretty uneventful. I didn’t get up until noon, and therefore missed training. I didn’t even leave Y Borth until we went to Morrison’s after dinner. Several students wasted the day figuring out if Central would be so kind as to grant core credit for classes. The success rate was low.
After training, we took a walk down High Street. I found some pants for OP, and a Wales bag. I spent a few hours asking everyone what classes they were taking, and whether Central would accept them. Jenni was planning to take music, religion and history classes. Since she also has OP on Tuesday, I knew her selections would fit into my schedule so I signed up. I thought I was going to have to appeal all three, because Central said they wouldn’t count, but I asked Kelly and she approved music and history. Thursday is ‘the night’ at Varsity. Shortly after arrival, there was a break dancing contest. The hunch-backed beanpole that participated made me feel better about myself.
We trained again on Friday. I squatted without any trouble from my wrist. I have been doing some extra core work, so my abs and obliques are pretty sore. We tried the Pizza House before the international student social. It lived up to the hype, and it was pretty cheap too. After the social, we almost went to Yellow Pub, but while waiting for everyone to get ready some of us decided we would stay home and watch Office Space.


Tecwyn took us to the Marble Church on Saturday. Supposedly this is the style of church that wedding cakes and greeting cards are based on. Our next stop was at the Holy Well. As the legend goes, some guy chopped off a chick’s head with his sword, and it rolled down the hill. Where it landed, there was a supply of water. Then someone reattached her head, and now the water is ‘holy’. There are a bunch of crutches from people that have been ‘healed’. After an audio tour we piled back on the coach for Chester. Once in Chester, we found lunch. Then we toured the Chester Cathedral. The stained glass and mosaic murals were beautiful. The bells were causing the building to crumble so they were moved to the bell tower, which was modeled after a guard tower and placed next to the wall. The slate on the roof is from the mine we toured. Next, we met the tour guide who showed us the town hall, which was modeled after one in Belgium. The designer submitted the copied plans, and won the contest. The original was destroyed in WWII. We also walked on the Roman wall, and saw the canal. When prisoners were transported over the bridge they often jumped, and sometimes successfully escaped.
On Sunday, in route to the Snowdonia area we drove by the slate tips again. At our first stop we hiked up the foothills to Devil’s Kitchen. The lake is the deepest in the whole of North Wales, and a creature lives in it. Several of us said want to go camping up there. We made a quick stop at ‘The Ugly House’. Nobody knows why. When Wales was very sparsely populated, in order to claim land, houses must be built starting at dawn. When dusk fell, if smoke came from the chimney, they could claim the land. They could also claim the land within an axe throw of the back door. We stopped for lunch in Betws-y-coed. It had several pursuits shops. After our ham sandwiches, Tecwyn treated David and I to a delicious slice of chocolate cheesecake that had been taunting David our whole meal. We arrived at Dolwyddelan Castle two hours late and didn’t have a tour guide. The sheep roamed free at this Welsh castle. It was much smaller than the Norman castles because it was not build as an icon. We were running ahead of schedule, so we made an unplanned stop at Llandudno along the beach. The whole coast is lined with hotels as far as we could see. Tecwyn said the beach on the other side of town had a similar setup. We walked out to the end of the pier and watched the fishermen. Nobody caught anything. In the distance we could see and oil rig and the wind farm. Further in the distance, out of our sight was the Isle of Man, and even further is Scotland. Classes finally start tomorrow.