Lancaster, England

June 25 - June 26, 2010

Simply a night's stopover while on the road, we were in and out of Lancaster quickly. On the way from Snowdonia to Lancaster however, Chester became the destination of the day. 

Once a Roman fort and army base before being later on fortified by the Saxons, Chester overflows with British culture today. Victorian structures hundreds of years old can be still seen standing and compose this town with the character it holds. In addition, great shopping can be found, conveniently placed together, on Eastgate and its surrounding streets. Big labels such as French Connection, Kookai and Zara can be found as well as many other delightful boutiques situated up in the Medieval Rows, undercover first floor arcades of studio buildings.

Arriving in Lancaster that evening to spend the night at Thurnham Hall, I was impressed. These apartments were more modern than I had expected, including a more contemporary shower which didn't crumble with the pressure of turning on the tap (one of the many experiences from the previous stay in the Snowdonian cottage). Promising. 

Medieval Rows, Chester

Eastgate, Chester

Snowdonia, Wales

June 21 - June 25, 2010

There's a catch to renting a farmhouse cottage, dating back to the 1600s, tucked away in the countryside of Wales. Yes, there are gorgeous views from hilltop of the surrounding luscious, green landscapes, but what the booking website won't inform you of are the chickens who will invade your quiet abode if the front door is left open with intention to simply let in a fresh morning breeze. May I introduce to you, Bets-y-coed.

Four days in Snowdonia were spent without any phone reception or Internet connection and an incredibly limited variation of television channels. So with as much optimism as I could perk myself up with, I kept with the family flow, waiting to see what we would get up to. On some days, I was impressed with what we discovered, that is, if you find history and landscapes appealing.

Within the immediate area of Bets-y-coed, we discovered Conwy Castle as well as Bodnant Garden. Situated on Conwy River, Conwy Castle dates back to the 1200s to the time of King Edward I. Its crumbling interior foundations still remain inside its first set of castle walls which stand proudly, along with its second set, the gateway into its surrounding town. In addition, the castle's bridge, spanning across the river, is definitely a work of art. If you're looking for an afternoon escape, Bodnant Garden makes a great visit; a large variety of exotic, international plant species can be found sprawled out over 80 acres of land.

Just like Conwy, we found that Gwynedd had a few gems to offer as well. Caernarfon Castle is situated high on the coastline, up the river from Conwy Castle, and was erected by King Edward I himself. An impressive sight worth seeing, its initial intention as a seat of power still lingers in its atmosphere. Definitely not to forget, especially for those creative hearts like myself, is Portmeirion. This small and architecturally-vivid town was created by a Welsh man, Sir Clough Williams-Ellis, in the Early 1900s. His aim in constructing this village was to show that architectural designs from other cultures could be successfully incorporated into the Welsh landscape. And is it charming!

The Llechwedd Slate Caverns, active since 1836 and found in Blaenau Ffestiniog (thank goodness this isn't a video blog, I wouldn't be able to pronounce some of these names to save my life), provided an informative tour one afternoon through two different slate mines. Northwest Wales is very well known for their abundance in slate which is imported all over the globe.

As if we hadn't done enough already, we also took a ride up the Snowdon Mountain Railway in Llanberis. Unsurprisingly, we were greeted with nothing more than clouds at the very top, but still managed to snap a few breathtaking scenes of the rolling landscape mid-way up and down on the rack-railway.

Four days was more than enough time required to inhale the ambiance of Wales (as well as feeling incredibly deprived from any connection with the outside world).

Welsh Flag

Top of Mt. Snowdon

Portmeirion

Bets-y-coed

Bodnant Garden

Conwy Castle

London, England

June 18, 2010

My Grade 10 year (Sophomore year for you Americans, Year 11 for you British) came and went with incredible speed. And remembering back to thinking the exact same thing in regards to the end of Grade 9, then I must be growing old...fast.

Numb goodbyes to those who had been my life for the past four years in London occurred in routine, and one by one, we moved away over the course of the Summer. The routine of attending an international school overflowing with culture and expats does include having to let go of some incredible friendships made with classmates from all over the world. So I, of course, was not the only one leaving. Out of a grade of 60 students, I easily run out of fingers when counting those who did move on to various corners of the globe at the end of this past school year, just as I have.

And so without taking a minute to breathe, we packed our bags for the very first time of this adventure. It all began a mere three days later...