Tales from Wales and Other Thoughts

I’m back in the kitchen at my flat in London, drinking a cup of coffee made with my new aeropress (it’s pretty darn good). I refuse to think of this place as the dorm it actually is; maybe if I keep referring to it as a flat it will magically turn into one. Brittany and I returned from Wales last night, somewhat sad at having left behind our Welsh paradise and somewhat relieved to be back in our neighborhood.

Excited to finally be on our way!

The train ride from London to Aberystwyth, Wales was beautiful and relaxing. I stuck my in my earbuds, turned on my favorite music and soaked in all of the natural beauty flying past. We arrived in Aberystwyth at eight that night, starving, tired and so happy to be there. Our B&B, Bodalwyn House, was lovely and its owners kind and friendly. Our room was warm and cozy, the beds were marvelously comfortable, and there was a bathtub long enough for me to completely stretch out in. In short, we were in heaven.

Our lovely room. 

We ate dinner at a place in town called Little Italy (we were both craving Italian food). Keeping in mind we were in west Wales, I don’t think either of us was expecting much above Olive Garden level food. We were so wrong. We had to wait an hour to get a table (always a good sign), but we just took the opportunity to take a walk around town. Aberystwyth is actually a college town on the Welsh west coast, small and quaint with a faint undercurrent of teenage rebellion.

Little Italy...amazing food! 

Back at Little Italy, the owner was generous and talkative. We both ordered glasses of Pim’s and he brought us a pitcher instead…I think it’s things like that that set smaller towns apart. The food was to die for, seriously some of the best Italian food I’ve ever had. It tasted fresh and rich without being to heavy, and there was more flavor in that meal than I’ve had in my entire stay in London so far. We left absolutely stuffed and appropriately chastened for thinking good Italian food couldn’t be found in Wales.

We woke up Saturday morning to the smell of delicious breakfast filling our room. Apparently our room was located just above the kitchen, and that smell was what propelled me out of bed. We dressed in a hurry, packing for our day of hiking, and went down to see if breakfast would taste as good as it smelled. It did. Nothing fancy…orange juice, toast, cereal, eggs, bacon, coffee (French pressed coffee to boot), it was all lovingly prepared and served by the owners.

We took the Vale of Rheidol Railway from Aberystwyth to Devil’s Bridge, a steam train that takes passengers through the Rheidol Valley in mid-Wales. The scenery was absolutely stunning, covered in misty fog though it was. Devil’s Bridge is an area with waterfalls and slightly precarious hiking trails. The danger is absolutely worth it, though, and we had a great time slipping and sliding our way up and down the hills. The falls were gorgeous, and I honestly didn’t mind the rain. It made everything smell green and earthy, and the colors seemed all the brighter because of the water.

We ate lunch in a hotel bar/pub at the top of the hill…best decision EVER. We decided on it when we heard several men singing traditional Welsh songs as we passed by. How are you supposed to pass that up? The food wasn’t half bad, but it was the people that made it an experience to remember. After learning we were American we had multiple Welshmen teaching us Welsh phrases (some naughty), singing us songs, asking us how we liked Wales, filling us in on the latest rugby news and helping us have a generally good time. Brittany found herself being serenaded as we tried to leave, and neither of us got out the door without several kisses on our cheeks and hands. Needless to say, it was a wonderful afternoon.

Our wonderful Welshmen :) 

We got Chinese food for dinner and rented season one of Gossip Girl…sometimes all you need is some warm food, television drama and good company to make a good evening. We slept in a little later on Sunday, had another delicious breakfast and set out to explore Aberystwyth a bit more before we left to return to London.

We walked along the beach, saw ancient castle ruins, took an electric rail to the top of Constitution Hill to see miles of Welsh landscape…it was the perfect way to end the trip. We had lunch at Little Italy (seriously, it was that good) and were again charmed by the owner and his generosity.

It was a wonderful weekend, and came at the perfect time. It’s nice to be back in London, back in the place I think of as a kind of ‘home’ now, even if it doesn’t have a working bathtub and the bed isn’t nearly as comfortable. It feels a bit as if my heart is split in two, lately. Not in the broken way, but in the growing kind of way.  I’ve learned to love where I am, both geographically and in the grander scheme of my life’s journey…but that doesn’t mean I don’t anticipate the future, or even long for the past sometimes.

Aberystwyth, from the top of Constitution Hill. 

I think it’s all part of growing up. You become increasingly aware of how your past has shaped you, for better or worse, and it makes you hold tight to the present, knowing it will eventually define you in some way. You look forward to the future while acknowledging you have absolutely no idea what it will bring you, because you never imagined yourself where you are now. Basically, you learn you don’t know everything.

Partners in crime (and hiking).  

Past, present, future…they’re all there, vying for our attention. Maybe the key to happiness is acknowledging the past, accepting the present, and anticipating the future. Change is good, but don’t try and change yourself…time will do that for you.

See ya later Wales...