Killa Wales

THURSDAY
The group got up early to take the coach to WALES! According to my calculations, by the time I get back into the states, I would have gone to 5 different countries: Wales, Ireland, France, England, and Italy. Quite a feat.
The first stop in Wales was at Tinturn Abbey. William Wordsworth wrote about the Abbey and it’s said to be the inspiration for many artists and poets. It was really beautiful and probably one of my favorite places so far. It’s dissolute-d, like many other abbeys, so it’s a rustic, romantic ruin.

{tintern abbey}

{tintern abbey inside}
I wasn’t quite ready or excited for the next stop. We went to the Big Pit, this old coal mine, and they took us 400 feet underground. I’m a bit claustrophobic, so I was kinda hesitant about it, but it actually was pretty cool. Wayne the Welshman was our tour guide and he was so funny—he made fun of my shoes (I’m not so sure about that).

{Miners at The Big Pit}
The coach next stopped at the Wales History Museum. No one in our group actually went in because it was kind of boring, but Annie didn’t really catch onto that, so we literally had the museum to ourselves. THAT was fun. Next door was a miniature “castle”, if you could call it that (big, rich person’s house that they wanted to call a castle) and the surrounding gardens were pretty.

{gardens at the castle}
We stayed in Cardiff in a HOTEL. I LOVE Hotels. There were 2 of us per room and everyone had their own queen—sized bed.
For dinner, we ventured into downtown Cardiff and found a delicious Italian restaurant called Postiano’s.
Wales is really pretty and I wouldn’t mind living there.
FRIDAY
Did I mention that I love hotels? Especially now since I got my own queen-sized bed, a bathroom shared with only one other person, continental breakfast, and all of the other luxuries that come with hotels. Unfortunately, I had to part with the hotel. Fortunately, it’s because we set out to explore Wales. We were going home that night, so we jam-packed our day. First, the group went to Caerphilly Castle, the first legit-feeling castle yet. The other castles have had lots of alternations and renovations since they are still used, but this one is run-down and has a moat. And trebuchets. Annie and I just wandered around exploring for awhile and it was really fun.

{Caerphilly Castle}
Next, we went to see some Church history sites. In our religion class, we were learning about the first mission to Britain by 7 missionaries and also the second mission by 8 and the subsequent growth of the Church in the British Isles. We learned about the influence of the Benbow family and how John Benbow, the leader of the United Brethren during 1840, and his wife Jane readily accepted the Gospel. The United Brethren followers would come from miles away to the Benbow’s farm in Herefordshire to hear the Word and then be baptized in the pond on the property by Wilford Woodruff. We went to Hill Farm and saw the pond.

{Hill Farm}
Then we went over to the parish that a lot of the Saints used before they became members. Noted names in Church history, like the Oakeys, Pitts, and Benbows, are buried here.
Up the mountain we went to Herefordshire Beacon, a hill that we hiked all of the way up. It was super windy and cold, but amazing.
Lastly, we went to the building where Woodruff preached in after a majority of the United Brethren converted.  I’ve never been to a church history site besides Temple Square in Salt Lake, so it was a really cool day for me. I was thinking about how ironic/funny/weird it is that I’m learning more about the history of England before the history of America. I saw the Houses of Parliament and Buckingham Palace before I saw the White House. I saw the Benbow’s farm before I saw Nauvoo.
Funny how that works.

{Wales from Herefordshire Beacon}