Goodbye

I'm shortly off!  I just finished vacuuming my room and am practically packed (minus the computer, of course!).  I've had a fantastic semester over here, and saying goodbye to my friends (and to Swansea) has been really hard.  Studying abroad was a fantastic decision; I wouldn't trade my experiences for anything!    The people and the places have made this semester amazing, and to the friends I've made in Swansea, I love you all!

This will be my last post, so I'd like to say thank you so much for reading my blog!  I love getting to share my adventures with you.  I hope you've enjoyed my "Wale of a tale!"

Love,
Lisa

Northern Wales & Scotland with Aunt Janet & Uncle Tom

Hi, all!  I apologize for the lateness of this post; with 2 days before I leave Swansea, I've been a bit busy hanging out with friends (really fun!) and packing (very challenging!).  I recently got back from visiting Northern Wales and Scotland with Aunt Janet and Uncle Tom.  I'm so glad they came to visit!  I've missed seeing them in Ames this past semester, so it was nice to catch up.  We drove to Aberystwyth on the first night, stopping at Fishguard for dinner.  A lot of the drive was along the coast, so it was absolutely beautiful. Have I mentioned that I love Wales?  The Bed and Breakfast we stayed at was right on the coast; I had a nice view of the beach.  

View from Fishguard Fort

Part of the fort

Though the next day started off dark and rainy, it cleared up a bit by the time we reached Caernarfon.  We visited the castle there, which was very pretty.  It was interesting to learn the history behind the castle and the addition of Wales to the United Kingdom.

View from my window in Aberystwyth

View from my window again

Beachfront

Pier that lead right into the water

Me at Caernarfon Castle

We hit the road and headed for Snowdonia.  What a gorgeous area!  I'm so grateful that I had the opportunity to visit it with my aunt and uncle (Thank you!).  We decided to ride the train to the top of Mt. Snowdon; it was very fun to head up the mountainside.  It was freezing at the top and very windy/foggy, but undoubtedly worth the trip!

In Snowdonia

Going up the mountain

Hikers

Our train

At the summit

At the top of Mt. Snowdon

That's me in the pink!  It was as far as I dared go :)

Super cute little lamb!

We drove to Edinburgh that evening, and the next day we set out for Balmoral, the summer home of the Queen.  We walked through the estate and got to go inside the ballroom of the castle.  It looks like something out of a fairy tale!  I really enjoyed looking at a collection of commemorative mugs, plates, etc, and I also really liked the display of pictures used in the Queen's Christmas cards over the years.

Red squirrel (they're a big deal there!)

See?!?! :)

Commemorative mugs and more

Enjoying the view of the castle

Practicing my princess wave :)

After leaving Balmoral, we set off in search of Nessie (meaning we drove to Loch Ness). :)  It was absolutely stunning!   It stretches for 27 miles, so it's a very long lake.  We had a great view as we drove along the Loch Ness, and we were able to see Urquhart Castle, though due to the time of day we didn't get to visit it).  Though there had been rain on and off all day, it was sunny for most of our drive!  The lake looked so blue.  We stopped at an inn for dinner, which was delicious.  Aunt Janet and Uncle Tom let me drive for a bit; it's strange driving on the left side of the road while sitting on the right side of the car.  I loved it though!  I lucked out with not meeting many cars on the smaller roads then getting to drive on a larger road with two lanes in each direction.  We saw a lot of deer alongside the road but had no troubles!

Loch Ness

Me with Loch Ness (no sign of Nessie, though!)

Urquhart Castle

Double rainbow!

Dinner stop

The next day we visited Edinburgh Castle, which is also beautiful!  They couldn't have picked a better place to build a castle for defense reasons; it's on top of a rocky cliff!  I really enjoyed seeing the Honours of Scotland as well as the National War Museum (both located in the castle).  We also walked along the Royal Mile.  It hailed on us for about a minute!  We set off towards London, and the next day I got to show Aunt Janet and Uncle Tom around Swansea, which was great!  I'm so glad they got to see Uni and the beach, and I'm so, so glad that they came to visit!  It was a fantastic long weekend! :)

Edinburgh Castle

We couldn't take pictures of the Honours (the sword, crown, and scepter), but they were so neat!

Standing guard near the National War Museum

Royal Mile!

I had a fantastic time, and I have been enjoying my last few days in Swansea (pics to come soon!).  I've written the second half of this sitting outside in shorts and a tank-top; I'm loving the warm weather here.  I hope you all are having fantastic weeks (and good weather!). :)

Uni

Krista and I both had the idea of me posting pictures of places I frequently go or really like here in Swansea, so the other evening I took a walk down to Uni to snap some pictures of my favorite places on campus.  Here's a look into my everyday life at Swansea! :)

Sports Hall (I love this place because it's where Monday evening Ultimate training is held)

Roses on a building in campus that the bus passes everyday

I had all my Strength of Materials lectures in Grove

Fulton House- this makes me think of Iowa State's MU :)

View towards City Centre from bridge crossing the road between Uni and the beach

Path on which I like to jog

Low tide

Swansea is such a beautiful place!  My pictures can hardly do it justice.  I wish you could all visit Swansea and see how amazing it is! :)

Due to bad weather in the U.S. (namely Detroit), my aunt and uncle's flight has been pushed back a day.  It makes me sad that I won't get to see them until tomorrow, but I want them to be safe!

Rhossili

Yesterday I headed to Rhossili (a small town in the Gower) with a group of my American friends.  We had actually visited here during our orientation class (in January), but it was very nice to go when it was not raining and cold!  It was extremely windy, though!  I definitely enjoyed our excursion.

Jess and me enjoying the view of Rhossili Bay

Sheep!

Worms Head in the background

Very windy!

It was a lovely day, and I'm so glad I got to visit before leaving Wales!  I spent this morning doing some (somewhat) last-minute souvenir shopping; I remember when I kept saying, "I have months to pick up gifts for my friends and family!"  I guess time really does fly when you are having fun!  At Krista's request, I'll soon be posting some pictures of Swansea University/Swansea, so you can look forward to that.  :)  My aunt and uncle are coming tomorrow, and I am unbelievably excited to see them!  They are renting a car and coming to Swansea for a day before we are heading to Snowdonia and then on to Scotland.  I can't wait!