Good Saturday everyone. I wasn’t going to blog today as we’re in Wales and the hotel has limited internet access, but I’m up and running for a few minutes so here I am.
We left Oxford in the rain this morning and managed the train system to Wales easily. I do have to say that I’m blaming movies for my unreal expectations of train travel. I’ve always believed that a train ride would be the most glamorous way to travel when in fact it’s not glamorous at all unless you’re James Bond or one of his girls. People are running everywhere as the trains do not stop for long. When the doors open, everyone scrambles to get their luggage on before the doors shut. Once your luggage is on, there is a limited amount of space for it. The seats are too close together. You’re given a seat assignment, but no one pays attention to it and someone is always in your seat, forcing you to ride backwards since you can’t be mean to the person who is in your seat. BUT, it’s very dependable and a faster way to travel than bus. And we made it just fine.
Wales is so far--rainy and cold. We spent the afternoon trying to see the sights while in a war with our umbrellas. It was a love/hate relationship day for all umbrellas. You love them for the protection they bring until the wind gusts and then you hate them because they are turned inside out and you’re getting soaked. We saw many umbrellas abandoned on the sidewalks after the wind had taken away their power. Sad. Ours survived, but it was a struggle. We heard on the news tonight that some gusts of wind reached 100 miles an hour. It was rough, for sure. We took the tour bus ride since it was undercover and then ran to the nearest museum. It was probably the best museum we’ve seen so far. We saw artwork such as Monet and Rodin, plus exhibits on the history of Wales. I told 2 Papa he and this wooly bison he stood next to at the museum had the same hairdo. (You'll want to click the photo and make it big so you can get a good look at the hair.)
Technically, Wales is a principality. This means that it is ruled by a prince. Traditionally the Prince of Wales is the eldest son of the English monarch. Wales is one of the four parts of the United Kingdom (along with England, Scotland, and Northern Ireland.) Wales has not been politically independent since 1282, when it was conquered by King Edward I of England. Wales does not issue its own currency and is not in control of any armed forces. These are the powers of the national government of the UK. The national game of Wales is Rugby. In fact, Wales played the Samoan team last night who are staying at our hotel and are huge men! Scotland played today which is why 2 Papa is surrounded by kilts in the photo above. Wales also speaks its own language so all signs are in Welsh and English. Today all students take Welsh as a second language all the way through school, but less than 20% of the population use it daily.
The rain has stopped tonight, so tomorrow we hope to actually see the country. I hope you all have a great night.
I’ll leave you with this thought for tonight. I hope it blesses you.
“God is love. When we take up permanent residence in a life of love, we live in God and God lives in us. This way, love has the run of the house, becomes at home and mature in us, so that we're free of worry on Judgment Day—our standing in the world is identical with Christ's. There is no room in love for fear. Well-formed love banishes fear. Since fear is crippling, a fearful life—fear of death, fear of judgment—is one not yet fully formed in love.” I John 4:17
Hugs, 2 Mama
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