Single Girl's Guide To Traveling The World

If you've just joined us, scroll down a ways until you find the last post you read. I had to catch up on all the missed adventures. After Pontypool I traveled to Bath. It's a traditional holiday town. And when I say traditional, I mean all the way back to Roman times traditional. There are natural hot springs under the city, which the Romans believed would cure illnesses. The legend continues to this day. The city is very Victorian, with white limestone houses and promenades and large parks. It also has a huge shopping district. The Royal Crescent is where the most posh and noble vacationed. This is the front of the Roman Baths, which is an excellent museum that takes you through the Roman ruins and explains them to you.  The Romans had an extensive complex built, consisting of pools, changing areas, spas, meditation areas, markets, and a temple to Minerva, who is the patron goddess of hot springs.  Throughout the exhibit the remains are seamlessly brought to li

After I left Cardiff, I went to Pontypool, which is where we think my dad's family is descended from. I stayed with a really lovely family who welcomed me as one of their own. We wandered the canals and walkways, they invited me to dinner every night, and made sure that I got where I needed to be.  Pontypool used to be a thriving mining town, but when the mines shut down, the town dried up. Now it's kind of depressing, no new money flowing into the town. Still gorgeous though. So my main focus was family history, and specifically the St. Cadoc's church. I found it, on top of a very steep hill. The church itself is ancient, and the graveyard surrounding it. It's poorly kept though, wildly overgrown to where berry bushes are swallowing headstones, some are knocked over, and most are illegible. It was an amazing place, very humbling with the thought that eventually even a marker of our death fades away.   The yard was overcrowded and it was impossib

Cardiff. Where rugby gets serious and Doctor Who is filmed.  I spent a week in Cardiff. My hotel was right across the street from miles of parkland and less than a block from the major shopping network.   The city of Cardiff falls in the County of Morgan. As a result, every other thing is named Morgan. Also, having the last name of Morgan is like having the last name of Smith. When I told the locals my name, they when "oh yes okay".  Cardiff Castle is the main attraction for the city, next to the international rugby tournaments. It's an imposing structure, visible from nearly everywhere. It was started by the Romans, who needed a foothold to keep back the wild locals. It's possible to see the Roman ruins in the walls and in the museum on the grounds. After the Romans retreated, the Normans moved in. They built the inner keep and several other buildings. After the Normans left, the British ruled here and the land belonged to a very rich Marquis who owned the

Ah, Dublin. I spent two days in the city, wandering around and seeing the sights. It's a beautiful place, with lots of trees and green grass and flowers. I visited Trinity College, the Book of Kells, and the rest of the city on Halloween.  I love college campuses. There is a uniformity across the world, with buildings focused on certain topics and large open greens and places for students to sit. They feel familiar, even if you haven't been to it before. It's a safe place, just a center of learning and the occasional bout of silliness.  Trinity College is one of the oldest colleges in the world. Oscar Wilde studied here, among other notable and famous people. The trees and buildings reflect the age and care that has gone into them over the years. The library of Trinity College is one of the most famous in the world. It holds some of the oldest books, including the Book of Kells. The Book of Kells is one of the first complete transcription of the four Gospels,

Okie Dokie! I know it's been a while. Traveling is a busy and exhausting endeavor. I am going to try and catch up, seeing as how I only have a week left (!!!!) of my trip. I've decided to just post by city instead of go over every day in a single post. So....good luck! When I last checked in, I was on a two-day trip to the west of Ireland. We stopped in Galway for the night, in a little B&B run by a wonderful Russian family. The next morning I had a traditional Irish breakfast (which, frankly, I didn't enjoy that much) and we were on our way. We stopped at a castle and another ruined abbey, but these were much more touristy. We couldn't go inside the castle, because it's still being used and a rich family still owns it. You can rent it out for about $1,000 an hour as a wedding venue, I think. It's a beautiful location though. This is the entrance to the abbey. This place is far removed from everywhere, through farmer fields and fairy lands. Ser