I met Melisa for some lunch in her room, and then we hung out until Jordan's train got in. He had some train issues, so he was a tiny bit later than intended. Once he got here, we decided to walk to the pier and show that to him. We got distracted on the way. All around Wales, there are marked paths that you can walk on, and we randomly decided to take one. It apparently led to a Roman Fort, though I don't think we made it that far. We got to this big mound, and it was breath-taking. On one side was the city of Bangor (you can see Penrhyn Castle in the distance); on the other was Menai Straight.
Wales is such a pretty place to be. After walking around on the trails, we slowly made our way down to the pier. Last time Melisa and I went to the pier, we didn't actually walk out on it. We did this time, and it was so pretty. There were also some really adorable little shops. And I met the cutest little retired couple ever. They run this little gift shop on the pier, and they were very nice. They were also ridiculously talkative, but it was a good time. We talked about leaving your mark in the world, and wanting to be known for something. This man (David?) used to be involved in some sort of construction/electrical work. There is a tunnel in Liverpool that he helped create (it has 1,531 lights in it) and also one in Sydney, Australia that he worked on. And he has recently had triple-bypass surgery, and took care to emphasize how life just flies by. He thinks it's important for people to really appreciate what they have, and to make a name for themselves somehow--to leave something of themselves in this world. It's a very Marxist idea, something we talked about last week in class. Marx thought that the ultimate fulfillment in life was to have a job that was meaningful and creative, and one where you could almost put part of yourself into what you were doing. An example would be woodwork, where whatever you create is like an extension of yourself. It's a very interesting concept, and I thought it was really sweet to be encouraged to do something similar. They were such a talkative couple, which made it hard to leave. We didn't really want to leave; I would have listened to them for hours. But Lauren had class, so it was kind of important that we leave. We are planning to go back, for a few reasons. One is to hear them tell stories--I really love it. And they also have a lot of really cute stuff. The wife hand-paints artwork, such as glasses and mugs. They "fire" them too, so that the designs don't come off. There was a lot of traditional Welsh symbolism, and I'd like to maybe look for a souvenir or two there.
When we got back from the pier, we sat around for a little while, just chatting. We decided to go to Spoons for dinner. It's a little bar/restaurant on High Street that my flat-mates have talked about a little bit. It was kind of cute, and my food was really good. It was a lot of fun, just to relax and talk. After dinner, we stopped at Morrison's for some ice cream :) Mint chocolate chip = really good idea. That pretty much concludes my night...Melisa and I hung out for a little while, but split up to research somewhere to go tomorrow. We decided that we are going to go to Caernarfon Castle tomorrow. We are going to take a bus, which is kind of confusing. We aren't totally sure how to read the timetables, and we are supposed to pay in exact cash, but they don't tell you the price until you get on the bus. Seriously. No prices anywhere online for the buses. It's kind of frustrating, but there are so many options about where you can go to and from, so it kind of makes sense. Anyway, we think the bus we want leaves at 9:10. We're going to go a little early, and double-check that we are understanding everything. It wouldn't be good if we got there, but couldn't get back! I figure they will help us, especially if they want our money--right, Dad?
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