11/14/09 Wells Carnival and Wells Cathedral

Dear Family and Friends,

I shall start as I always do, and that is to apologize for my late blog post. In mid November I went to a county in England called Somerset and stayed with my friend's family in the town of Somerton. It is a lovely place, small but beautiful and historical. I think it is hard for people to understand how amazing everything is to me here. They are used to looking at historical buildings all the time. But for me, it is truly a privilege to be able to see these places. We went to the second smallest city in England called, Wells. Here we watched a well known carnival in the county called the Somerset Carnival. It a 2 hour parade of the most elaborate floats all created by local farmers, as it is a farming region of England. The floats were spectacular and full of lights from end to end, with the float inhabitants either dancing away or standing completely still through the entire parade. Th pictures above show some of the floats there.

The next day we went to Wells cathedral which is enormous and very decorative. It dates back to the 1200s I believe and is kept in fairly good condition. The inside is beautiful with stained glass windows, gorgeous archways, and a large organ.

The top three photos are from the carnival. The next two are inside Wells Cathedral, and the bottom photo is of the oldest lived in street in the UK. Which it right next to the Cathedral, I believe it was originally built for a bishop during the 14th century, and is connected to Wells Cathedral by a short walk.

Love to All,
Elena

Four New Posts

Dear Family and Friends,

I have four new posts on here now. So you will have to keep scrolling down to see all of them. I hope you enjoy them. I really enjoy sharing my experiences with you all and will continue to update my blog as often as I can.

Love to All
Elena

October 17-18th, 2009 Weekend Trip to Bath, England

Dear Family and Friends,

This past weekend I spent in the English city, Bath. It was one of the places that I had wanted to visit the most, and was glad to of had the opportunity to go. This city is the epitome of beauty and sophistication. I loved everything about it. The history is so rich, the buildings so magnificent, and the shopping endless. Upon arriving the first sight to be seen was the incredible Bath Abbey. Built at the end of the 15th century, it was once the great church of a monastery. Upon entering, they ask for a donation, but there is no fee required for entering. The inside is incredible, decorative from end to end and side to side. Filled with stained glass windows depicting biblical scenes, and tombs of important figures across the centuries line the walls. It is truly a magnificent sight to see and they still hold services every Sunday.

I then visited the Roman baths which of course contributes to Bath’s name really. This museum gives visitors a very in depth tour of the baths and the history behind the Roman settlement in England during the 1st and 2nd century. The Romans called this settlement “Aquae Sulis” dedicated to the goddess Sulis, or who the Romans referred to as Minerva. More commonly to us, Athena. The baths are thought to have been a result of an accumulation of rain that percolated through limestone toward the center of the Earth, where it was then heated and through extreme pressure the water is then pushed upwards through fissures in the limestone to create the baths that are now there today. This water flows from one area of Bath and is pumped into different baths throughout the city centre. The water is 46 degrees Celsius, and is absolutely divine. I touched the water to get a sense of how warm it is, and it is perfect. I can see why the Romans spent so much time there. It is amazing to see the water steaming and bubbling right before your eyes, it is truly a scientific wonder. Today, they have now created a modern day facility where people can actually bathe in the warm waters. The water flows through pump rooms, where some of this water flows to the new facility and the remaining to the ancient Baths.

I then visited the Royal Crescent and the Circus, both being housing areas. Magnificent housing areas to be precise. They were occupied by the wealthy and are still occupied by the wealthy today. They are Georgian style homes, built by the well known architects John Wood (senior) and John Woods (junior). The Royal Crescent is named so because of the shape that the homes make, which is that of a crescent. The Circus, is just as it sounds, the homes are side by side in a circle. They were very beautiful, but very expensive. My tour guide pointed out where Nicholas Cage lived in the Circus, apparently he had just recently sold the property.
I then visited the Fashion Museum, which is the largest collection of period clothing in the UK and perhaps the world. The actual museum shows clothing pieces from the 18th century on. It was very interesting to see the progression (which is debatable in some instances) of clothing across time.

The next place I went to was the Victoria gallery which showcased painting, sculptures, and ceramics from before the 1700s to present day. This was the only venue that I went to that had free admission, so I was glad to take advantage of it. The artwork was beautiful.

Lastly, I participated in a Jane Austen walking tour of the city. I was in a group of seven, all of whom love Jane Austen, including both books and films. We were able to gain more information about her life spent in Bath, getting to see places that she lived. In addition, it was quite exciting to get the chance to see the actual places described in some of her novels.

Top Photo: At the Victoria Art Gallery, this black dress belonged to Queen Victoria. After the death of her beloved husband Albert, Queen Victoria went into mourning and wore black until her death.
2nd Photo: A dress from the 1760s, a court dress and petticoat of cream woven silk and gold medal thread.
3rd Photo: Bath Abbey
4th Photo: Stained glass windows in Bath Abbey
5th Photo: Stone Carving along the wall of the Abbey
6th Photo: Me in front of the Roman Baths
7th Photo: An Inscribed Statue Base, after an animal sacrifice the Temple Augurer removed the organs from an animal and studied them to predict the future.
8th Photo: Upper view of Roman Bath
9th Photo: the Circus, unfortunately could not show it as a whole as it is a very large circle of homes
10th Photo : Royal Crescent
11th Photo: Victoria Art Gallery

The first video below shows the front of Bath Abbey. When I move the camera to the second building it is showing the outside of the Roman Bath Museum, the last building I turn the camera to are the pump rooms where water is moved to different bath locations.

The second video shows one of the Roman Baths, if you look closely you can see the water bubbling and steam rising.

Love to All,
Elena

October 16th, 2009 The Gower, Wales

Dear Family and Friends,

Today I was on shift, working with my student. She called me into her room early in the morning to let me know that her mother was coming for the day to visit and they both wanted to know if I would like to go with them on a day trip. They offered to take me to the Gower in Wales, which is a peninsula consisting of the most beautiful beaches, bays, and limestone cliffs. I was very grateful for their offer to take me with them, so I grabbed my coat and bag and we set off ready to explore. The drive was a very scenic one, as most drives are in Wales. Fully of greenery that seems to be endless. Sheep scattered across fields, rolling emerald hills in every direction.

We arrived in a small town called Rhosili, which is located at the very end of the peninsula. I don’t even know if I can describe how pretty the view was at this place. It was so picturesque, like something described in a story, it almost didn’t seem real to me. The three of us walked along the cliff overlooking the bay and a small island called Worms Head. I have been told that people are able to cross over to the island when the tide is out, but that many people get stuck there each year because they forget the time, and the tide comes back in. Don’t know yet if I want to try and walk to the island knowing that some have been stuck over night, will have to think about it. We had a little picnic consisting of sandwiches, crisps (what we would call chips), and biscuits (what we would call cookies). It was a lovely day outside, and it was nice to get some fresh air. I felt like I did my lungs some good that afternoon. We spent the rest of the afternoon walking and popped into a little shop that was full of the famous Welsh cakes (which are delicious), wool blankets, and other Welsh trinkets. It was truly one of the best days that I have had in Wales. My student and her mother made me feel at home and part of their family, I could not have asked for anything more.

All of the photos show the bay from the cliff we were walking along. The 2nd photo from the top is over Worms Head Island

Love to All,
Elena

October 15th, 2009 Visit to St. Fagans

Dear Family and Friends,

Today I visited a small town located on the outskirts of Cardiff, Wales. In this small town is a St. Fagans National History Museum which is quite a museum to be seen. This museum occupies approximately 100 acres of land and takes a whole day to walk around. It consists of a castle, very elaborate gardens/walking grounds, and old buildings/structures dating as far back as the 15th century. Many of the structures located on the property come from all over the country of Wales. They were placed in St. Fagans to allow visitors to step back in time to experience life hundreds of years ago in Wales. This place was spectacular, one of the most lovely places I have ever been to. I was able to walk through a farmhouse built in 1610, look into a small post office built in 1936, buy some sweets in an old shop built in 1880, and to explore iron worker’s homes dating to about 1800. It really was a humbling experience to have the opportunity to essentially step back in history and to get a glimpse of what it would have been like to live across different centuries. Unfortunately, I was unable to explore the castle, as I spent most of the day walking through the grounds, looking at the different buildings. I am hoping to be able to go back to visit. All the museums in Wales are free admission, which is great, thus if you miss something you know you can always go back.

Top Photo: St. Fagan's Castle (Built in 1580)
Second Top Photo: St. Teilo's Church (believed to date back to as early as the 13th century)
Third Photo: Farmhouse (Built in 1544)
Fourth Photo: Barn (Dates back to 1550)
Fifth Photo: Fountain in Courtyard
Last Photo: Italian Garden

Love to All,
Elena

October 14th, 2009 Visit to Cardiff Castle

Dear Family and Friends,

Today I visited Cardiff, Wales, the capital of this gorgeous country. The weather was absolutely lovely, so I decided it would be a great opportunity to visit Cardiff Castle, which is in the center of the city. It was amazing. It is almost 2000 years old and has been kept in wonderful condition. The original foundation of the castle is actually attributed to the Romans who had built there before the Normans occupied the castle later on. Eventually the castle fell into the hands of the very wealthy Bute family during the Victorian age and was much altered to take on a more gothic fairy tale appearance. It was very interesting to see the layers of the walls, based on which group of people occupied the castle. The very bottom of the walls was a different kind of stone, which the Romans used. Built upon that was the stone of the Normans. Thus, there is literally a physical timeline that visitors can see.

The grounds are simply beautiful. Large grassy areas, the wartime tunnels, the Norman keep built on a high motte, the clock tower, a falconry, and the actually living quarters of the wealthy family occupying the castle.

Top Photo: Stained Glass windows in the Family Quarters
2nd Top: Painted wall, and decorative ceiling in the great room of castle
3rd Top: The Arab room, very decorative from top to bottom, artwork emphasized a great deal on exotic birds.
4th Photo: The keep, which was used as a dungeon and fortress. Was meant to be the stronghold during times of defense.
5th Photo: The Family Quarters
Video Below: Shows the falconry

Love to All,
Elena

Two Weeks in Wales

Dear Family and Friends,

I have now spent two weeks in the UK. It is lovely here. The people and the places are wonderful. There are several other international volunteers as well including two from Mexico, one from Uganda, one from Colombia, one from France, and another from the U.S. The rest of the volunteers are from England and Wales. So far it has been a wonderful opportunity to learn about other cultures and backgrounds. I do get a few odd looks when I say certain words or pronounce words, the British volunteers sort of just laugh and smile at me. They are trying to teach me the lingo here, as well as the differences in spelling.

The student I am assisting here is such a nice girl. She has cerebral palsy, which affects her mobility and overall motor function. However, she is quite strong and independent, and is able to do much on her own. Two other girls and I are simply there to assist her with any thing she needs. She is pursuing a Masters degree in War and Society with an emphasis on America. She had earned her Bachelors degree in American Studies and likes to speak to me about her travels in America a great deal. We exchange information, and the similarities and differences between the two countries. She particularly enjoys American media, so we have very nice chats together.

The top picture is in a town called Mumbles which is a part of Swansea, Wales where I am staying. It is a very pretty town right by the water. It is also home to Catherine Zeta Jones (if anyone is interested). The picture is of the pier there. The 2nd photo is of the lighthouse in Mumbles, the 3rd is of an old Lifeboat house, built in 1883, and the last photo is of the Mumbles pier from a distance.

I will continue to update my blog more frequently as I now have a more stable rota to follow.

Love to All,
Elena