Ponytrekking

Hi Everyone! I just got back from Wales last night and I did some journaling on my computer as the weekend was progressing. I'm copy/pasting that in here and I'll add to the end with the stuff I didn't cover...

Saturday:
Right now, I am sitting on a queen sized bed in a bed and breakfast in Wales. (note the bed size. it’s been a while since I’ve seen anything other than a twin.) This weekend has been amazing so far. On Friday, we got up early and took a train here. When we arrived in Swansea, we walked to the bus station and caught a bus to a gas station where our host met us. The ranch is so beautiful. I never thought I’d miss seeing country or grass but I definitely did. Once we got settled into our room (4 bed room for 4 girls) we walked around and explored a bit. The beach is about a 30 minute walk from the ranch. We walked on the beach and found some seashells and got quite dirty. After about an hour, we walked back to the ranch. The way back was MUCH steeper than the way there. Our legs were sore.

The woman who runs the ranch is Olive. Olive is the sweetest Welch person I have ever met. She looks to be about 70 and can still mount a horse. Amazing. Olive also does all of the cooking for the house. On Friday night she served us grapefruit, chicken, peas, a baked potato, and lemon meringue pie with ice cream. All four of us were happy campers. The combination of waking up early, our long uphill hike and large dinner put us all to sleep by 9PM… the earliest I’ve been to bed in about two years.

Today we all woke up by 7:30AM and ate a full Welch breakfast in the dining room. Afterwards we all went outside to get our horses and get a quick riding lesson. I was assigned Joe, the horse for the weekend. Joe is very sweet but also very lazy. While I brushed him, his eyes drooped. Apparently, 8 a.m. is a little too early for Joe. Hmm… we have that in common.



Finally we all mounted our horses and began our journey. We rode for about an hour on the high ground above the coast and then rode into town and ate lunch. The second session after lunch was easier but much more painful for our legs. Joe did well although he got tired and frustrated toward the end of the ride, especially when he refused to move any faster to catch up with the front end of the group. Maybe he was just annoyed with the seven girls from Boston University who kept complaining that they couldn’t control their horses. I certainly was.

Now we’re just waiting for dinner to be served at 6. We’re having lasagna! More updates on my train ride home.


Sunday:
Today was a great day. We rode horses all day and the weather was beautiful. I actually got to ride in a t-shirt! We ate lunch at a pub along the way and it was the first time I really enjoyed fish and chips. I am loving everything about the bed and breakfast we are staying at. Last night we had the most amazing apple crumble with ice cream and lasagna, veggies, etc. It was amazing. I am happy to get back to London and get started on some homework. I really like these weekend trips but I also like the return to normalcy at the end. It makes London feel like home.

Ok, now that you're all caught up I will update on other news. Pictures from Wales (and other adventures) are posted to www.flickr.com/photos/mcgroves . Please check that out! I just finished a paper on the Beatles which sounds fun but wasn't at all. In fact, it was one of the more difficult papers I've written in college. Other than that, nothing else is really going on. I have class all day tomorrow then will hopefully get outside for a while. The weather has been amazing here! The temperature got to 65 today. Everything is blooming and Hyde Park across the street looks beautiful with flowers all over the ground.

Let me know what you're all up to! Feel free to leave a comment on here for me. I love those.

Megan