The past couple of days have been great fun. Saturday, three of us girls decided to throw on swimsuits and run into the ocean. Chilly. BUT I am glad I can say I swam in it once on my trip! Saturday night I attended the second half of the BBC's Proms in the Park. We knew there was going to be an orchestra concert, but had no idea that we were going to see the famous production! We saw the four national orchestras from Ireland, Wales, Scotland, and England, as well as other guests such as the Welsh National Choir (Wales is famous for its choirs). At one point, Wales, England, Scotland, and Northern Ireland were all hooked up via satellite, and played a piece composed by a 30 year old woman commissioned specifically for this event. Additionally, we found out this was the first time the event was held in Swansea. Such adventures! I have seen many orchestra concerts before, but never have I been so moved by music. Maybe it was the national pride I was surrounded by (1,000 + Welsh flags) or the atmosphere. Or maybe it was hearing thousands of drunk Welsh people singing "That's Amore" and " Que Sera Sera".
Sunday, we were kicked out of the dorms because they had to reset the electricity for the year, so the American Students Office took us on a field trip to Chepstow Castle and Tintern Abbey. Unfortunately, the remains of these places are mostly composed of skeletons and we can only imagine the grand splendor they at one point were.
Chepstow Castle, the first stone castle to be built in Britain (1607), was transformed from a castle, to a palace, to a fortress in its time. I learned about the different rooms of the castle, and how a castle was captured. Interesting! We had a "Monk" from the year "1409" as our tour guide. He liked to ramble. A lot. Chepstow is right on the border of England. So I suppose I can say I went to England this weekend as well. We got to eat lunch with the castle in the background!
Tintern Abbey is fantastic. The religious architeture is one you couldn't see in the states. While only the skeleton (mostly) remains, it is still breathtaking. The monks worshiped every 3 hours, ate one meal a day, and bathed 3 times per year (and that was considered to be extremely clean). I was suprised at the innovative ways in which these buildings worked. For instance, the facilities had a comprehensive draining system, and there were seperate rooms for toilets, kitchens, etc.
The highlight of the weekend was without a doubt the Proms in the Park production. To be part of that celebration was more than anyone could have expected or asked for!
Here are pictures of the castle and of the abbey
Chepstow Castle
Tintern Abbey
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