Final Post

Hello again everyone,

I regret to be leaving all you readers so soon, but the Celtic Connections J-term trip was to be, by definition, a short one. We have finally arrived home--all of us safely, although Dr. Threadgill with some luggage troubles--to meet with both the smiling faces of family and friends as well as the tremendous workload of the upcoming semester. We were both sad to leave the beautiful people and places of the Celtic lands and happy to be returning to our homes and predictable schedules.

Right now, though, the main things on most of our minds are jet lag and sleep. Thus, I will cut this last entry short, with hope that you might read through the blog and keep an eye out for a possible post from Elizabeth. If you have any questions about the trip, feel free to email me at senilorac@gmail.com.

Thanks again for being wonderful readers! I have greatly enjoyed sharing my experience with all of you and hope to do so again when travel is again featured in my life!

Pictures!!!

Hi again everyone,

We are in our hotel in Dublin! It's pretty nice and very close to the center of the city, but best of all, it has free wi-fi access! So I'm using Marissa's computer to finally post some pictures!











A side street in the city of Liverpool, England, known best for being the birthplace of the Beatles.










One of the many murals displayed on the walls of Belfast. Although this one is rather neutral, many are paramilitary in nature.












One of our hosts in Belfast plays traditional Ulster-
Scots music at the Ulster-Scots Agency.











Some ancient walls at the Stonewall Jackson ancestral
home place.









A traditional multi-room, thatched cottage, which would have been common among the ancient middle-class Ulster-Scots, is displayed at the Ulster-American Folk Park.









A decorative wall at the Bushmills Whiskey distillery, where we were able to see the whiskey-making process and try the finished products.











An amazing view of the Giants Causeway, a rocky cliff and beach on the Antrim Coast of Northern Ireland.












A beautiful view of the Dunluce Castle, again on the Antrim Coast.












A view into one of the impressive chambers of the Belfast City Hall, which is undergoing massive renovations.











The front of Stormont, the Parliamentary Building of Northern Ireland, in which Unionists and Nationalists debate.












The enormous dry docks in which the Titanic was kept; a little known fact is that the ship was designed and built in Belfast, Northern Ireland.












Some pictures displaying the construction of the Titanic are erected in the building in which it was designed.











Three young girls danced to traditional and contemporary Ulster-Scots music at the Robert Burns dinner.











An image of the Carrickfergus Castle.









The Cathedral Church of St. Colomb, the first church built in Europe after the Protestant Reformation, is situated in Londonderry, a historically and presently divided city.













An image of the oldest pub in Dublin, the Brazen Head, which opened in 1198.

Well, there you have it! I'm not sure how much we'll be able to post in the future because of the Internet availability, but thanks so much for reading the blog!

A Day in Londonderry

Today we spent about four hours on a bus to visit the town of Londonderry. On the west side of Northern Ireland, this town is central to the history and culture of the Ulster-Scots, the ethnic group we are studying here.

One of the only remaining walled cities with inhabitants living within its walls, Londonderry--or Derry, as it is sometimes called by Nationalists or Republicans who are against the British presence in Ireland--is steeped in the protestant tradition that the Ulster-Scots maintain to this day. Its cathedral, the Cathedral Church of St. Colomb, was actually the first church to be built in western Europe after the Protestant Reformation of 1517. In addition, the city itself was the location where protestant forces began to turn back the siege of King James II, a catholic king of Britain who wanted to dispel protestantism from his kingdom. Shortly after the city was held in 1689, the protestant William III defeated James at the Battle of the Boyne in 1690, thus assuring the protestant and parliamentary nature of the British government.

The city's contemporary history also reflects the conflict between the protestant Northern Irish and the catholic Irish. Some of its walls were blocked off due to safety concerns in the 1970s; the IRA used to control much of the town and has contributed to a lack of police control; there remains a wall partitioning the city into protestant and catholic sections; the protestants have been forced to move to different sections of the city in one of the largest ethnic exoduses in modern western Europe; paramilitary murals are displayed from the walls; and violence continues to be perpetuated around areas like the Apprentice Boys Headquarters, an Ulster-Scots organization that commemorates the protestants who protected their city in the late 1600s siege.

Much like some of the other sites we've seen, Londonderry is a testament to the continuing national and religious struggles on the Irish isle. Even if the British and Irish governments have made peace, many of their people have not; even if much of the overt violence has ended, grudges still persist in people's hearts. It is almost overwhelming to see this struggle that has continued for centuries because it feels as though it might never change.

We have, however, seen many aspects of positive change in Northern Ireland. As I mentioned before, the worst of the violence has largely stopped here. In addition, many politicians, whether they are Unionists or Nationalists, take a rather middle-of-the-road compared to the more violent Loyalists and Republicans. Many paramilitary murals around Northern Ireland, and especially in Belfast, are gradually being replaced by less tense ones about history (the Titanic) and sports (local football--that means soccer--players). While progress might seem slow as far as attitudes are concerned, progress is definitely being made.

Tomorrow, we go for the first time into the Republic of Ireland to spend a couple of days in Dublin (a world capital) before we go home. Although we don't have anything definitively planned for our time there, I will do my best to let you know what we get into. There are many museums there--like a writers' museum and an art museum--that I suspect we will want to visit.

Then, after this brief trip, it will be time to depart I have to admit that, even though the sites and people have been incredible here, I am ready to come home. I think most of us miss our families and even--dare I say--the predictable schedule of the semester.

We will come away from this trip, though, having learned and experienced things that we could not have encountered in the comfort of our own homes. Travel, no matter the manner or the location, is definitely a good idea!

January 18

After a cluster of eventful days in Belfast, the Ulster-Scots agency granted our group two days of rest. Yesterday, we enjoyed our free day. Many slept in and enjoyed browsing the impressive shopping mecca, myself included.

We were treated with another relaxed day today. Generally we board the bus around 9:30, but today, we gathered around 12:30. Before heading towards Carrickfergus Castle, we took a brief detour through Falls rd. If I am not mistaken, these particular murals are Nationalist. Some were painted with a high level of artistry, and all of them conveyed a deep commitment to the artist's and his people's cause.

After a drive-by view of the murals, we headed towards Carrickfergus Castle. Just outside of Belfast, the castle has been situated on the seacoast for an impressive 800 years. The castle has outlasted attacks from the Scots, Irish, English, and French before the Northern Ireland Environment Agency took the castle under its wing in 1928.

Mr. Hannah, our guide again today, gave a brief overview of the castle before unleashing the group to act as its own tour guide. Although cold and windy, we enjoyed scouring the castle grounds. The Northern Ireland Environment Agency has made the castle fairly interactive with an informative film and plaster molds. After posing for pictures and exploring the gift shop, we headed to the Andrew Jackson home site.

Just around the corner, Jackson's ancestor's home was unfortunately closed. The building is closed during the winter season, so we settled for peeking in through the windows. Eager to get back on the bus, we headed back to Belfast and were able to see more murals. Because we looked at Nationalist murals on our way to Carrickfergus, we viewed several Unionist murals on the way back to the hostel.

This post was supposed to go up a while ago, as you can probably tell. Anyhow, I hope that you have enjoyed stopping in with Caroline and me. On behalf of our group, thank you Ulster-Scots Agency!

Jan. 15... again

While trying to post my original January 15th entry my prepaid internet term ended--much to my dismay. However, I will attempt to recap everything I covered which shouldn't be terribly difficult.
The night previous to our excursion to the Bushmills Distillery and the lovely Giant's Causeway, the Ulster-Scots Agency graciously hosted a mixer. We enjoyed complimentary food and drinks long into the night while listening to traditional Celtic music. Conscious of our busy schedule the next day, most of us went to bed as soon as we came back to the hostel.
Eager to attack the day's itinerary, the group set out after breakfast to the Bushmills Distillery. Obviously, the North Irish and really all Celtic people are associated with alcohol. The Bushmills Distillery was of particular interest to our culture-seeking group because the company recently celebrated its 400th anniversary. Since 1608, the company has taken pride in brewing a milieu of whiskeys. Unlike many distilleries, that utilize a double distillation process, Bushmills embraces a triple standard. The additional step guarantees a cleaner product which our group was allowed to sample at the end of the tour. The company's perseverance for nearly half a millennium is no small feat; truly, the company's vivacious lifespan is a testament to the value we place on good whiskey.
After the tour and the obligatory gift-shop spree, we lunched at "The Copper Kettle." A cozy eatery that offers well-priced traditional meals set us up for our next experience: The Giant's Causeway.
Honestly, it is probably a good thing that the Youth hostel doesn't provide usb hubs because no photograph can touch the first-hand beauty of this causeway. Even today, while shopping for souvenirs, I found that the professional photos and posters of the natural wonder fell short of what I had seen. To further stress the area's beauty, I will note that it is the most visited area in all of Northern Ireland.
If you ever have the opportunity to go, you will understand. Only a few minutes from the Bushmills Distillery, Giant's Causeway is a collection of grassy peaks that meet the sea in the form of unique stepping stones. Strong winds threaten to cast the frail into the gray sea, but we still teetered along.
One legend claims that a giant named McCool built the basalt columns to cross the 13 miles to Scotland to defeat his counterpart. I guarantee that the majority of the group's pictures will have been spent on this beauty of a landmark. I know that my description doesn't begin to put this landmark into any sort of context, but If professional photographs don't do the landmark justice, then my description certainly won't either. We arrived in the evening very tired to eat dinner and for a brief meeting. Like Caroline told you, we were preparing for our busiest day yet.

Belfast City Tour

Hi there everyone,

It's good to post for you again! Because today was our free day, which consisted of shopping and eating in Belfast, I'm going to tell you a little bit about our events yesterday. Then in a little while Elizabeth will be writing about the day before that. Sorry for the delays, but I'm sure you will understand that we are quite busy here.

To continue with the topic, though, yesterday our group went on a tour of the city of Belfast, the capital of Northern Ireland. It was probably one of the busiest days we've had on our trip, so I will just give you a very brief summary of all the sites we saw.

Political sites. Some of the places we visited were political in nature: the Belfast City Hall and Stormont, or the Parliament building. The City Hall was mainly interesting for its incredible designs--such as marble stairs and impressive chandeliers--and memorials--such as one to those who died in the first and second World Wars. Parliament, though, was more interesting for its living history: we were able to see chambers in which political members, both Unionist and Nationalist, meet and debate.

Industrial sites. A few other sites were related to an industry that no longer dominates Belfast but used to make it a central hub in Europe: shipbuilding. We visited the city's official Harbor Office to learn about the industry in general and the building's historical significances. Then we ventured to Belfast's dry docks and an old edifice for ship planning, both of which were involved in the creation of the Titanic. Yes, the Titanic was built in Belfast; the Harbor Office still has a table that was designed for the ship's captain but never delivered to him.

Historical sites. One site in particular was historical in nature: the Belfast Castle. Originally a private residence and now a public park, the castle is notable mainly for its own beauty and incredible view of the city of Belfast. This makes it a prime location for many types of events, such as weddings. At this visit, we were able to see one of the many ways in which historical buildings are used in the modern world.

Fraternal sites. Some of our last sites yesterday were lodges of the Orange Order, a fraternal organization that was founded in the 1600s for the protection of Protestants in Northern Ireland from the Catholics. Because much of our trip to Northern Ireland is meant to involve the history of the Ulster-Scots, who began the organization, seeing these lodges and their members was a vital link to their culture. We saw traditional music and learned about the philosophy of the Orange Order, both of which deepened my understanding of this organization and its people.

Cultural and literary sites. Our last site--or, more properly, event--for the day was a Robert Burns dinner. This dinner is rather formal, including musical and dance performances and traditional foods like haggis (basically a mixture of sheep guts cooked inside its stomach, which I was unable to eat due to my vegetarianism). It has been held for over 400 years in Northern Ireland to commemorate the island's national bard, Robert Burns, who has been an inspiration to poets and songwriters of the past and today. As one of my majors is English literature, I was very interested to hear about Burns' poetic skills, which include shedding light on social ills and speaking from the voices of diverse peoples. I would greatly suggest reading some of his poems; you can access many of them through this site.

Well, that is an extremely short summary of our very busy day yesterday. You can imagine that we were quite happy to have a free day today, and will still be grateful for our half day tomorrow. We will write soon about our last few days in Belfast; then, we will get to see Ireland's capital, Dublin. Shortly after that, we'll be on our way home; time sure flies when you're as busy as we are!

Studies in Local and International Culture

Yesterday, our group spent almost all of our day touring two historical sites in Northern Ireland: the Stonewall Jackson ancestral home place and the Ulster-American Folk Park.

The home place was really a very short visit; we went and saw the remains of Stonewall Jackson's (of the American Civil War) ancestors' home, as well as a remake of their barn. We were greeted by a hearty man dressed in Civil War garb, and then a kindly couple invited our large group of 19 into their modest home for tea. It was a short experience, but still quite enjoyable.

Following that visit, we spent the bulk of our day at the Ulster-American Folk Park, which, like the name suggests, explores and presents the connections between the Ulster-Scots of Northern Ireland and the Scotch-Irish of America and the Appalachian region. We spent a lot of time there, looking at both indoor and outdoor exhibits and learning about two main subjects: what life was like for the Ulster-Scots and the nature of their transition to America.

As far as the Ulster-Scots are concerned, we learned that their people lived in a rather rigid class system. The poorest people were modest farmers who lived in one-room, thatched homes; the basically middle class people lived in slightly more upscale homes; and the richer people would have lived in perhaps two-story homes and practiced more advanced trades like weaving. Once an individual was born into a class, it was very unlikely that he or she would escape it; social mobility was a slow, and often very difficult, process for the early Ulster-Scots.

Many of the rich and poor alike, though, eventually ventured to the United States in the quest for social mobility, whether due to trade opportunities or the hope of escape from the Irish famine. Ships that brought cargo to the Old World from the New would pick up such individuals on the journey back; the rich and healthy would usually survive, but the starved and poor often perished on the journey. Nonetheless, individuals from both groups ventured to the New World, many of whom eventually moved into the southern Appalachians. They thus brought not only their practical farming practices with them; they also transplanted many cultural elements into our region. From music to dance to storytelling, the Celtic influence on our region is notably strong.

Finally, our group balanced the historical focus of the day with a gathering at a local football club, in which we were able to meet a few of our Ulster-Scots peers. I had some really interesting conversations with a nice girl named Sharon, a geography major who recently graduated from her university. We discussed lighthearted topics like music and movies, but also more serious ones, such as the ongoing conflict between the Northern Irish and the Irish. In summation, the conflict is as follows: the Northern Irish are Unionists who support the British presence in Ireland, whereas the Irish are Nationalists--or, in their more aggressive form, Republicans--who see Ireland as a separate country from Britain. Much of the violence from 20 or 30 years ago is no longer explicitly visible in cities like Belfast, but Sharon let us know that it still goes on. I am interested to see whether we will see the Irish side of the story during our short stay in Dublin before we return home.

All in all, yesterday was a very interesting day in terms of local and international culture. We learned quite a bit about both the Ulster-Scots and Scotch-Irish, especially about the connections between them.

Today, we spent time on more scenic pursuits; to put it simply, they were breathtaking. But I will let Elizabeth share that with you a little later on. In the meantime, we have to eat dinner and get ready to hit one of the most highly rated clubs in Belfast; wish us luck!

Belfast at Last!

This morning we said "Hywl" to Wrexham and hoped for a smooth flight from Liverpool to Belfast. As we looked back at Wrexham, perhaps for the last time, we spotted a rainbow and hoped that meant good things.
Worth more than gold, clear weather and a charismatic guide met us at our arrival gate in Belfast. Maynard Hannah, a former police officer and perpetual jokester, helped us load our things onto a bus. Shortly after, we arrived at our youth hostel. Although it is considerably dressed down compared to our previous accommodation,we have our own bathrooms and a healthy amount of security. We are also situated nearby interesting eateries and clubs; it's easily assumed that the pros outweigh the cons. Thus far, the people also seem as equally dressed down. Rather than high fashion boots, leggings, and the coats in Liverpool, Belfast seems to cater more to the punk crowd. Then again, I've only been here a few hours.
The Ulster-Scots Agency which employs Hannah, hosted a nice pizza dinner and filled us in on our upcoming itinerary. After the session, we headed back to the hostel for some r&r; we'll need it for the days to come.

Liverpool and Such

Yesterday, our group had a "free day," which actually means that we were extremely busy, but had the choice of how to be busy.

In the end, all of our group decided to visit Liverpool, which is most noted for being the home of the Beatles. After splitting off into smaller groups, we took various trains into the town, some through Bidston and some through Chester. I rode through Bidston and after arriving in Liverpool embarked on a shopping extravaganza for dancing dresses. A couple of us bought some nice clothes, which we wore later on in the evening. Unfortunately, there were only pubs and no dance clubs open that night, and the pubs were mainly filled with overly friendly men. It wasn't the best night, but Liverpool at least was fantastic.

I'll let Elizabeth talk about our arrival in Belfast, but I will give you this sad news myself: Unfortunately, there might be no more pictures on the blog. The computers at the hostel have no USB ports, which means I can't connect my computer to the Internet. There is a slight chance that we might be able to post pictures through an Internet cafe, but I wouldn't count on it. I'm so sorry for this inconvenience, but it's pretty unavoidable.

In any case, I am extremely exhausted and feel a little bit ill, so I think I will cut this post short tonight. I look forward to sharing out Belfast experiences with you, albeit sans photos.

Historical Site Visits

Hi there everyone,

The trip is going well but is very busy! As a result, we're having to compress two blog posts into one and make them quite shorter. It's very hard to balance all the things we want to do here; after spending the day in academic pursuits, a few of us ventured into a couple Welsh clubs, both of which were fun but quite tiring.

So, here's the recap for the past couple of days! The day before yesterday, our group made several stops on a bus trip across north Wales. First we visited Dolwyddelan castle, which the early Welsh princes built. Then we stopped at the town and gravesite of Bedd Gelert (0r "Gelert's Grave"), named for the Welsh tale of a dog killed based on a false assumption by his master. Finally we reached our main stop, the castle of Caernarfaron, which the English King Edward built both to impress his barons and dominate the Welsh. Perhaps the most interesting discovery of these activities was the juxtaposition of the Welsh and English castles; the Welsh are rather miniscule and the English are fantastic, similar to the economies of these two regions today. Compare the two pictures below of the Welsh and English castles, respectively.

Yesterday our group ventured to Chester, England, a very historical town. It was originally a Roman fort, meant to help the Romans in their conquering of the Welsh, but it also contains many medieval structures. Our main focus during our visit was on the Roman architecture, however. We walked around the walls of the city and eventually got a view of them from the outside. They were apparently some of the most effective defensive walls of the time period, simply due to their height and tiered design. In the picture below, you can see a good example of one of the Roman walls above a more modern canal built in the city.

Well, that is a very brief summary of our last couple of days. Again, I'm terribly sorry that I couldn't give you more information and pictures; it's impressive enough that I've been able to get on here at all. That's what Welsh dance clubs can do to you!

More Pictures!!!

Hello all,

I realize that we haven't been putting up very many pictures on the blog, certainly not as many as we have been taking. For that I greatly apologize.

But here's the good news: We actually have official group photographers (specifically, Elizabeth and I are the official group bloggers) who have been posting pictures online. Here is a link to some of Marissa Pullins' pictures:

http://viewmorepics.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=user.viewPicture&friendID=111076532&albumId=2302992

I hope that can satisfy your craving for images of Wales! It really is a beautiful country, looking a lot like home (with a few more sheep, of course).

Day 2 Classes

Day 2


With jet-lag waning and our group’s desire for “Celticity” on the increase, we shoveled blood-sausage and baked beans (an integral part of any proper Welsh breakfast) into our mouths before tackling day two of Celtic Studies. As Caroline detailed, we have been privileged enough to drink tea and rub elbows with the professors at Glyndwr University for two days. During the time, they have enlightened us on the culture of the Celts, largely focusing on their personal favorite—themselves. Admittedly, Americans are not the best with Geography or World Culture, but Glyndwr’s staff is making an indent in that stereotype— seventeen college students at a time.

I am sure that more than a few of us pre-trip associated Wales with seafaring mammals and Charles’s first, prettier wife. Now though, we can say “Ffarwlio” to those notions because I assure you we really are learning here!

We began today’s lessons with a brief introduction to the long-persecuted Welsh language. As of the last census, nearly a decade ago, the population consisted of approximately 20% Welsh speakers. That may seem a paltry amount, but since 1536 the language has struggled and managed to resist the Tudor’s persecution. Not bad, considering the U.K. has watched more than several languages fade into obscurity. I am happy to report that Welsh is making a comeback with Welsh primary schools and free lessons becoming the norm. Taking part in that comeback, our group enjoyed fumbling through the lisp-like pronunciations during our rendition of Welsh children songs.

Next, Professor Bolton happily dispelled the legends surrounding King Arthur. Although informative, it was similar to discovering that Santa is really your uncle in costume. Thanks in part to a Welshman though, the hyperboles and mysticism have survived, thanks Geoffrey of Monmouth!

The nifty information I shared about the history behind Wales was another part of the session, and last we learned about Welsh theatre. Similar to the charismatic storytelling that you might hear from your grandparents, storytelling is an art form in itself in Wales.

We ended the day with re-enactments of the famed Welsh legends The Mabinogion, much to the dismay of introverts. Half-starved and cold (we had removed our shoes and coats to decrease our inhibitions for our BAFTA worthy performances… no worries, we were indoors) we ended the night with a nice Italian meal.

(putting The Globe actors to shame)

Day One of Celtic Studies

The first day of our Celtic Studies short course at Glyndwr University was packed. Before I talk a little about our day, though, I want to give you some brief information about recent events at Glyndwr.

The institution only recently became a university after England approved that status. Before that, it was called the Northeast Wales Institute (NEWI). Signs for the univeristy are a mix between the old and new names. This recent status upgrade might not seem that important, but to the Welsh people, it is vital. It parallels the attempts of the Welsh to gain greater prestige and autonomy, which many of the people feel have been taken from them by the English. Similarly to the university's recent upgrade, the town of Wrexham, where we are situated, is also applying for an upgrade to city status. The Welsh are becoming increasingly proud of their own institutions and towns, and especially of their own language, which had been specifically suppressed by the English in the past. I'll leave that for Elizabeth to discuss, though.

Now, here is a little about our first day of classes proper here. Besides an introductory and welcome session, our group listened to three lectures about the origin of the Celts, the Celtic languages and medieval Wales.

The first class basically discussed the Celtic peoples throughout their history; although they were the dominant people in continental Europe before the Roman empire, the spread of Greece and especially Rome pushed them to the fringes of Europe, making most of them insular Celts on the islands of Britain and Ireland. Even after the Romans left the Celtic lands, the Celts continued to move to the edge of society; Germanic or Saxon invaders pushed them to the furthest corners of the Celtic islands, to Scotland, Wales and Ireland. It is clear, then, that the Celtic race, which the Romans thought "barbaric," was once powerful in Europe; they were also quite advanced, as is seen in decorative archaeological finds.

The second class then moved to discuss the languages of the Celts, which proved very interesting to me, as a student of English. In fact, many of the subjects covered were similar to those that I would expect from Maryville College's history of the English language course. Our teacher for that session discussed how the Celtic languages, which evolved from Indo-European, sub-divided into continental and insular languages and then further sub-divided into Goidelic and Brythonic languages. Welsh is a Brythonic language, and unlike many of the other Celtic languages, it remains living and in use today.

Finally, our last session for the day covered the history of the Welsh desire for a figure called the "Son of Destiny," who, after the many Welsh kings failed to unify Wales and England as a Brythonic country, would finally come to unify both the Welsh and all of the Britons. This partially legendary figure represents a hope for the Welsh that has persisted for generations, but has not truly been realized; for most of Wales' history, the Welsh people have been subjugated by the English.

After our class sessions, we ate dinner at a local pub before venturing to a primary school (which, as a testament to the strength of the Welsh language, teaches its students only in Welsh) to hear a women's choir sing. They brought us tea and Welsh cakes while they sang traditional Welsh folksongs and invited us to sing some American songs and Welsh children's tunes. This provided the perfect finish to a very educational yet tiring day, as we were able to experience some of the Welsh culture firsthand.



Clearly, our group has been busy at work even in the first two days of our trip! We are trying to get everything we can from the people and culture of Wales; it is a beautiful and precious place, something that needs appreciation, especially because it is hard to say when we will be able to return.

Strolling in Wrexham

After traveling for half a day and a night, our group dispersed for the most part, some of us eating, some of us napping and some of us taking an excursion into downtown Wrexham. Along with a couple other students and Dr. Schmied, I chose to see the city, which proved an interesting and valuable experience.

The city itself is an amalgamate of culture. Not far from the booming industrial center of Manchester, Wrexham itself has both a little of history and a little of the modern world. As far as history is concerned, one of the first sights on the largely pedestrian street is an aging yet beautiful chapel. Mossy gray on the outside and dusty brown within, it brought a few moments of silence--and, most of all, some time out of the rain--to our trekking group. A little after passing the church, we reached the bustling center of the city, a central walkway brimming with people huddled against the rain and cold and cruising through a multitude of shops. Celtic staples, such as pubs and Internet cafes, along with some familiar American shops, such as Claire's and McDonald's, lined both sides of the cobbled street. Like a bustling downtown, people mingled as seagulls flew overhead, one of the few indications of the proximity of the ocean.

Exciting though the excursion was, the cold, the rain and, most notably, the jetlag forced us to retreat back to the inn. We hope, though, to venture out into the heart of Wrexham again in the seven-odd days we are to remain here. In fact, the University of Glyndwr, which is offering us a short Celtic studies class in the next couple of days, is not far from this district. We will be sure to have an incredible time! On a final note, please forgive us if we don't share this upcoming experience with you soon enough--the Internet is quite costly here!

Travel Day 1

Day 1

Torrential downpour saw our group off, a few shy from twenty, as we boarded our first plane at McGhee-Tyson Airport. The ride was short but turbulent, and we were able to browse the Atlanta Airport and grab our last American meal for a while. The airport buzzed with a slew of different people, including a small infintry of soldiers. Soon we set off on the second plane ride, a straight shot to Manchester. The nine hour flight included a few mild air bumps and questionable tortellini. We breezed through customs and rode a bus from Manchester to Wrexham, our current destination for about a week. The countryside resembles home, think Newport with fuzzy sheep and miniture ponies.

Feeling jetlagged, we unpacked and spent our first Welsh day browsing the area and catching up on sleep at the cush Ramada Plaza.