Wales, Land of Milk and Plenty

So I have moved to Seattle and started work at Boeing. While that is all very exciting, I am tired after a full day of buying a bed and moving into my new house. I pretty much got my room set up with the basics, though I still need a dresser and probably a bookshelf...well, a nightstand will probably do. My house is sweet and I will write more about it later.

I want, instead, to tell you about Wales.

Our trip did not allow for us to spend a lot of time in Wales. In fact, all we did was take a train through the southern part of Wales through Cardiff and Swansea to the port of Fishguard, where we embarked on a ferry that took us to Rosslare, Ireland. We didn't see any Welsh sites nor eat any Welsh food. However, we did meet some Welsh people....and oh boy were they a hoot.

Our first encounter of the Welsh kind was in Bath, England. Torrie and I had just gotten back to our hostel, the local YMCA - cue the music, please - and we were just grabbing some stuff before going on a walk of the town.

Here is a picture of said town: Bath, England.

So while Torrie was getting something out of her bag, I said hi to a guy in the corner of the room. I tried to do this pretty often, partly because I want to give a good impression of Americans to the outside world, but really I am just a friendly person.

He was a pleasant looking guy, probably in his thirties, and we soon found out he was from Wales. We also found out that he was a stonemason. (I think his name was John?) Yes, they still have stonemasons. When then found out a LOT about this guy. He just kept talking and talking. Doesn't like the royalty, thinks it's a waste of time. Likes the tradition of Wales though. (Isn't royalty a part of Welsh tradition? Can't pick and choose, buddy....) Doesn't speak Welsh, but is glad they teach it now in schools. Likes the environment. Likes Gaelic football, thinks I would be good at it. On and on and on......man! All we wanted was to get our stuff! He asked us what we did, and after he found out Torrie was a food and nutrition teacher, led to the best part of the conversation:

J:"You're a nutrition teacher? So you must eat pretty healthily, eh?"

T: "Yeah, well mostly."
L: "Yeah we do! We even had yogurt for dinner. (I didn't mention the caramel mcvitties that we had with them. That would have ruined my comment.)

T: "Oh YEAH! That yogurt was SO good. I LOVE yogurt." (Torrie loves yogurt, she really does.)

J: "Oh yeah? Yogurt, eh? How long have you been on the yogurt?"

T: "Well, I can't remember of a time when I haven't eaten yogurt, so pretty much all my life."

J: "Wow! I just started the yogurt a few months ago and it's had a big difference."

L: "Alright, well we have to go......"

Way funny, and it has inspired me to be on the yogurt more often.

Welsh Story Number Two!

So I mentioned that we took a ferry from Wales to Ireland. While watching a game of cricket (i do NOT understand that sport) I decided that I needed to charge Candace, my iPod. I finally located an empty outlet near these four ladies. I decided to go for it. As I made my way over there, I smiled and asked how they were doing. Pretty well, I had guessed, from all of the drunk cocktail glasses and a few cigarettes, and I was correct. They let me begin to charge my iPod, and I sat down next to the plug, cause I didn't want to just leave it there. A few minutes later they told me that I could sit down and next to them.

This I did, thanking them, and the first question they asked me was: "So what part of Ireland are you from?"

For a second I wanted to tell them Killarney, but I had never even been to Ireland before, so I sheepishly answered that I was actually from the United States.

"Oh! But you sounded Irish! Your voice was a wee bit soft, with a bit of a lilt to it..."

I had never heard that before, but I am definitely going to take it as a compliment, I told them, after which I asked where they were from.

"We are from Wales!"

I had ancestors from Wales, and after I mentioned where they were from and my mom's maiden name of Morgan they replied, "Oh! We are from there! We know plenty of Morgans!"

The next two hours or so were spent talking about Wales and America, Tom Jones, Bill Clinton (they liked him, he was a good-looking guy, apparently), Donny Osmond, Rugby, and Scarlett O'Hara. After awhile they invited Torrie over, but she didn't enter into the conversation much, mostly because every time she talked...no one could understand her. That was pretty funny.

Anyway, after a whole lot of pictures at the end, they let us go. Lovely Welsh ladies. I got a lot of pinches on the cheek and a lot of "Aww....my little Billy Clinton...I could be your grandma..." but then it was time to go. Wowza.

Here's a picture!!

The Welsh are incredibly friendly! These two experiences alone has made Wales pretty high on my list of places to go back to.