One Term Down...

Ages and ages ago, I started rambling about the beginnings of term - and now, as of a week ago, Hilary Term is over. While I am academically spent (12 essays in 8 weeks meant a lot of words read and typed - I predict senior year will be easier because of it though, so I guess I appreciate it, haha), after 8 weeks in Oxford I feel like I am just getting into the swing of things socially.... but alas, Easter Vacation has begun and I am eagerly awaiting my European adventures!

Ironically enough, my travel adventures began a week before term ended with my study abroad program's Adventure Weekend in Wales. Despite coming off of one of the most grueling weeks of my life and before the final week of term, I refused to miss out on this opportunity (okay, I do admit that I seriously thought about not going in order to "rest" but that would've been disastrous). So instead of heading back to the Grad Center to catch some Zzz's after my tutorial on Friday of 7th week, I boarded a bus alongside my IFSA-Butler friends destined for Llanberis, Wales.

Our Hostel, nestled among the mountains and sheep.

Five and a half hours of windy roads later, I had accomplished little more than lugging my bag filled with 3 volumes of Arthurian Legend first onto and then off of the bus. (Note to self: I will never be able to read on a bus, no matter how optimistic I may feel or how pressing the reading may be....) The popularity of IFSA's Adventure weekend proved monumental - five coaches of eager American students studying in England had arrived at the Hotel, meaning that a lucky few of us had the opportunity to not stay at this fine establishment, but instead at a youth hostel up the road. I must admit I was frustrated with the injustice of it all at first - but this meant that we got to see a little more of the cute village of Llanberis and see the views from our mountainside hostel. Luckily enough, I was in a four person room with three of my friends from Oxford - it's the same group of us who will be traveling together later on this vacation, so I took it as a sort of "trial run" of our hostel adventures together... Always silver lining, yeah? 

The next morning, a group of us explored the nearby Caernarfon Castle. While it appears magnificent from the outside, the castle itself was never finished. The inside seems to be in a ruinous state, but that was just the way it was left - abandoned practically. We were lucky enough to have time after a great tour to thoroughly explore the castle itself, from climbing the countless stairs of a narrow spiral staircase up to the tallest turret to getting hopelessly lost within the hallways concealed within the walls themselves.

One of the magnificent views on our way to the lake.

That afternoon, I went kayaking on the nearby lake, Llyn Paradyn. It had been quite a long time since the last time I went kayaking - perhaps since junior year of high school, Pirates of the Caribbean immersion, Bio Bay.  While the water was not filled with glowing dinoflagellates and was QUITE a bit cooler than the tropical waters of Puerto Rico, I had a blast! Somehow I managed to be one of the more experienced kayakers... and now I understand the phrase "running circles around" something - or, perhaps more appropriately, "kayaking circles around" - because that's exactly what I did. I didn't want to get too far ahead, so I must have looked like I had some serious steering issues, haha. Nevertheless, it was great fun and an even better way of letting off some pent-up frustrations and escaping from my normal routine of only academic exercise (ie, my brain and fingers... haha).

Our last day in Wales, we visited Llandudno (a seaside town). It was a stunningly sunny and we eagerly traversed the shore, pier, and nearby shops before heading back to Oxford. Besides taking fun pictures and absorbing some much needed vitamin D, we stumbled upon the best chip (i.e., french fry) place. I have yet to have chips to rival those beauties - om nom nom!

Our group on the Pier.