Saint Michael's College: Wales Study Trip 2019

Hey everyone! My name is Leah and I am a rising junior majoring in Public Health and Environmental Science. I am so excited to be here on this trip! I have been looking forward to traveling to Wales ever since seeing the brochures posted around the school. This is my first time in Europe, and it is so interesting noticing all the small cultural differences between us and the UK. Flying over Wales was breathtaking. It is definitely as green as they advertise it to be. And there are more sheep and cows than I can count. Speaking of animals, yesterday on our first trip downtown, a stray cat followed us along a stone wall. If you know me, you know I’m a crazy cat lady. I think we may have made a connection (,: it definitely made the 36 hours of travel worth it.

• 

• 

We walked around downtown Carmarthen for a good part of the afternoon, where our tour guide pointed out some of the highlights of the town. Carmarthen was once known as a place that was “as close as you can get to heaven or hell”, because there were just as many pubs as there were churches (and there were hundreds of each) in the area. Carmarthen is also known as the birthplace of Merlin, you know, the wizard from the Medieval Ages? They really like to hit on that point, as there was a HUGE wooden statue of Merlin in the center of town. Our dining hall at University of Wales Trinity St David is also named after him. I guess he’s kind of an icon.

Today, we went to the village of Llanstefan. I didn’t have a lot of expectations going into it, but I was absolutely blown away by the view. This coastal area has the second most dramatic tide change in the world. We happened to be there at low tide, which is lucky for us otherwise we wouldn’t have had land to walk on. We walked on sand that seemed to stretch out for miles. I didn’t even believe we were walking along the Atlantic Ocean! Oddly enough, there were so many washed up jellyfish on the sand. We climbed through some small caves as well.

• 

• 

• 

As if I didn’t think the sites couldn’t get any better, we then walked up a nature trail that led us to a castle that was built in the 11th century. Like, just chillin there unbothered.  We climbed up the (very narrow) stairwell that led us to the towers that had a view of the entire bay Our guide told us that it was the perfect spot to see when enemy ships sailed by. Today, it is completely empty but still serves as a great playground that kids were running around on.

• 

• 

• 

After that, we walked to the Castle Inn Pub. It was cool to see a menu full of local specialties and classic Welsh favorites. I had sweet potato and spinach curry with chips (french fries) and a few of my classmates tried meat pies, fish and chips, and other curry dishes. The small pub was definitely overwhelmed by our group, as there was only one cook serving all 20 of us! He told us to “never do that to him again”… he was probably kidding right?

Anyway, as of now we are enjoying our downtime at a cafe downtown before dinner. We have been traveling and walking for what feels like days, but I wouldn’t trade a second of it. I’m really looking forward to the rest of our trip and seeing how Wales has really committed to their mission of sustainability. I’ve noticed a large number of paper straws, so that’s a start! Well that’s all I have for now. So, as the Welsh say, cheers!

Everything is backwards – or is it?
It is. At least from what we know! We load onto buses from the left side, travel on the left side of the road, exits from the freeway are on the left, the driver sits on the right side of the bus, and all of the vehicles are manual transmission! Kidding, that part is awesome. BUT, the stick shift does go from right-to-left (as opposed to our left-to-right), and is operated by the driver’s left hand. As a fellow manual driver, this threw me off the most…
The markings on the road themselves offer a variety of different meanings. For instance, it was explained that zig-zagged lines on the border of the street indicate that drivers should proceed slowly, usually near crosswalks. Going about rotaries, or traffic circles, bends my mind. Not only are you on the left side of the road, but you also move clockwise around the circle. And to mention the size of some of the roads themselves, I’ll simply say that I give a mental round of applause to our lovely drivers when they successfully maneuver the huge bus through tiny cottage roads, lined with parked cars on both sides. Well done, friend, well done! For now, we’ll leave it to the professionals.
– Kelly

While the homes within Carmarthen create a spectacular view of vibrant colors, just beyond each house lies hundreds upon thousands of acres of Welsh farm land. From cows to goats, farming is vital to the Welsh economy. In particular, the students of Saint Michael’s College have been counting hundreds of sheep-and not just to help us fall asleep! Almost everywhere we turn, we have seen far stretches of land filled with sheep of all sizes and ages. In fact, it is estimated that there are actually over ten million sheep in Wales alone. We look forward to exploring the numerous other animals and creatures that inhabit this beautiful nation in the days and weeks to follow. -Deana DiBenedetto

The beach in Llansteffan has the second largest difference between low and high tide in the world. As a result you can tons of jellyfish scattered across the beach for miles during low tide. Don’t worry! The jellyfish are still alive even though they are not in water, once the tide comes back in they are submerged once again. We were told these huge jellyfish do not have too painful of a sting compared to other smaller ones, we decided not to test it out though! – Kristen, Abby and Emma

There are so many special parts of the city of Carmarthen. The beautiful homes we see along the narrow roads have been spectacular. The blocks of colorful homes are an integral part of the landscape of this city, from what I have noticed. I have learned to enjoy the beautiful balance of green space and structures. My mind has been floating off when I see the architecture of the city, wondering if the neighbors on the block collaborate when painting their homes. This is one of the aspects of the Welsh culture that I love. I have seen the vibrant colors of the homes celebrated. Some of my favorites are pictured below. My absolute favorite house so far has been on the coastal walk, a light pink house propped against the green hill.

Welcome to the blog for the Saint Michael’s College, Wales, UK Study Trip, “Environmental Study of Sustainable Places,” May 16-30, 2019. Fifteen students and two faculty from Saint Michael’s will be studying, observing and participating in the myriad of ways that Wales–a nation of a little over three million people within the United Kingdom–has embedded principles of sustainability within its political institutions, economy, education, culture, society, business and non-profit sectors. Our host institution is the University of Wales Trinity-Saint David in Carmarthen, one of the oldest cities in Wales, birthplace of Merlin the magician, and within close proximity of many of the major environmental, historical, cultural, economic and political sites we will be exploring. We will be documenting our travels, observations and studies throughout Wales as we undertake moderate hikes in mountains and along the coast one of the most beautiful natural landscapes in the world, attend lectures on environmental sustainability from academics and policy-makers, and conduct research on the many ways in which Wales has become recognized as a global leader in environmental sustainability.