Fourth of July in England: No fireworks

I'm in England, staying at a farming community called Canon Frome in Herefordshire. It's near the Welsh border. It's rather idyllic here, but first let me discuss a bit about what's happened since my last blog post.

After leaving Cardiff, I took a train up to the Welsh town of Abergavenny. It was a hot and humid day, more suitable for Georgia than the UK we imagine. I didn't get in and check into my hostel into mid-afternoon, too late for any of the neat mountain walks around Abergavenny. Luckily, the tourist info office pointed me down a 4.5 mile, largely flat hike that was doable in the time I had. Part of it was along a canal, through woodlands, and quite nice. Before that, though, I had to cross a roundabout of pedestrian peril. Throughout, it was really hot and humid. I had loaded a bit too much stuff in my daypack, and my feet were not getting along with my boots. At one point, I thought, this hike will be really fun when I'm done with it! And so it was. I did see a neat some neat old-fashioned canal boats, and the decidous forests in the sticky weather reminded me of home.

The next day, I set off on bus to the ruins of Tintern Abbey, made famous by a poem by William Wordsworth, "Lines composed a few miles above Tintern Abbey" (or something...I can't be bothered to doublecheck that title right now). Getting there involved two bus rides. On the second, I was the only passenger. The driver was new, and an experienced driver was leaning over his shoulder to consult on the route. They spent the first part of the bus ride having a rather loud conversation about the new driver's divorce, his new fiance, and comparing the frequency and quality of sex with the ex and the new fiance. Later, they decided to talk with me and asked me why I wasn't traveling with a boyfriend. I think I am capable of riding a bus without a man. I hate it when people act so shocked that I'm traveling alone. You can bet they wouldn't be so surprised if I were male. We are in the 21st century, for crying out loud! In a developed country! Grr, sexism.

Anyway! Tintern Abbey was gorgeous. The ruins are close to a road and quite popular with tourists, but on a weekday they weren't so overrun that I couldn't have bits of time alone with the ruins. It must have been beautiful when it was whole, but I liked it even better ruined. Swallows swooped among the towering pointed arches, and the lack of a roof gave it a marvelous lofty feeling. It's a cathedral for the birds and the sky.

Anyway, I haven't described anything about the farm I'm at, but I should really get off of this borrowed computer. More later.