Month: March 2020

This past weekend my family and I watched a movie on Netflix titled The King. Shakespeare composed this historical drama about Henry V (played by the love of my life Timothée Chalamet). In this movie, there were many castles, and my mother mentioned the time we stayed in a castle.

This post will be a little different, for this castle had so much history and other spooky things going on that I’d love to share. I will talk about Wales as well but also dive into Ruthin Castle. 

Wales is a part of the United Kingdom and snuggly hugging England. The people there (especially deepening on where you are located) speak English, and some speak Welsh. The capital city is Cardiff, and the country is famous for its mountains, sheep, lamb, cheese, and castles. It’s beautiful, green, and lush (it also rains A LOT). 

Well touring through the United Kingdom, we first flew into London-Heathrow and made our way through England, then Scotland, and final Wales. While in Wales, we visited the town Llangollen, one of the country’s most picturesque villages. After spending the day in the town, we made the trip our to where we would be staying, Ruthin Castle. 

The trip was beautiful; the long roads lined with ancient stone walls were once used to separate land between rival families. Due to the English Empire ruling, there are thousands of castles scattered around Wales to prevent the uprising of the Welsh people. One of these castles, the Ruthin Castle in North East Wales, was built in the late 13th century, and in the 1600s, the castle was under siege for 11 weeks before they surrendered.

In 1923 the castle was renovated to become the first private hospital and specialized in internal infections. In the 1950s, this hospital became a hotel, and we were going to stay the night. To this day, it still stands as a hotel and spa. When approaching the castle, you will first notice the castle’s arches and the resident peacocks. Yes, the bird. Once entering this beautiful castle, you feel as if you have been teleported back into time. 

Now, you see, there is a little secret about Ruthin Castle. It is said to be haunted by one of the late owner’s wives, Lady Grey. The story goes the late owner was having an affair with a peasant girl. Once discovering this, Lady Grey killed her husband’s mistress (with an ax) and was subsequently tried of murder and sentenced to death. Since that day, she is said to haunt the castle wandering through the banquet hall and castle battlements. The castle is also known to be home to the spirits of many soldiers. Where these parts of the castle are prone to mysterious noises, footsteps, and inexplicable changes in temperature, this castle has even appeared on Most Haunted. I’m terrified of ghosts. 

Overall, I loved walking around the ruins of what used to be the walls and hidden passages of the castle. If you have the chance to stay at a castle, take it, make sure to check up on any available history to make the trip a little more spooky.

My high school at home is currently on spring break. Thus, during this past week, I’ve been reflecting on breaks from the past. However, one has been stuck on my mind. Sophomore year of high school, I was to take the trip of a lifetime, a trip with my Spanish class. My Spanish teacher, Senor Haboush, has taken 20+ trips with his classes over the years, and this was going to be the final trip. We were headed to Ecuador and the Galapagos Islands. We checked our bags, got through security, and were supposed to have an hour and a half wait, but instead, we waited seven hours until our flight finally canceled. You probably don’t recall this, but that day in Atlanta, the weather was horrific, and over 1,000 flights were canceled. Due to our large group, it was merely impossible for all of us to make it, and tragically the trip was canceled. 

Luckily, my family was heading down to Mexico, and going in my place was one of my brother’s best friends, Travis. Since they hadn’t left yet, with some cussing and threats, my mother was able to secure me a flight to Puerto Vallarta. We stayed at the Villa Del Palmar Vallarta, an all-inclusive resort on the water. We spent most of the time at the resort relaxing, which is uncommon for my family, but was much needed this spring break.

The beach was beautiful and filled with vendors trying to sell anyone and everyone jewelry, arts, and marijuana (I’m not kidding). The food at the resort was phenomenal, and each night they had an exceptional performance and a themed dinner. My family’s favorite night was the traditional Mexican cuisine, partially due to the dancing contest they held that night. Travis was selected to go up on stage and compete against other men (twice his age). The winner was rewarded with a bottle of tequilla…lone and behold Travis won.   

There are many things to do outside of the resorts in Puerto Vallarta. One thing you must do is take a stroll down in the old town. Here there will be hundreds of gift shops, artists on the street, music, and much more. Stop in Tierra Huichol! This shop is famous for its beaded art and paintings. Another great place to stop for similar art and souvenirs is Peyote People. 

In terms of activities, go sailing! You can pay a small price to have someone take you sailing on a catamaran. My parents used to sail competitively back in the day, so we just rented the boat, and my dad maned it. This was spectacular! The water is warm, and the breeze is phenomenal. With that, I must recommend a snorkeling trip. But be careful! There are jellyfish, and I was stung by one (not fun). 

We also took a day-long Tequilla and town tour, which is a great way to learn about the history and see historical sites. In terms of the Tequilla, yeah, that part was more fun for my parents. 

 

 

In all of this chaos and social distancing, I often find myself wondering to faraway places. (Often, these places too are facing COVID-19 head-on.) Over spring break, my family and I were in Orlando and spent a magical day at Disney. Twice we rode, “It’s a Small World.” Many times throughout my life, I have had that exact thought; however, I have never believed it to be so real until now. When we came to Switzerland, I couldn’t help but think of my time there with my family and how I wanted to go back. Currently, despite the outbreak, flights to Switzerland are still relatively expensive. 

Switzerland is home to swiss chocolate (lol Swiss Miss), Lake Geneva, the Matterhorn, pocket knives, the Swiss Alps, skiing, hiking, cheese fondue, Rolex watches, and much more. The country has four official languages (German, French, Romansh, and Italian), and the capital city is Bern. When my family and I traveled to Switzerland, we had the opportunity to stay in Zermatt, the town at the base of the Matterhorn, Lucerne, and visit Lake Geneva for the day. While in Montreux, visiting Lake Geneva, we took a castle tour of Chateau De Chillon. This crystal blue lake is breathtaking. If you are a Queen lover, there is a statue of Freddie Mercury, for he loved this part of Switzerland and often said, “If you want peace of soul, come to Montreux.”The band’s song, the lake’s beauty, inspired a Winter’s Tale.  

On to Zermatt, possibly one of my favorite towns in all of Europe. To get to Zermatt, we had to take a train ride aboard the Matterhorn Gotthard Bahn from Tasch to the pedestrian village of Zermatt in the Swiss Alps. The actual roads to Zermatt are closed to public traffic, and the town itself is car-free. While in Zermatt, we stayed in the Ambassador Hotel, a hotel that gives you a warm swiss vibe. You must walk around this beautiful town and through the Hinterdorf, a warren of narrow lanes, weathered old wooden chalets, barns, stables, and storehouses. These buildings date back from between the 16th and 18th centuries and allow you to see history right in front of your eyes. While back in the main strip of town, there is plenty of shopping for chocolate, swiss army knives, and Rolex watches. If you have the time, take a gondola/cable car to the base of the mountain and visit the Matterhorn Museum.  

Finally, we made our way to Lucerne by traveling through the scenic Grimsel Pass (Hello, carsick Nina!). Lucerne is famous for its medieval architecture and centries old wooden pedestrian bridge. This bridge, known as Chapel Bridge, is the oldest covered wooden bridge in all of Europe (dating back to the 14th century) and is a must-see. After taking a stroll through Old Town down the cobbled streets and through the tall painted houses. To end your day just right, stop in a restaurant for some classic and delicious swiss cheese (and chocolate) fondue.

When I was young, my parents stressed the importance of seeing this world’s natural wonders. More specifically, nature’s wonders throughout the United States. To be more straight forward, I’m referring to the National Parks.

This past summer, my family’s german exchange student, Christopher, and his girlfriend, Caroline, came to visit us, and we took them on a classic road trip through four states and seven National Parks. The journey began in Denver, Colorado, the mile-high city. From here, we drove to Rocky Mountain National Park (However, we ended up going up a day later due to the inclement snower weather in the middle of June).

 

From Rocky Mountain National Park, we drove through Wyoming. A beautiful yet extremely flat state. Like possibly the flattest state, even flatter than Ohio. However, Wyoming is beautiful and vast. Here, we stopped in Thermopolis for a driving break and visited a Hot Springs Park. Here, we soaked in warm natural hot springs that are known to have many health benefits. Warning: the hot springs smelled like rotten eggs at first, but you quickly get over this once you feel the warmth. After relaxing, we hopped back in the car and continued our drive to Cody, Wyoming. Cody is close to one of the main entrances to Yellowstone National Park. While in Cody, you must visit Proud Cut Saloon. This saloon will quite literally take you back into the wild west.

Then on to beautiful, wild, and incredible Yellowstone! Old Faithful is a MUST, along with the Grand Prismatic Springs, and of course, the Grand Canyon of Yellowstone. When taking a break from hiking, you must try huckleberry ice cream. So yummy! In Yellowstone, you will see so much wildlife. Especially bison…big bison, medium bison, baby bison, all BISON. And if you are feeling extra bison-y, you can grab a bison burger pretty much anywhere and everywhere.

While visiting Yellowstone, we stayed in West Yellowstone, Montana. Located right outside of the park, there is a bear sanctuary where you grab a look of some cute grisly and black bears up close and personal. From here, we then traveled back into Wyoming and visited the Grand Tetons National Park. The Grand Tetons are a sight to see. If possible, hike the trail around the beautiful Jenny Lake. Right above Grand Tetons National Park in Jackson Hole. We sadly did not get to spend much time here, but on past trips, Jackson itself is filled many different activities, such as visiting the town square.

After driving through the Grand Tetons, we made our way into Utah, specifically Park City, Utah. Not only is there a lot of hiking, but there is also Utah Olympic Park you can visit. Main Street Park City is cute beyond words, and lots of things are within walking distance. At the Olympic Park in the Summer, you can visit the Olympic museum and even watch future Olympians train and compete. I’ll stop here for now, but we are only about halfway through this trip.