I woke up in my cute hostel in Llanberis this morning a little earlier than I expected to. Sometimes it makes me really happy when I beat my alarm by a few minutes. When I beat it by a few hours, not so happy. But a few minutes is excellent :)
I got ready and went down to breakfast. I'm trying to cut breads out of my diet a bit more, so I had a lovely breakfast of fruit, yogurt, and a little bowl of milk and musseli. Delish!
Tom then announced that all those interested in walking to the slate mill should be outside in 15 minutes, and everyone else had the better part of an hour before Anders would drive them there. I was actually kinda tired, so I went up to my room to rest for a bit instead. Not something I usually do, I know. All the other girls from my house were already in our room, doing the exact same thing. We chatted for a bit while I continued considering how willing I was to flake out on the walk, when Josie happened to look out the window.
"Oh look, everyone else is outside. Hello people!" She called.
"They're still out there?" I asked.
"Yup, they're just leaving now." She replied. And that was all I needed. I jumped off my bunk, grabbed my rucksack and jacket, and ran downstairs and out the front door. I cantered over to the van, put my bag in, and then joined the group. Shortly after, we left.
It was a really gorgeous morning. Llanberis is full of green plants and thick grassy hills. It's a ton more lush up here in northern wales than in southern wales! We walked down the hill and along the street for a bit. After a while, we broke away from the road and went down a little trail in the trees. We hadn't gone more than a dozen feet before the damp gray street we were just on was swallowed up with thick vegetation.
I know it sounds crazy, but the farther we walked through this place, the more it looked like a fairy land. Just as i thought this, Tom told us that it was not uncommon to find little stone rings a little bit away from the trail that people would make.
There were little burbling brooks which we crossed upon strong slate bridges, black-colored trees heavy with dark green leaves, and every porous rock bursting with an impressive spectrum of green moss and lichen. It was a really beautiful place, and Im really not doing this one justice, guys. It was so serene that Matt, a model unenthusiast, even left the trail to go be by himself out there.
After we meandered through the forest for a while, we came to an old ruined castle tower, the last remaining bit of a fortress built by an ancient welsh family. We went up as high as the tiny spiral staircase would take us, and then came back down. Tom took a few pictures of our group there, and then we left for the slate mill.
It was only about a 20 minute walk from there. The others at the hostel must have left later than planned, because they pulled up to the parking lot at the very moment we got there too.
We all waited outside the mine gates for about ten minutes before it opened for the day. It rained on us just a little bit, but we were all good with a little drizzle. Plus it made all the slate on the ground black and sparkly.
When we got in, Tom let us meander through the site for a bit before ushering us into the splitting demonstration. We walked into a room with two walls set up with auditorium styled seating. All the seats faced a corner with a bunch of hand tools and stacks of thin rectangular slate. There were a few chairs and a big piece of metal mounted to a slanted log. One of the chairs was so strange, it had a very tall back, but the seat was only raised about four inches off the ground.
As we were noticing the different cuts and sizes of slate mounted on the walls, a man walked in with one of the telltale light blue 'I work here' shirts. He took us through a brief demonstration on how to split slate. He threw out a couple of odd jokes and then dramatically split a slab. I was so surprised at how smoothly slate will split! And so easily! All he did was barely tap a chisel into the grain with a hammer and then the slate just split itself as he pulled on the chisel. I knew the grain on slate was very unique, but I had no idea that the process was so slick!
After he split the slate, he looked around the room and then pointed at me. "You. Do you think you could do something like this?"
Dear reader, if you are reading this, you probably know me well. If you know me well, then you know that such a question is exceptional kindling for my unfortunate amount of pride. Sorry, I'm working on it.
"Sure." I replied.
"Do you really think you can?"
I stood up. "I think so. What do you think?"
"Fine. Come over here." he said as he got off the super short stool.
He had me sit in the same spot he had been in, pick out a piece of slate, and then he tapped in a groove along the top edge. I really wanted to just split the slate, but he wanted to make a show of it, I guess. He had me wait until he slowly got out a first aid kit and until I posed for a picture. He really was trying to just entertain the group, but I've heard much better jokes. (Honestly, I didn't realize someone could depend so much upon their eyebrows while trying to be funny. Plus, some of his puns were a little on the sketchy side, so that wasn't my favorite while I was up on the chopping block). When he finally had me set everything up and told me to put my thumb on top of the chisel, I knew that I was finally allowed to split the slate. (Note: I'm blonde, but I'm not quite THAT blonde). I was again surprised at how easily the slate split; it was halfway through after my first hit. I asked him if I should keep using the hammer, but he said no. By the time his sketchiest jokes finally ended, I was holding two smooth pieces of slate. It was crazy how even the split stayed all the way through; my biggest fear had been that I was going to accidentally make one side thick and the other side thin, but they were both the exact same thickness!
I was grateful to go back to my seat after that. He then showed the group on the big wooden stand. The miners would first split the slate, then put it on top of the enormous blunt blade mounted to the stand and then hack that edge with a huge knife. This would allow the miner to cut the slate down to the exact size and shape needed, while also creating a beveled edge to keep water off of the roof tiles better. He asked how sharp we all thought that knife must be, in order to split the slate. I realized that in order to hack at stones, it would either have to be tipped with something harder than the stone that wouldn't let a sharp edge dull, or it was just the dull metal blade it seemed to be.
When he picked Abby out next and volunteered her to find out, my suspicions about the dull metal were confirmed. But Abby really was panicked as he put a towel under her hand and then drew the knife across her palm. She screamed, but it was just the punch line to his joke. He looked pretty smug about it and then sat down at the cutting station again. Without saying anything, he began hacking at a small piece of slate, following a pre-drawn curvy pattern. When he was finished, he held up a small slate heart. He asked the group who he should give it to, me or Abby. The only thing I wanted was the piece of slate that I had split, but I knew that wasn't going to be given away. I definitely was all for it going to Abby, so I was very happy when it did.
After that, he actually started giving some really interesting information about the slate mines. This mine had been pretty much closed for the last twenty years, but back in the day, it was the best place for boys and men to work. Hauling it off the mountain could be a little dicey, and the dust coming up from cutting the slate was a major minor killer, but it was better than working in the coal or tin mines. I had some questions about the grain and how it was possible to still carve into the stone with it being so easy to break along the grain, but he told me that with the right tools and a steady hand, it would just work like a soft stone would. He told us that most of the slate today was imported from China (boy, what isn't?) but he said that this mine did still continue to put out some products since the slate in Wales has the best colors and strength than anywhere else in the world.
After about another 15 minutes, the presentation was over and we were shuffled into another room to watch a 20 minute film on the mine. It was cool to see footage of them blasting huge areas of slate off the mountain and then hauling it down the mountain. What a dangerous job that was!!
After the film, we were left to walk around the slate mill for another half hour. It started to drizzle again, but it wasn't crazy at all. It just made the place look a bit gloomy now. I walked through the majority of the rooms and then met my group a little early at the gift shop. As usual, everything in the shop was crazy expensive. I was hoping to find a bit of smooth slate that I could use as a chalk quote board, but I didn't really find anything like I was looking for. They had some plain squares of slate tied up in bunches of four, but they were crazy heavy and they wanted like £18 for it. No bueno.
I 'happened' to go back outside through a weird side door, when I noticed a disheveled stack of plain slate squares just like the one I had split, but these were being sold for like a pound seventy each! I picked out a really nice one that I could use and bought it back at the counter. The lady wrapped it up in bubble wrap, which was good, but the edges are so sharp that it is already starting to cut through. Haha, that'll be an interesting feature in the future I'm sure.
On our way back to the van, we noticed another really nice looking shop. I've been considering getting something, well...normal from one of these shops, like a t-shirt or jewelry or something, but I really am not one to buy normal stuff I guess. :) Plus I haven't found anything like that that I have really just loved, so I haven't bought anything like that yet.
The van would be leaving soon, so I did a quick scan of the shop, noted that everything here was actually reasonably priced, and then stepped over to take my usual look at the jewelry. To be honest, i usually do find things I really like in the jewelry sections, but everything is always SO expensive! Seriously, £26 is the average for necklaces like you would find at the Scottish Fest. Crazy.
So while I did my quick sweep of the stuff there, I looked closer at one or two pendants and started to move out of the store. But then, out of the blue, I did a double take at the rings. Weird, I don't usually wear rings. I used to wear a couple of rings all the time, but that was a few years ago and I don't have them anymore. And I haven't found anything I liked a lot since. But here I was, being drawn back to the ring counter. There in the middle of the box, squashed against six or seven other styles, was a simply gorgeous silver ring. I think I loved it so much because it was so simple, but so elegant at the same time. Really, its was almost humorously simple, but I really just loved it more for that very reason. I was absolutely delighted when I realized that it was only three pounds! In a flash, I picked out the last of its kind, plopped three one-pound coins on the table, and hurried out to the van (they don't give out receipts at oddity shops like these). Halfway there, I realized I may have just purchased a ring that doesn't actually fit me. To my delight, it fits my right hand perfectly! Oh goodness, I won't be surprised if people chuckle when they see how simple a thing it is, but it's the first ring I've thought was worth stopping for in years!
We drove to the nearby exhibit that Tom jokingly titled the 'wool pit.' We like joking every morning about what we should wear for the weather that day. So far, we have been wrong every day, since we keep preparing for rain, but every day has been beautifully hot. The only day we were right in preparing was when we went to the Big Pit mine, since we made sure we all dressed in stuff that was good for cold, dirty, and damp. So when we were preparing today, we thought to make sure everyone was in good clothes to survive a plunge into the famous great pit of wool. :)
When we got there, we took a cool tour of what the process is like for raw wool to be washed, beaten, spun, dyed, and then woven into magnificent blankets, tapestries, and fabric. Honestly, this wasn't a very exciting tour and it took about a half hour to get all the way through. The best part though was when we came to a fidgety man who was in charge of weighing and oiling the washed wool. He was used to giving tours but obviously was nervous about talking to a group of people. Abby, Miya, and Lydia were chatting on the opposite side of the group, while Theresa and I had gone up closer to hear the quiet guy better. At one point when the man paused in his demonstration, Abby let out a loud 'Ba-a-a-a!' as part of her discussion with the other girls, a sound which the entire group heard clearly. We all laughed so hard that the guy asked us if Abby could come back tomorrow and do the same thing for the next tour. She is super chill with stuff like that and said that she would if she could.
I was planning on buying out that whole shop, but was completely shocked to find that hand-made woolen clothing is actually pretty expensive. Strange, huh? :) The stuff there was really cool though. Seriously though dad, if you're ever interested in switching your style of slippers, I think I have a good place for you to check out!
We stopped at a cheap little vegetarian diner for lunch. I got a really delicious slice of 'forest pie'. Oh man, I was suspicious of such a pie of brie, lentils, and a tiny bit of sun-dried tomatoes until Josie ordered one and I saw how good it looked. I promise it tastes even better than it looks or smells! Seriously, it made it on my list of things I want to try to learn how to make, or at least try again in the states. Oh, yummy!
Our last stop for the day was another grand estate home. On our way there, I kind of rolled my eyes a bit (dare I say it!). We had seen so many exquisite estates, and I had begun to develop mixed feelings about these homes. First, that they were such wastes of wealth. They were places where the few dined better than hundreds of kings and queens before them, while the many who served them were kept in total poverty. I'm sure there are dozens of socio-economical factors that I am not considering as I make such a statement, but as a blanket statement, there it is. On the other hand, these were such incredible collections of the world's finest craftsmanship. From floor to ceiling, the house was a no-expense-spared living space of the finest furnishings available. So I guess I appreciate these places a lot more when I consider them as man's ability to create, rather than man's ability to hoard really expensive things.
That being said, for the many extraordinarily beautiful estates I have personally seen, Penrhyn Castle put every one of them to shame. Maybe with the exception of Castle Coch, though Penrhyn is much more modern so had a lot more use of technology in its incredible design than ancient Coch did.
I know I keep saying that every new thing was better than the last. Sometimes that's just me being really excited. Most of the time that's total honesty and I just happen to be lucky enough to see things in order from great to best. And sometimes that's just me playing with writing styles. It's really good to practice talking about the same thing, because it forces you to have to come up with new ways to describe it.
This time though, I walked through the most incredible architectural masterpiece I have ever seen. Seriously, this place rivals Glastonbury Cathedral on my list of exquisite places I have seen in my life. A house (yeah, a gigantic castle house). Rivaling a Cathedral. Yeah.
This is why: I've decided that I really love detail work. It just makes me happy. The more I can zoom up on something, the simpler the better, like a staircase, an archway, or a table, and see that some magnificent detail work has been masterfully added. This is an art, because while anyone can splash really complicated detail work on some crown molding or along a banister, it can very easily make the scene look very busy. That just makes the observer's eyes tired.
Fail.
BUT, a true artist is able to take the same crown molding, a banister, or a set of tiling, and add just enough finesse to make that same place to swallow you up in elegance.
If it were possible, I would spend many a happy hour walking through that house, just staring straight up at the exquisite ceilings and pillars. Then I would have walked through that house a dozen more times, slowly working my way down with every new passing down to the elegant marble floors and rich woodwork. No joke, whole hallways and staircases made entirely of veined marble, with domed skylights above.
I don't know who designed that house, but I'm asking him for a few tips with my corner of the Celestial Kingdom.
Since this castle was built rather recently, during the industrial revolution, the current Queen and her eldest son stay here every now and then. The queen's room houses a four-poster bed with a frame made entirely out of slate (screws and all!).
It weighs one ton.
I tread rather carefully through that room when I heard that little detail.
Really, I could go on for days about this house, but I wouldn't want this blog site to crash due to an overload of awesomeness. I'm not that heartless.
After we left Penrhyn, without having time to catch a glimpse of the acres of Victorian gardens, we headed back to the hostel. Once we got there, a few of the girls found a stash of movies the office workers said we could watch in the lounge for free. While a few gathered some more of our group to come watch, Abby and I grabbed a bunch of goodies, pulled our comforters off our beds, and headed back down to the lounge. We quickly got 'Catch Me If You Can' going for our big group. I was surprised that I stayed awake for the whole thing, as I was pleasantly warm under my huge blanket. The movie was really good though, so I'm glad I saw the whole thing.
After the movie, we all decided to play some Mafia. While some people went to get the cards, Calysta and I went to the breakfast room and made some tea and hot chocolate for the game. We decided that if either of us died, we could celebrate by grabbing another mug. :) With mugs in hand, we happily returned to our big group in the lounge for some fun.
I have played my fair share of mafia in the past, but this was a way fun group. I thought I would try my hand at reading body language. I actually had all but three people figured out within two 'days' of our first game, but really stunk the next two games. :)
After we finished for the night, we all went upstairs and got ready for bed. After I took some time for The Lord, I got a little bit of late journaling done and then drifted off to sleep. The last thing I remember was listening to the wind rustle through the trees just outside our open window.
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