The Beautiful and the Welsh

I do actually take classes here in Bath.  I have a core course on Jane Austen, and a seminar course on Transatlantic Romanticism, or the English and American Romantic poets.  This weekend was seminar course study trip weekend, and each seminar headed off to go "study" on site.  All the other seminars headed to London.  However, my eight classmates, our professor, and the dean/director of the program, Jonathan, headed off to see places associated with William Wordsworth and Samuel Taylor Coleridge.  In the true Romantic tradition, much of our learning for the weekend consisted of wandering through nature, though, to ensure we were not lost in the wilderness and therefore prevent lawsuit, our wandering had some structure to it.

The bridge from England to Wales.  That's the Welsh coast.


We started the weekend with a very brief dip into Wales.  (Very brief as in under 2 hours.)  We visited Tintern Abbey, another ruined old abbey that was absolutely gorgeous.  It was also in such a scenic and beautiful place.  The title of this post may be a bit redundant as my two-hour voyage into Wales convinced me that nearly everything Welsh, except perhaps the language, is also beautiful.  We started by reading the Wordsworth poem that prompted our visit, named very informatively "Lines, Written a Few Miles Above Tintern Abbey..."  If you are now interested in educating yourself in English literature or becoming more cultured, avail yourself:  http://www.rc.umd.edu/rchs/reader/tabbey.html.

Here are some pictures of us reading.  Very pensive, very Romantic.

We were then left to explore the abbey.  I suppose you'll want some pictures, and I'll assume that, cultured and intelligent as you all are, you'll want to hear a little of it's historical as well as literary significance.

AHHHH!  WELSH!

I understand the danger a lot more because this sign is warning me in two languages.

The Abbey was founded on May 9, 1131!  That's a pretty long time ago, kids.

These are the cloisters!  Cistercian monks lived here under the Rule of St. Benedict!

SO PRETTY!  This is taken from the cloisters of the church.

Flowers on ruins.  Windows upon windows.

Me with another set of scenic ruins.  TRIBE PRIDE!!!

Pretty.

General splendor.  Unfortunately, this place also fell victim to the Dissolution of the Monasteries.  "On September 3, 1536, Abbot Wyche surrendered Tintern Abbey to the King's visitors and ended a way of life which had lasted 400 years" - Wikipedia

This place was so beautiful.  I could have stayed all day long!

Pretty

Stairs to somewhere secret.

MARY!

Every was in both languages!

Again, it was so beautiful!

The Abbey from across the River Wye.

 

A dove also alighted on the beautiful ruins.

That's all for now.  I'll try to post again soon.  I've taken well over 1,500 pictures.  I'll try to get them up on Facebook when I get back.  But for now, it's final paper week in Bath.  Off to Oxford tomorrow, then London on Saturday!

Also, more information about the Cistercians can be found here, http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/03780c.htm, if you're interested in joining or just interested in history.