Wales Pictures, Finally

            I realized that I never actually posted many pictures of Wales while I was there, mainly due to the painfully slow and somewhat capricious Internet connection. The Internet is great, here, though, so I figure I'll post a few pictures I took on one of my runs.
            Full of endless green hills checkered with pastures full of grazing sheep, quaint little cottages with wild gardens, and endless rows of flourishing food crops, all outlined by dense hedges with the most beautiful blackberries I have ever seen scattered throughout, the Welsh countryside offers an unbelievable setting for running.

It does have its quirks, though: the road (which I mistook for a walking trail the first time I saw it) is just wide enough for the occasional car to pass through, though it is frequented by bikers, walkers, runners, people on horseback, tractors, milk trucks, sheep dogs, and large herds of cattle. The rain here can come without warning and leave you drenched and shivering, only for a cheerful, unapologetic sun to come out – often before it even stops raining – to dry your dripping clothes (rinse and repeat, endlessly and often). And those hills, my god. There are no words to describe the agony of plodding for a half mile up a steep hill, believing that it will level out just around the bend, only to find that it continues for another half mile.

            It finally occurred to me that I could take pictures of those spectacular views with my phone (which I have been carrying anyway, wrapped tightly in a waterproof bag, because I don’t trust myself to not get lost on these roads). So there you go, pictures of farm animals and clouds and hills.

I was surprised by how environmentally conscious the Welsh are; wind turbines are all over the place, as are solar panels.

The sheep will stare at you until you leave. It's a little unnerving.

Have I mentioned that there are a lot of sheep?

The cows will also stare - and moo loudly - at you.

I made a friend! Mostly he just wanted food, though.

These guys were in the driveway when I got back. Like I said, the sheep do like to stare...