A Londoner in Wales – From the Underground to the Valleys
Shaping Cultural Experiences
Travel has been an integral part of my life since I was a young child. I grew up in a multicultural, bilingual home in the Netherlands with a Polish mother and a Dutch father. My
Update & BBC News Link
A brief update: One interview video will be uploaded tomorrow evening. I believe the BBC News One-Minute World News provides well-balanced reporting of news, hence why I wanted to share it. Top stories on May
From Nigeria to Boston
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9VNkCazT_T4&feature=youtu.be
When you first meet Oluwagbeminiyi Osidipe, you encounter a very vibrant, friendly, and unique personality. Oluwagbeminiyi or Niyi – as she shortened her name for simplicity – was named by her mother, who had a “very personal experience” when she had her, Niyi explained. Niyi is a Yoruba Nigerian transplant who arrived in the U.S. in 2006. As one of the most densely populated (West) African countries, Nigeria derives its name from the river that spans its land. To the South, it borders the Gulf of Guinea to the Atlantic Ocean. Originally colonized by the British, Nigeria gained independence in 1960. Its main ethnic groups are the Hausa, Igbo and Yoruba, who speak English and their own respective languages, while major religions include Islam, Christianity and indigenous beliefs. Niyi shares her story, her views on politics, cultural differences she’s embraced with humor, and what we can learn from each other by expressing curiosity. Her message is simple: travel enriches us through its exposure to new cultures, and enables us to grow.
Mark Twain on Travel
“Travel is fatal to prejudice, bigotry, and narrow-mindedness, and many of our people need it sorely on these accounts. Broad, wholesome, charitable views of men and things cannot be acquired by vegetating in one little corner of the earth all one’s lifetime.” (American author Mark Twain, Innocents Abroad).
Have you had the opportunity to travel (extensively, within your country, or even once abroad)? Can you relate to Twain’s sentiments? How does travel enrich us?
Pleasing The Taste Palate
Food has the wonderful quality of uniting us no matter where we are. There is nothing partisan or narrow-minded about food. It simply invites us to indulge, create recipes, and share with others. Two of my favorite Polish dishes (included in collage) are pierogies and barszcz czerwony – a beetroot soup – served on Christmas Eve in Poland. How does food bring us together? What are some of your favorite dishes and why? Can food trigger memories?
Stereotypes: Truth or Fiction?
DEFINING STEREOTYPES: “An idea or statement about all of the members of a group or all the instances of a situation.” (Merriam-Webster). Stereotypes enable bias and preconceived notions to perpetuate, but can also reveal valid
Annual Human Rights Report
“The world changed immeasurably over the course of 2011. Across the Middle East, North Africa, and far beyond, citizens stood up to demand respect for human dignity, more promising economic opportunities, greater political liberties, and
Euro Crisis & Emerging Stereotypes
Brief Crisis Breakdown Since the onset of the global financial crisis, or Great Recession, in 2007, the Eurozone has feared impending growing global debt levels, as well as sovereign debt within European countries themselves. In
Remembering Tiananmen
Today marks the 23rd anniversary of Tiananmen Square pro-democracy protests in Beijing, China. Inflation, a lack of career prospects, the fall of Eastern European communism, and political corruption, are all said to have fueled anger
Coffee's Uniting Power
A cup of coffee can bridge cultural gaps. At least, that’s what Gizem Salgicil White, founder of Turkayfe.org, believes. Her organization aims to create awareness of Turkish culture, particularly within America. Gizem is a Turkish native,
Today’s Culture with Travel post is by Aaron Robertson
As someone who spends much of my time in London, constantly competing for space on the Underground in and amongst thousands of commuters in a never-ending rush, I look forward to when the opportunity arises to get out of the city.
Don’t get me wrong, I love the capital, but you certainly do require the odd week where you can get away from it all. Compared to the London lifestyle, Wales offers a much more laid back way of life, making for the ideal escape for an honorary Cockney, such as myself.
Snowdon
When you think of Wales getaways, your mind almost immediately turns to Snowdonia National Park, home of the United Kingdom’s tallest mountain. Here, you can choose to climb Mount Snowdon by foot or, if you haven’t got your hiking boots with you, take a leisurely drive or catch the train to the top of the mountain.
If you do ever find yourself in Snowdon, I thoroughly recommend opting for the train as your mode of transport. It takes a couple of hours to reach Snowdon’s summit, during which time you can take in the awe-inspiring views of the Welsh countryside.
I will warn you, though, as it is an old rack railway, the train cannot reach anything like the speeds of commercial trains and space can feel cramped the ride somewhat bumpy. This is all part of what, for its time, was an incredible engineering feat.
Welsh Coastline
Granted that Wales isn’t exactly noted for its warm weather, but when the sun does shine it makes for the perfect opportunity to visit the country’s immaculate coastline. Welsh beaches tend not to be as crowded as other more popular beaches in the UK, therefore allowing for plenty of space for your bucket and spade!
Along some of the beaches you can find holiday parks where visitors can hire out a static caravan, placing them close to the beautiful coastline. This is an inexpensive option that allows those who travel on a budget to enjoy the finest views that Wales has to offer – and they really are something.
So Much Green
With spending so much of my time in London, usually, the only real piece of greenery I see is on my morning runs through Hyde Park. It’s the only real place that you can go for a run in London, I will never understand how people can run on the busy streets constantly navigating their way through hundreds of pedestrians. I like to have an open space where I can get away from the big built-up city.
That’s why I fell in love with Wales, which offers so much opportunity for a city-dweller nature lover such as me. I have already mentioned Snowdonia National Park earlier on in this post, and it does make for a fantastic running location, but St. David’s Head in Pembrokeshire really does make for a fantastic, yet challenging, course.
Its hills and rocky paths lend itself to an almighty workout, if you are into that kind of thing. If you click here you will find a good route that you can map out for yourself.
An Ideal Respite
For those of us who live in big cities, Wales remains an idyllic sanctuary in which to retreat to and enjoy some of the finer aspects of life. Outside of Cardiff, the majority of the country is made up of beautiful countryside, meaning that almost any Welsh holiday destination will see you either find or rekindle your love for nature.
Aaron is a keen traveller and has spent more time than he cares to admit in London both for work and leisure, which he is sure earns him the title of honorary Cockney.
Hi! I'm the founder of Culture With Travel and #CultureTrav. Please chat with us on social media and contribute in the comments! Follow @Nicolette_O
