Hospitals are not Public Footpaths

We had an interesting/embarrassing experience in Carmarthen last Sunday, upon attempting to find a public path to walk on that would take us into a more natural setting. Well, first, we ended up deadended in a farmer's backyard. He had a very aggressive dog who didn't seem pleased with our prescence, so despite the welcoming gaze of the cows pictured below, we hurried on our way.

Then, we happened upon a huge sign reading "St. David's Park!" It lead to a huge, beautiful stone building with a perfectly manicured lawn. We thought to ourselves, "Ah! We've made it! We've found the single public park in Carmarthen!"

We saw a sign for "Reception" and jumped at the chance to get some good advice as to where the best public footpath might be. Striding confidently into the reception area, I asked the receptionist, "Where's the best place for us to start walking?"



She stared at me blankly. Kindly, I repeated myself, a bit slower. My friend Mareika, who is from Germany, chimed in to help me clarify.



"This," the receptionist stuttered, "is...not a public park." We apologized, explaining that we were students at Trinity, and asked if we still might get permission to wander about.


"Well," she said, taken aback, "It's not a public park. This...this is a hospital." Silence reigned.

We strode back out the door quite without the confidence with which we had entered.



It turns out that St. David's Park originated as Carmarthen's mental hospital. It also turns out that there's a sign in the window reading "Bladder Screening, Floor 2" which should have tipped us off that perhaps it wasn't the place for a pleasant afternoon stroll.



Lesson learned, culture shock experienced. Sometimes, a park is just a park. Usually, St. David's Park is a hospital.



Love,
Gina