A common practice among many Pinoy travelers is to visit a church, preferably Roman Catholic, in new places visited. Here’s the thing when you’re in the United Kingdom: it’s harder than you think because, while Catholics do exist, many of the churches here are of the Church of England/Anglican.

On one hand, without intending to gaslight, I often joke that it’s not like you’re praying to different gods (LOL).

But on the other hand, actually dropping by these churches can be eye-opening. Not just to faith, but seeing beauty in their richness… in history, architecture, and so on…

At least this is what was gleaned in the Bangor Cathedral in Wales.

@outragemag Seeking #LGBT #faith or beauty in #Wales? Check out the #Bangor Cathedral in #Gwynedd ♬ original sound – Outrage Magazine

Una, if you’re in Gwynedd, this is very accessible. It’s there, in the middle of the oldest city in Wales. But if you’re from elsewhere, you need to travel to the city that’s over three hours away from London.

Ikalawa, this is formally St. Deiniol’s Cathedral, which has been used since about the 6th century. 

As FYI: St. Deiniol, the 6th-century Welsh saint, wasn’t “made” a saint through the Roman Catholic canonization process. In the olden times, Welsh/Celtic Christian holy figures were usually recognized by local church tradition, reputation for holiness, and their role as founders/abbots/bishops, rather than by a formal Vatican procedure. In the case of Deiniol, he founded the monastery/church at Bangor around 525, so that over time, he was venerated as Saint Deiniol.  

Ikatlo, what to see there?

Architecturally, it’s a mix of Norman/Romanesque and Gothic. It does feel medieval… and grandly so.

Inside, you’d see a layered medieval–Victorian Gothic interior, apparent in the stone arches, choir stalls, stained glass, and so on.

Those stained glasses, let’s emphasize, are from the 19th- and early-20th-century, including works by Clayton & Bell, James Powell & Sons, Burlison & Grylls, and Mayer & Co.  

Should you seek this one out? Deserving ba na sadyain? Kung nasa area ka na, keri. Welcoming naman ang church.

Otherwise… rampa elsewhere na, as I do sa patuloy na LGBTQIA+ wandering…

When in Wales, one of the must-check places – at least based on tourist recommendations – is this Anglesey town famous for its very long name:the Llanfairpwllgwyngyll, located across the Menai Strait, a short drive or train ride from Bangor.

How’s the place?

@outragemag Introducing #llanfairpwllgwnyngyllgogerychwyrn #llanfairpg, the town with the longest name in #Europe, as discovered during this #LGBT #Wales ♬ original sound – Outrage Magazine

Una, let’s get one thing out of the way: Don’t come here expecting to see or do much. People just come here to take pics of the town’s name… basically.

The name is the one, if not the only attraction.

As FYI: Even locals have a hard time pronouncing the name. We asked someone to do that for us. We were told, though, that there’s a shortened version, Llanfair PG… which isn’t a mouthful na.

Ikalawa, the name was popularized in the 19th century, mainly as a publicity stunt. The town, of course, supersedes this popularized name.

Ikatlo, the name is usually translated to: St. Mary’s Church in the hollow of the white hazel near a rapid whirlpool and the Church of St. Tysilio near the red cave.

The meaning actually revolves around local landmarks, including:

• St Mary’s church, 
• the “Swellies” (the pool/hollow of the whirlpool in the Menai Strait)
• St Tysilio’s church

Ika-apat, in truth, this isn’t the longest name for any place.  Even Bangkok’s ceremonial name is longer. Then there’s that town in New Zealand.

But this is commonly described as the longest one-word place name in Europe. 

So… since the name was crafted for tourism, exactly how many tourists come over? Roughly 200,000 a year. Doesn’t seem much, really, but considering the “offerings” of the place, marami na.

Besides, compared to the tourist numbers under the Marcos administration, marami na yan (!).

But off we go for more LGBTQIA+ rampa…

So… you arrive in Heathrow, the main airport in London, and – like many tourists – you need to head to the center of London for your accommodation. There are, of course, a number of transportation options, from grabbing a cab to taking the express train. 

There’s an option that isn’t always advertised: that is, for you to just take the “regular” train, the so-called Underground.

Special thanks to Ms Kayla Garcia for this tip, of course.

@outragemag New to #London and traveling from #Heathrow to the city center? No need to overspend via #taxi or #expresstrain; just take the #LGBT #Underground ♬ original sound – Outrage Magazine

Una, the underground is, as the name suggests, underground. From the arrival area, follow the signs leading to the “Underground”, which is around five minutes walk from where you’d exit after collecting your luggage.

Ikalawa, be careful: it’s basically on the same area as the Express trains, so if you erroneously entered their area, you’d be forced to spend more.

Ikatlo, yung bayad, nagbabago depending sa exact location you’re going to, and time, too. But naglalaro lang sa 6 pounds pababa… usually. Which is much cheaper than the Express trains by a lot. Add na lang to shopping ang natipid… unless anak ka ng politician na male-maletang pera ang dala mo while undergoing your tax-funded UK education…

And ika-apat, you may buy tickets from those machines at the entrance of the station. But this is London, cashless is usual. Pay using PayWave; tap mo lang credit or debit card mo, keri ka na.

Kung rich ka and money is not a problem… avail ka ng less local mode of transportation, kaya mo yan. But for those who believe commercialization of service sucks, and – in the case of transportation – bettering public transport makes better sense than shelling out cash to make rich people in the transportation industry even richer, then… here’s how many locals travel to and from Heathrow. Huwag na pretentious and avail na…

And off we go for more  LGBTQIA+ rampa…