20. Lovely Wales

Monday, June 3

We spent the night in Wexham at a very nice Ramada Inn that was well organized and very comfortable. As we traveled south to Cardiff, the road actually took us back into England for a bit. As we drove we relaxed, enjoying the scenery. I have overused all of the worlds, but let me say one more time that there were rolling, lush green, patchwork farms, dense woods, sparkling rivers, pines, then up to barren mountains, magnificent views from the rugged sea coast and then the whole thing repeats again. Mix in quaint villages, fascinating ruins, and modern cities with impressive, ornate, historic buildings. We continue to be amazed at the vastness of open land. I pictured it all more built up and populated. The British Isles are an incredible experience. They have managed to preserve so much history and they honor and encourage beautiful plant life and grand old trees. We are impressed!

Driving along, Henry had some pretty heavy men's choir hymns playing. Someone spoke up that it was beginning to sound like a funeral on the bus. Henry had moved back on the bus to speak with someone and we declared mutiny. Our friend John shot up to the front in Henry's seat, turned off the hymns and turned on the microphone, to all of our encouragement. He then sang some lovely Irish ballads in his sweet tenor voice. It was great!

A couple of terms - 

A divided four lane highway is a Dual Carriageway.

When you need to yield in traffic, the sign says, Give Way.

Take out food is Take Away.

We stopped in the little town of Ludlow for a break. It was a delight and might even be better than York. We walked through the beautiful church of St. Laurence of Ludow. We were awed by the ornate stone and woodwork. Anne, our friend from Tasmania, found her husbands family plaque. It gave her chills and made all of us misty with emotion for her as we shared this special time.

There were yummy little bakeries and Bob got a lovely warm Cornish Pasty and I had an English Cheddar and tomato sandwich on a small freshly baked bun. No McDonalds or any chain stores in town. Everything is local. Nice.

We got back on the bus and found out Joe had had some stomach pains and stopped in to see a chemist (drug store pharmacist) who insisted he see a doctor. A local doctor took him right in. So we all got back off the bus with more time to explore.

We poked through the flea market and then heard about a nice hike around the castle ruins in town. Off we went for some great views, but began to worry about time.

We realized no one was around and jogged all the way back to the bus just in time. They were about to look for us. Joe had a urinary tract infection and they fixed him up with medication and orders to drink water. It was a good lesson for all of us as we're in such a rush to see it all we forget to take care of ourselves and keep hydrated and use those comfort stops.

We went through an area known for apples and cider, and Henry told us that people long ago drank beer or cider as so much water was polluted with human and animal waste.

The road eased back into Wales and we went by more beautiful country past more canals and mountains. Henry told us a saying - A Welsh man is not born with a silver spoon in his mouth, but he is a rich man, born with a poem in his heart and a song in his soul.

We stopped in Cardiff, the capital of Wales, for the night. We entered in three lanes of traffic with modern buildings, but also some clean, quaint houses. It is a busy city. We settled in the hotel and when I couldn't get on the Internet, four different clerks helped with two coming up to the room. I kept saying it was OK, but they insisted and then did not charge me. That was so nice. We have met wonderful people in this world.

We cleaned up and went off for a tour, dinner and a show at Cardiff's Castle. We climbed 120 steps around the circular stairway up the narrow tower. It was fascinating to see the artwork and furnishings. Then we went back down to the reception room for a glass of Meade, honey wine. The stone wall behind the bar was part of the original Roman wall dated 250 AD. Incredible!

While we were waiting for dinner and the show, the young host was joking around and asked my name. I didn't want to tell him, but didn't want to be rude. Sure enough our seats were right by the stage and he was the head entertainer and used my name often. Then he made me come up on stage to help tell a story with five others. I just had to swish my hands back and forth every time he sang the part about an avalanche.

Some had worse parts and I was thankful. After that I thought I was free to just sit back and enjoy...but no. When they talked about Tom Jones being from Wales he made me come back up to sway with the back up singers for the guy singing the Tom Jones song "Dahlila."

The singer then took my hand and had me sway with him as he sang. I was so darned embarrassed, but went along with it. I got teased a bunch the rest of the night and the next morning with our traveling friends asking me for an autograph, swishing by me, and offering to put me to work with a scythe. The show was fabulous, but that's the last time I tell a performer my name!