Colleen and I are on our way to Inverness, Scotland, today aboard the British rail system. The trains are running on time, and the accommodations on the Virgin train are spectacular. We have just left the English city of Crewe and are settling in to our 3-hour trip to Glasgow.
But let�s get everyone up-to-date on our trip. We awoke Wednesday morning at Ann and Terry�s house and headed out for Cardiff. The car trip through the Welsh countryside was beautiful, and we made a quick (OK, not so quick, I guess) stop in the small town of Hay-on-Wye, which has been turned into the second-hand book capital of Wales. Those who know me can imagine the look on my face as we pulled into a town dominated by book shops. I was looking for an old copy of Chaucer�s Canterbury Tales, but no such luck. The best I could find was a 1960s-era paperback edition that someone had written in, so I left it on the shelf and reluctantly gave up the search.
Our next stop was at the Welsh Heritage Museum on the outskirts of Cardiff. The museum houses an indoor exhibit featuring household, farming, and law enforcement implements from around South Wales and an outdoor exhibit of houses through the centuries. Each house has been painstakingly moved from its original location to the museum and reconstructed brick by brick. The houses are furnished in the best available furnishings from its original time period, and guides are placed in each house that specialize in its features. Also on the grounds were a castle and the house of the future, which was a bit disappointing.
We were able to visit a few of the houses, but we ran out of time before we could see too much. From the small sample we saw, though, this looks quite fascinating. I figure it would take a full day to see all the buildings and listen to all the guides give their spiels. However, if anyone goes to Cardiff, go to this museum.
We headed into Cardiff to catch a glimpse of the castle there (also closed) before sitting down for a leisurely dinner at Henry�s restaurant. The food was remarkable, and we spent the evening laughing and telling stories. To our amazement, even though we had already been at their house for two nights, Ann and Terry insisted we stay another day. They told us it would be a pity to leave Wales without seeing the area around Llandrindod in the center of Wales. So, not really having any reservations or a set agenda, we decided to take them up on their offer.
Thursday morning we woke up just as Ann was going off to work. She works in Llandrindod�s tourist information center and is the first lovely face many encounter in that Victorian city. We soon followed her downtown to see her office. Downtown Llandrindod is absolutely stunning. Although it�s a small town (about 4000 people), the downtown area bustles with activity during the day. Colleen took the opportunity to buy a heavy coat (not having one after 13 years living in San Diego) in preparation for our trip to the Scottish highlands.
We headed of to Builth Wells for lunch, a small town about 7 miles from Llandrindod. We stopped at a nice pub called The Lamb, where we had the most amazing food. Everything was cooked in a small kitchen while we waited and I had a pint of Brains. We had a wonderful time chatting with Terry and eating our lunch. But we had to move on � there were dams to see.
Terry drove us out to see a series of dams and reservoirs built during the 1950s. Birmingham was suffering from bad water and disease that resulted from it, and the decision was made to pipe in water from central Wales that was clean and plentiful. So the landowners were evacuated, and the valley was flooded, and the dams went up. Now the area is a beautiful national park that brings in visitors from miles around to hike the trails and view the dams. This made for the most gorgeous scenery around.
Last night, the four of us went to the Red Lion Pub for dinner, a pub that first opened for business in 1155. The atmosphere was warm and welcoming, the fish and chips were piping hot, and we enjoyed our final evening together. After we got home, we went to bed in anticipation of meeting our 7:00 train this morning.
Overall, Wales was enjoyable. Colleen and I were given a whirlwind tour of what must be one of the prettiest parts of Europe. The sheep everywhere calmed our nerves, and the green valleys soothed our hearts. But what made the visit special was the hospitality and friendship of Ann and Terry. I can�t tell you how nice these two were to us. They opened their home and the hearts to us and embraced us as family for a few days. At times, we forgot that we were away on vacation and felt truly at home. Our sincere thanks to those two for all they have done.
But now Scotland is ahead of us, and more adventures await us. For now, it�s time to sit back and enjoy the amenities of the first-class cabin. Our best to all of you back home. We hope you are enjoying reading these dispatches as much as we are enjoying writing them. I have uploaded some more pictures you can see here.
Until next time.
Paul and Colleen
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