It's somewhat fitting that perhaps the most delayed blog entry ever is about a trek to a place that the rest of England forgot as well - Wales. It's that bit of land to the west of England where pretty much no one goes. Why? I don't really know actually, Wales is a really beautiful place filled with interesting sights and people. I mean, Scotland has castles, but Wales is one giant spider web of castles with a few houses and sheep in between. The castles are just awe-inspiring too, quite a few being world heritage listed. Indeed they have so many that half of them actually don't even appear on maps despite them being more incredible then the main attraction castles of some other entire countries! The best unmapped ruin being a real life version of Helms Deep from Lord of the Rings. Serious cool factor!
Now to be honest I can't recall the names of many of the towns passed through on this adventure but basically the journey went along the north coast to the Isle of Angelsey and then down to the bottom from there I think via Abergelle, Llanbedr to Aberystwyth and then Aberaeron to Llanfairpwllgwyngyll, through Ceulyynanamaesmawr to Lannetwork and past Gwynethpaltrow. Perhaps those names got muddled a bit. There were lots of L's in any instance.
Now to be honest I can't recall the names of many of the towns passed through on this adventure but basically the journey went along the north coast to the Isle of Angelsey and then down to the bottom from there I think via Abergelle, Llanbedr to Aberystwyth and then Aberaeron to Llanfairpwllgwyngyll, through Ceulyynanamaesmawr to Lannetwork and past Gwynethpaltrow. Perhaps those names got muddled a bit. There were lots of L's in any instance.
You actually would be suprised at how much Welsh words you already know .. words such as Eisteddfod and .... hrm. Nope, that's about it. It perhaps has something to do with the complexity of Welsh. In case you have never encountered it, Welsh basically sounds like Klingon and looks like the alphabet just threw up. It's probably the only language where you can forget what you are saying mid-word. At some stage the radical concept of "vowels" were introduced to the language, but they never really took off.
It got me thinking how amusing a Welsh "Wheel of Fortune" could be.
Presenter : Ok this word is the name of a place.
*Model co-host lights up ALL forty letter blocks*....
Contestant 1 : I'd like to buy an E and an A thanks
BUZZ!
Presenter : Oh tough luck, no E's or A's there!
*All contestants sigh*
Contestant 2 : I'll take an L for lost please
DING!
Presenter : Good choice! There are twenty seven L's in this word!
*All contestants sigh*
The fact they must have Welsh and English on all street signs is an interesting way to keep the language alive and active in everyday use, but perhaps a little frustrating as it makes navigation by highway signs a true test of visual dexterity attempting to decipher a wall of text at 70mph. We certainly ended up taking the scenic route a few times...
The Welsh folk are down to earth, kind and quiet and always keen to share some Laver Bread. For the unaware, it's basically a black sludge of seaweed scraped off rocks from which you can mix with oats to attempt to make a form of ... stuff. You then fry this stuff in bacon fat and eat it. It was actually pretty tasty though, as is the norm of food from the isle, probably not that good for you. Welsh rarebit was also nice to eat, but once again, see my previous statement on it's value as healthy cuisine.
The car was blown through the winding roads of Snowdonia national park, which was simply stunning. The mountains were bathed in that afternoon light you get about ... ooo.. midday in Winter here. Climbing Mt Snowdon would have been amazing but weather conditions were looking a bit iffy and it pays to trust your gut feelings in those situations. It turned out two people sadly died on Mt Snowdon that afternoon/night due to a sudden weather change that brought with it extreme winds and several feet of snow.
It's a shame that many people probably never make it out to Wales. Then again, perhaps it's a good thing that it stays relatively forgotten?
Presenter : Ok this word is the name of a place.
*Model co-host lights up ALL forty letter blocks*....
Contestant 1 : I'd like to buy an E and an A thanks
BUZZ!
Presenter : Oh tough luck, no E's or A's there!
*All contestants sigh*
Contestant 2 : I'll take an L for lost please
DING!
Presenter : Good choice! There are twenty seven L's in this word!
*All contestants sigh*
The fact they must have Welsh and English on all street signs is an interesting way to keep the language alive and active in everyday use, but perhaps a little frustrating as it makes navigation by highway signs a true test of visual dexterity attempting to decipher a wall of text at 70mph. We certainly ended up taking the scenic route a few times...
The Welsh folk are down to earth, kind and quiet and always keen to share some Laver Bread. For the unaware, it's basically a black sludge of seaweed scraped off rocks from which you can mix with oats to attempt to make a form of ... stuff. You then fry this stuff in bacon fat and eat it. It was actually pretty tasty though, as is the norm of food from the isle, probably not that good for you. Welsh rarebit was also nice to eat, but once again, see my previous statement on it's value as healthy cuisine.
The car was blown through the winding roads of Snowdonia national park, which was simply stunning. The mountains were bathed in that afternoon light you get about ... ooo.. midday in Winter here. Climbing Mt Snowdon would have been amazing but weather conditions were looking a bit iffy and it pays to trust your gut feelings in those situations. It turned out two people sadly died on Mt Snowdon that afternoon/night due to a sudden weather change that brought with it extreme winds and several feet of snow.
It's a shame that many people probably never make it out to Wales. Then again, perhaps it's a good thing that it stays relatively forgotten?
