Visit to Bangor

Today we met Ronnie's first cousin Dr. Robert Ward and his wife Renee at the University of Bangor for lunch and a quick visit. Robert is the first son of Ronnie's dad's youngest brother. He's a very bright guy and a member of Cognitive Science faculty at Bangor University in Wales. Over the past decade, he and Ronnie have published a half-dozen research papers together. Neither of their dads are living now, but I'm sure they would have been very proud of both of them and thought it was cool that they could collaborate on research while in separate countries!

His wife Renee also works at the university so we only had a couple of hours to spend with them. It would have been nice to have visited in their home and met their youngest son who we've never met but it would have meant driving an hour or more after dark on narrow, rainy streets. We opted to come on back in order to pack and get ready to leave for Southampton in the morning. The decision not to drive tonight also saved some additional wear and tear on my nerves!

Ronnie, Robert & Renee Ward

Ronnie and Renee Ward

Ronnie at University of Bangor, Wales

On the way back, the rain let up long enough for me to be able to stop and photograph a cemetery I'd wanted to shoot earlier in the week. I find all cemeteries interesting, but especially the very old ones which are so different from those we're used to seeing in the states. The vast majority of the markers are made of slate, which is plentiful here. The  graves are from the 1800's and sorely neglected. It's sad to me that these people are long forgotten and their graves are not being cared for. Across the street was a newer cemetery that was in pristine condition.

view from street

colorful berries on stone fence surrounding church yard

slate markers in pristine condition for the most part

slate headstones standing erect

small tree growing up between graves

graves from 1800's

grave stones compete with weeds for attention

neglect

beautiful slate headstones

someone buried near front door

 not good!

11 year old girl, died 1860

translated, Rectorial Llanbeblig Parish Church Plwye (if that helps any!)

Caernarfon - A Medieval Castle

Despite the miserable weather today, we braved getting in and out of the car in order to visit the Caernarfon Castle, perhaps 30 minutes from our rental property. The town was fairly empty except for a few locals doing what locals need to do and a handful of tourists visiting the castle. It's safe to say it's definitely not tourist season here! The wind is so fierce that it's even difficult to walk out in the open. It rained off and on all afternoon and the castle was drafty (to say the least) but it was absolutely incredible and we definitely made a memory!

We even managed to climb to the very top of the highest tower (Eagle Tower) where I was able to capture some incredible views! The tower held a l-o-n-g and winding stairway with worn steps and a rope to hold on to. In some places it was almost dark but we took our time and Ronnie held my camera so I could concentrate on not falling! The entire time I was climbing I was really dreading the descent, but thankfully it wasn't as scary as I thought.

It would take at least a couple of days to do the place real justice, reading about each display and seeing all the photographs, paintings and memorabilia. But after a couple of hours, we decided we had done all we could given the wind and the rain so we ended up in a coffee shop nearby where we had snacks and a nice conversation with a retired Welsh schoolteacher. All in all, we've found most of the people we've come across to be very friendly.

Did I mention that Ronnie's biker friend Graham and his wife had us over for dinner before we left? We hope to extend the hospitality to them should they ever make their way to Texas!

few visitors braved the cold and wind

 For more about Caernarfon Castle, click here.

looking back in opposite direction

Ronnie's brother Dickie would have loved this place!

entrance into a large gathering hall

Caernarfon Castle - a World Heritage Site

a bird's eye view of Caernarfon

view of river, town and mountains beyond from Eagle Tower

looking from one of many doors toward courtyard

figurines of battle reenactment

Croes Naid

There are so many interesting exhibits inside the castle. Above is a photo of the Holy Cross "as depicted on a roof boss in St George's Castle, Windsor Castle. This relic, gilded and set with precious stones, had long be revered in Wales as a fragment of the true Cross of Christ. It was given to Edward I in 1283, who later offered it before the high altar in Westminster Abbey and took it with him wherever he traveled thereafter."

Coronet of Charles, Prince of Wales took place here - 1969

Prince Charles, age 18

Regimental Goat, gift of the Queen

I shot this last one through the car window just to give you an idea of what the roads are like here. As in the Cotswolds, roads are narrow and people drive too fast on them. In the Cotswolds the roads are flanked with hedgerows or brushy growth, here they often have stone fences on both sides, and in some cases telephone poles mere inches from the pavement. Throw a little rain and darkness into it, and you will understand why we will both breathe a big sigh of relief when we turn the keys back in to Avis!

Wales - the Lôn Gwyrfai footpath

The beauty of Wales is very different from the beauty of the Cotswolds. We are here at the end of October - definitely not an ideal time, weather wise. We decided to spend our last week before heading home in Wales in order to visit Ronnie's first cousin Robert Ward and family. Rob is a professor at the University of Bangor. Robert and Ronnie have collaborated on some research papers over the past few years and Ronnie thought it would be fun to not only visit Robert and family but perhaps see the university as well.

However, between their work schedules, son Evans after school activities, Rob being sick with a cold and the weather turning awful, it's been difficult to even plan a time to get together. Hopefully we will still get to see them while here and do a bit of sightseeing as well. This morning, we woke to the news that Hurricane Gonzalo could bring winds as high as 70 mph across north Wales. It is windy and rainy here, just as it has been since we arrived on Sunday. Thankfully, it did clear for a few hours yesterday afternoon, so we bundled up and walked along a portion of the Lôn Gwyrfai foot path nearby. So there are lots of photos to share, and (as always) more where these came from!