I’ll be the first to admit it was really sad leaving Ireland behind because I’ve always held an affinity for that country, its history, its culture, and even the Gaelic language (even though I don’t speak it). Although I knew it was coming I had talked myself into believing that we would be Irish forever, but Great Britain waited for us, and after the lovely, eh hem, ferry trip, we were in the place called Wales. I’ll also be the first to admit that Wales wasn’t really on my original itinerary for the group, but it was added in when the package deal that included Wales was cheaper than the one that was just Ireland and England. Some decisions are based solely on money, and I figured, “Why not?” Wales turned out to be more interesting than I had originally thought it would be.
We had one day to travel the width of the tiny country, but that day was more than enough to soak in the atmosphere. The highlight of the day was Raglan Castle, one of about a million castles we passed by in Wales. Our tour guide told us that there are more castles per acre in Wales than anywhere else in the world, a fact that I had no idea about until we toured the country. Raglan castle was quite unlike many of the other castles we had seen because instead of being so tall in the air with a tower and all, it was large around, with a huge area in the middle that was really quite like a park, open to the air. We spent the entire afternoon enjoying the castle grounds and searching through its nooks and crannies.
The best thing about the castle, in my opinion, was its airiness, how wide open it was, and how it was surrounded by a deep moat. I remember walking over the drawbridge and thinking about how it was fortified during war times, and I was transported back hundreds of years in that small walk. We had a guided tour of the castle, too, and it was intriguing seeing all of the ramparts and small areas in the wall where lookouts were stationed. Even though it was in disrepair the vast majority of the walls were intact and we were able to eat our packed lunches in the park area at the center of the castle. Of course we had to pay the tour guide even more Euros for the assistance and I got worried again about our money stretching, but it would all work out.
After the castle, we made several stops to explore the countryside, which, amazingly enough, were some of the big highlights of the trip. When we stopped to stretch our legs in Ireland, and then in Wales, and later on in England, we got into some fun situations. One of those took place by the river in Wales. There was this huge strand of beach and we just had fun chasing each other across the colorful rocks that were dotting the shore. It was funny because some of the kids got a bit farther out closer to the water than I liked, but they proved nimble and took some hilarious photos out there.
I remember Wales for the utter sense of peace it offered. There were no large cities, and even the large castle seemed homey in comparison with a lot of the huge places and crowds we had been a part of throughout the Ireland portion of the trip. There were so many tourists in Ireland, too, particularly in Dublin, so that part of the tour was a bit crowded and a little less authentic even though I loved it. What I really loved about Wales was its unpretentious nature, the beauty of untainted nature, and the personal nature of it all. By the time we stopped for the night at our hotel on the other side of Wales we were all wiped, too, after the early start, the ferry ride, and the castle excursion. For the first time during the trip I didn’t have to really double-check on anyone in my part of the group. They were fast asleep before their heads hit the pillows.
And I quickly followed suit. More long days were ahead on the downward part of the journey.
Sam
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