Cliff Notes

To be born in Wales, not with a silver spoon in your mouth, but, with music in your blood and with poetry in your soul, is a privilege indeed.
Brian Harris

In a land known for her greenery, general unpronounceability, rugby, football and the occasional cricketer, a variety of influential (or at least recognizable) individuals have claimed Welsh heritage including Roald Dahl, Dick Francis, Richard Burton, Ken Follett, Catherine Zeta-Jones, Charlotte Church, Henry Walford Davies, Laura Ashley, David Sullivan and Ian Woosnam.

Our Friday morning began with an early departure and an adventure into the politics of the National Assembly of Wales… and ended, appropriately for such a land of poetry and music, with our tour guide’s rousing rendition of the Welsh national anthem, much to our delight, and the enjoyment of political staffers in attendance.

Carreg Cennen Castle was next on our itinerary and after a lengthy bus ride, we reached the spectacular, if somewhat dilapidated construction. Situated 100 meters high above the River Cennen  in the Brecon Beacons National Park, Carreg Cennen dates from 1300ish, during Edward I’s reign. Although it seemed impregnable (and by all standards lives up to “take the high ground and hold it” of battlefield 101 philosophy), the Britsh-built Carreg Cennen fell into the hands of a brutal Wels king during the early 15^th century. During the Wars of the Roses, it was a Lancastrian base until a 1462 battle when Yorkists overpowered the keep. Our vertical hike took us to beautiful views of the countryside and the rivers below.

The afternoon was filled with more bussing and more vertical hiking as we headed to Cardigan Bay and the Cliff Hotel. The evening trek down to the water offered spectacular views of the Bay and the setting sun. The evening's semi-formal dinner was a spectacular and definitely delish multi-course Welsh extravaganza including shrimp salad, roasted pork, and crumble, ending, as all meals should with coffee and chocolates.

Blissfully content with lemon pie, crumble, and chocolate, and no longer agitated by the 24 hour reruns of political debates and ash/airport updates, we turned off the Judge Judy reruns (American television has made it to tiny Welsh villages)... to sleep, quite literally, by counting sheep.

Tomorrow morning, the golf course calls…

The tee will be a foot at dawn,

ej

Friday, April 16

Surrounded by sheep