Western Wales: The Landscape That Made Me Cry

In general, I don’t think most Americans know much about Wales. I know I didn’t. After all, it is small and you rarely hear anything about it, so it takes on a mysterious quality. One Saturday, we got up insanely early and drove four hours to western Wales. Now, that I’ve been there, I can honestly say, it impacted me in a way I wasn’t prepared for.

Wales is a small nation and their language and culture are ancient. Hearing the locals speak reminded me of a record album I had once. The first year I graduated from college and started teaching, a colleague gave me an album.  It was Beowulf being read aloud in the original Old English. Welsh sounded just like it. I have always admired their push to keep their own culture alive. They teach Welsh in schools and every citizen is bilingual. All signs are bilingual too (even on the highway).

Side Note: There is a wonderful episode of “The Crown” on Netflix that shows how then-Prince Charles was sent to Wales during college to learn the Welsh language and in the process learned why preserving their original culture is important to the Welsh people.  

Western Wales: Conwy Castle

The ruins of Conwy Castle were the highlight of our Saturday. We climbed several towers. At the top of the tallest one, we saw a seaport with bobbing fishing boats on one side and green hills dotted with fluffy, white sheep on the other side. It’s no surprise to anyone that knows me that I cry easily. That fact notwithstanding, I stood in the morning sunlight at the top of this ancient castle tower and cried a little. Then, not to be an ingrate, I said a prayer and thanked the “big guy” for the opportunity to be there. I promised never to take this whole European experience for granted.

Somehow, history has allowed nearly one mile of Conwy’s original fortification walls to remain intact. Read more here. We climbed the walls and walked the length. Word to the wise: they are very high and the railings are very low and open. It was a little scary, but worth every step. There are some stairs up there, as well as steep slopes. It was strenuous in places and I found myself huffing and puffing at times.

Please enjoy this photo dump of the landscapes that made me cry. May it inspire you to go find a landscape of your own that’s so perfect it makes you emotional.