Fairy Tales

Two days ago, we arrived in Wales for a 12-day family road trip around the country. 

It is the country where my nana grew up before she married my grandfather and moved to the United States.  My grandfather was an American GI stationed in Cardiff during WWII, and they settled in New Hampshire where my nana still resides.  We named our son "Reese" in honor of this heritage; it is a Welsh name, meaning enthusiastic, ardent.

KLM Cityhopper

I feel so fortunate to be able make this trip while we are living nearby, and for the opportunity for Abby and Reese to connect with their great grandmother and to this magical country. 

And Wales, truly is magical.  The landscape is stunning and unthinkably varied for such a small country (it is just a little larger than New Jersey with a population of only three million).  Immediately, I was struck by the richness of its color.  It is a Celtic land, where the Welsh language is still widely spoken and is the strongest surviving of all the Celtic tongues.  The persistence of the Welsh language gives us a glimpse at the depth of Welsh culture, history, and traditions.  We can also glimpse the pride of its people, which is so suitably symbolized in the fiery red dragon on the national flag.  

As we drove west to the Pembrokeshire Coast yesterday through rolling hills of jewel green pastures dotted with sheep, Doug turned and said that it seemed like Wales is underrated.  Indeed, Wales does not get the same attention as its Celtic neighbors, Ireland and Scotland.  Perhaps, however, this is a good thing; we're only two days into our journey, and we are it seems more like a secret gem to us.

On our first day, we visited Carreg Cennen in southwest Wales. There are over 500 castles in Wales, more than any other country in Europe.

Carreg Cennen is situated 300 feet over a sheer drop into the Cennen River valley.  The strategic sense of the siting dates back to King Arthur's time, when one of his knights is said to have built a fortress here.  The current castle dates back to 1248.





It is beautiful in its isolation.                                   

How green was my valley . . .

It was one of the most memorable days of my life.  It was pure joy watching Abby and Reese's imaginations run wild in a real castle.

Reese pretending to be in a princely slumber.

Rapunzel, Rapunzel let your hair down!