From: begley%lock.dnet@jesnic.jsc.nasa.gov
Subject: North Americans shouldn't Ignore Wales
Organization: Lockheed Engineering and Sciences
Distribution: usa
Date: Thu, 5 Nov 1992 18:44:49 GMT

  My wife and I had the great pleasure of spending a couple days in north
Wales on our whirlwind Europe tour last May.  We were really surprised how
much we liked it.  We had gone to Chester because a friend of
her's had described it as a great walled town, interesting,
really lived in, and fun.  We had a nice time there, and enjoyed the
inexpensive boat cruise on the river, but it wasn't quite what we
had preconcieved (so don't do that!).  Being a little disappointed,
we decided to delay our trip to Liverpool (Beatles mecca) and drive
thru north Wales.  A travel book said 95% of Americans in Britain
do not go to Wales and the 5% who do are just heading to the ferries
to Ireland.  That alone demanded we go see!
  As we crossed the border into Wales, the extent of the revitalization
of Welch nationalism was evident in the bilingual road signs everywhere.
Creose y Gymru - Welcome to Wales.
  We drove across the top of Wales for a while, thru beach towns that
were a cross of english looking houses and tacky tourist spots like Virginia
Beach in the 60's (or today).  Stopped at a Welch flea market to see what
they had, but it was mostly the same junk booths as U.S. flea markets selling
cheap low quality clothes and goods.  No crafts or antiques.  I had hoped
that since the civilization is so much older, we might find antiques for
sale from before our country was founded.
  Then we came across Conwy.  It was EXACTLY what we were looking for!
The Conwy castle was built on a bay off the Irish Sea under the rule
of King Edward I in 1283.  This was a real fortress, not one of the
poofy mansions made to look like a castle (sorry Ludwig)
that we would see later.  The town wall is almost completely intact
and the town has hardly expanded beyond the wall today.  It really was
still a functional lived-in town.
  From there we drove south, inland.  Beautiful rolling hills and
thousands of camera-shy sheep.  Ended up at Betws-y-Coed, pronounced
Bet' us  uh  coy' eeed.  Small town, cool streams, many outdoor
stores for hiking, whitewater, and rock climbing (this is near
Snowdonia Peak).  Warm (77 deg?) sunny day, all the ghost white Briton
bodies trying to tan, turing bright pink.  We decided to take charge
of our trip and stay here at a B&B.
  Upon seeing a pretty post card of a place on a stream called Fairy Glen,
we asked directions.  The clerk started to give us car directions, since
it was about 2.5 miles; we said we were walking.  She says, "What?! In
this heat?  You must be MAD!!"  Tee hee!  It was a nice walk.
  Stopped in a pub that night and saw they had bitters on tap.  Asked
surly bartender what that was like.  He tried to talk me out of it,
"too bitter if you are not used to it, warm."  We got a bitters and a
lager and the lager was more bitter.  The bitters were really good,
and being from Texas, I am quite used to warm beer, as that's how
all beer is 2 minutes after you get it.
  Welch nationalism produces interesting feelings there, much like the
French Canadians in Quebec.  The Welch STILL look at the English as the
Angles and Saxons who invaded the island, where Welch and Scots belong.
After years of repressing the Welch language, now all kids in Wales in
school are taught in Welch, except in English class.  One of the 4 TV stations
was in Welch, too.  The Welch pipe player we talked to said he understands
enough to follow conversations, but his kids are fluent.  (You know it
is only in the last 10 to 20 years that the Acadians are now getting to
try to revive French in Louisiana.  I like the cultural diversity, but
wish people wouldn't get sticks up their butts and want to "be independent"
and devisive.  Everyone should learn from the Swiss with their 4 language
country.)
  An English B&B owner seemed irritated, said Wales was like Ireland, too
poor, and needed England, would be broke without it, and that the Welch
kids all have to leave Wales to find jobs and where would they be
if they can't speak English, and if they leave, what good will knowing
Welch do, since they take it away.
  The B&B owner was disappointed that we didn't have a Texas accent, so
we turned it on and he got a big kick out of it.  He said he (pre)judges
people at the door based on their accent from different parts of
Britain (bloody Scots!).  He said we had "Cheers" accents.  I explained
that except for the postman on Cheers, everyone is speaking the
homogeneous american newsman accent.
  After another English breakfast of eggs, bangers, white toast, and
miniscule portions of orange juice (you'd think they had no orange
trees in Britain :-> ), we headed back east to catch the motorway to
Liverpool.

  I heartily recommend Wales for those who enjoy hiking and the outdoors
along with their international sightseeing.  With some planning,
you could be riding the whitewater, scaling the mountainsides,
dabbling in Welsh, and still having a pint (or three) at the end of
the day.