The Seven Wonders of Wales
I write very little about Wales because I have spent only a few days there. Or maybe I have a spent only a few days there because I knew so little about it? The more I learn, the more I want to visit again. Patrick Ford’s words and pictures prompted me to start planning for a post-Covid trip. (See last week’s blog.) Here is a taste of what I know and am learning.
By Velela - Own work, CC BY-SA 3.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=6945953
Pistyll Rhaeadr, a wondrous site nestled in the Berwyn Mountains of Wales, is known for the absolutely magical waterfall. I got to view it from early morning until twilight from a charming balcony self-catering apartment at its foot. The view from that balcony was mesmerizing. It seemed the waterfall spoke to us with its sparkling dance. At one point the light diffused to form a beautiful rainbow heart. My friends and I sipped cappuccino and then ate all our meals gazing out at the changing patterns of the water. My friends were more athletic than I. They hiked to the top and swam in its cold, pure waters. I waited mid-way up the mountain, finding the huge stone steps too much for my knees,I enjoyed my perch looking over the valley and communing with the sheep grazing nearby.
It was in the café just before departure that I saw an old plague with this “wee” poem:
The Seven Wonders of Wales
Pistyll Rhaeadr and Wrexham Steeple,
Snowdon Mountain without its people,
Overton yew tree, Gresford bells,
Llangollen bridge, St, Winifrede’s Wells.
I was amazed to think that within 24 hours I had had deep and meaningful experiences at 2 of the seven. (Note that I wrote about St. Winifrede’s Wells in an earlier blog.) We went on to Glastonbury and Stonehenge, but I vowed to return some day to see the other wonders of Wales. Considering that the country of Wales is about the size of the state of Iowa, I figured it would be doable. Now, thanks to Patrick Ford’s pictures of Welch stone circles, I have further incentive because I now know it to have an abundance of stone circles.
The seascapes of Wales rival the west coast of Ireland. The mountain vistas are spectacular. The Snowdon Mountain range is noted in the poem above. As the poem also suggests cathedrals and church towers like those of England. Then there are the trees and forests that birthed rich Celtic lore. This is the land of Merlin, the red dragon and that ancient Overton yew tree.
But most of all, I want to return to get to know the people of Wales; how Celtic Spirit manifests itself in this small country that so fiercely held on to its culture while bordered with England.
There is a welch saying that teases me into the expectation that I will enjoy getting to know these folks and learning more from them about their land and its history.
To be born Welch is to be born privileged.
Not with a silver spoon in your mouth,
but with music in your blood and poetry in your soul.