The shadow of something large clouded over the window of our room.  It was a bit of a surprise to see the room go dark since the parking lot is on the small side so one wouldn't expect a big van to be driving in it.  Like the curious George that I am, I pull back the drapes just in time to see a blue lorrie parking at the end of the lot.  I guess the driver likes the breakfast on offer.  We are packed and ready to go, heading west past Cardiff to Swansea and the Gower peninsula beyond.  Johanne is settling up the bill while I load up the car.  That is when I see it.  The lorrie(truck) is not just parked at the back of the lot, the side wall of the van has been raised to reveal a complete rolling butcher shop and customers too.  Very interesting way to shop.

Swansea turned out to be a good place to pass through which we did.  The town, which is the second largest in Wales, had its hey day in the late 18th and early 19th centuries.  It was nicknamed "copperopolis".  A major industrial city with copper and other works populated the dock areas.  In the 20th century, it began to loose its shine,  WWII finished it off.  During the three nights Blitz in 1941 the Germans flattened the city.  Today there is not much left of the historic city as it lives in the shadow of its larger neighbour Cardiff.  We continue along the coast to a suburb of Swansea called Mumbles. The main street can be seen below.  The actress Catherine Zeta=Jones hails from Mumbles as well as the famous Welsh poet Dylan Thomas.   Catherine built a sizable mansion here recently.  I guess she wanted to share some of Michael Douglas's cash with the local trades.

 I parked the car while Johanne went to purchase the ticket.  This might have been the biggest excitement of the day in town.  Johanne couldn't get the machine to take her 1 pound coin.  Try as she might, it kept returning it.  Soon a crowd had formed, each offering their view on how to make it work.  One said "lick the coin and spin it downward"  that works for me.  Another said" use only your left hand to insert the cash" yet another suggested a jiggling motion while inserting the coin.  Johanne tried all three, none of them worked.  The jiggling did ensure that the pound coin was not returned.  $#%^&^&%^ that's french for what she thought of the parking meter.  In the meantime I took a few pictures and we left.

 Mumbles pier above at low tide.

This is as wide as the road got on our drive through the Gower peninsula. Most of the way was on country lanes, barely wide enough for one car. In addition, there was often two and a many brave cyclists, for at every turn they took a big risk that they would become part of the foliage.  The guide book described the beauty as unparalleled. While that might be a stretch, it was a spectacular place.  The 15 mile drive took way longer than expected and we have a schedule to keep, so there was no time to enjoy one or two of the many trails on offer. The Gower is a walkers paradise with big unblemished beaches.

Two more stops in Wales to get to before we arrive at our hotel back in England.  The first is a visit to Dan-yr-Ogof National Showcase Center for Wales. Created 350,000 years ago by the power of water, these limestone caves are some of the largest and most complex in Britain.  There are three caves that can be visited without a guide, the rest require a guide and experience in caving.  Walking through the caves is an eerie adventure, cold and damp with some fantastic views.

One set of stalagmites was of particular interest to Johanne.  In fact every woman in the caves stopped, admired and giggled at this grouping.  I don't get it, they even had them caged for some strange reason........

The bone cave is worth the visit too.  42 Bronze Age skeletons were discovered there. Finally the cathedral cave, with it's high ceilings and two lake fed waterfalls. They offer wedding ceremonies in the largest of the caves should you feel the need.

We climbed out of the dark and back to the road for our next visit at a little place called Penderyn Distillery.

Before the ascendancy of the chapels in the 19th century, the Welsh liked the wee dram as much as their Scottish and Irish neighbours.  The distillery opened in 2004 and marks the first time in over 100 years that single malt has been made in Wales. 

 Made with spring waters drawn from a source directly beneath the distillery,  matured in bourbon casks and finished in Madeira wine casks, the finished product is every bit as good as the cousins.  I tried quite a few, the only bad part of the experience was having to stop.  I was driving after all.

This bottle below is one of five left in the world.  It is 125 years old and believed to be the last Welsh single malt produced by the last distillery in business at that time. I tried to get a sip but they were not that interested in breaking the seal on a priceless bottle.

Last post I asked a question about the meaning of the British phrase"spending a penny".  Did anyone figure it out?  Here is another clue.  Today, the same saying would have to be "spending a dime".

We are off to Gloucester, England.  The Welsh landscape a fond memory, it is natural, rugged, stylish and above all friendly.  We loved our time there.

Cheerio