This Woman Was HereJune 2015 - This Woman Was Here

Arrival in Wales

June 11-12

I left Dover around 11 to meet Steve and Jordan in Halifax. We walked around Halifax Harbor, which now has a several mile boardwalk. Our plane took off at midnight and we arrived in London at 10 AM where we met Dorota, picked up our rental car and took off for Wales. The drive was challenging because Steve had a little trouble adjusting to sitting on the right side of the car and feeling where the lane was and as a result wanted to drive a foot too close to the curb or other lane. Jordan said that for four hours, I was on a thirty second loop, saying too far left, honey, too close to the curb, hon. White knuckles aside, we arrived safe and sound at Dorota and Jim’s, where we were greeted with much needed martinis and then took a walk along the coastal walking path.

cliffs

We were amazed at how beautiful it was. We walked for 20 min north and then headed into the tiny town just south of their house.

The town clusters around the bay, with a slate seawall protecting houses from the sea.

When we got home, Jim made us a lovely meal of local sausages, fresh potatoes, and leeks, followed by a rhubarb crumble (from the garden) with custard. Then we fell happily into bed.

Wales, Fishguard, coastal walk to Cwm yr eglwys, Newport

We slept for 12 hours and woke to a misty morning. After a breakfast of an omelette made from the leftover sausage, potato and leek, we headed to Fishguard to hit the farmer’s market. Lower Fishguard is the harbor where cruise ships used to take off, which is why the railroad came to Fishguard (to bring wealthy passengers to the boats). It is a lovely harbor with boats resting on the mud at low tide.

Upper Fishguard has the shops, with a ring of standing stones made from the same bluestones that were used in Stonehenge (which were quarried a few miles behind the town).

We visited a wonderful art gallery that made me wish I had brought pastels or watercolors, something to capture the immense beauty of the place. We also found a wonderful thrift shop where Jordan found a second sweatshirt and I found a lovely chiffon summer dress. At a shop called the Gourmet Pig, we bought an assortment of local pies– pork and stilton, hare and mushrooms, chicken gammon and leek, and a dressed/stuffed local crab (which we had for lunch).

At the farmers market we bought more local sausages (pork and apple, lamb and mint), local cheeses, as well as turkey eggs, fresh veggies and local chocolates and cookies. At the COOP we rounded up some Welsh dark beers, enough supplies to get us through the next few days.

After our lunch of local pies and beer, we headed out for a second hike along the coast.

Every cove was more breathtaking than the last. Wildflowers grow along the cliffs, gulls cry overhead, waves crash below.

Steve and Dorota

Jordan beneath a bower

Could this be Ring of Kerry?

The views are very similar to the Ring of Kerry in Ireland, but here we are walking along the coast instead of driving. We walked most of the afternoon in a light drizzle.

Slate cliffs

Orchids along the path

Wildflower Bay

Foxglove walk

Entering Cwm yr eglwys (pronounced cureglis)

What’s left of church blown away in hurricane in mid 1800s

Pwligwaelod (porkwylot)

Luckily, Jim came to pick us up because we were a bit damp. After we changed into dry pants, we went down to join Jim’s cousin, Joanne, at the Newport boat club celebration for the new landing (dock). They served platers of appetizers and beer and wine, all of which we enjoyed.

Party at the boat club

the food spread

Ondora

At the party, we met a lovely woman who has had a house here for 70 years, Ondara, now shared with 27 other relatives. As we were walking home, the sky cleared.

Jim spent his childhood summers here and remembers participating in all the regattas. Sadly, there are not so many sailboats in the harbor today.

Newport Pem regatta

Lifeboat house 1884

After a lovely light supper of salad, cheese, and bread, Jim drove us up to the top of the mountain to see the sunset and try to catch a glimpse of the wild horses.

Sunset over Dinas

Wild horses

We were successful on both counts.

Wales, Dinas Head

This morning the sun was shining, and Dorota and Jim and I took a walk before breakfast across the Nevern River and then came back through a path that led past a burial chamber from 4000BC. Jim says they erected the upright stones, buried the bodies and covered the entire structure with soil before adding the capstone. The amazing thing about this structure is that the enormous capstone is only supported on two of the four stones.

Support on left not touching

Not touching 2

After a breakfast of dry cured bacon and turkey eggs from the farmers market (very similar to chicken eggs but 2-3 times as large), we decided to hike around Dinas Head, which was our terminus point on yesterday’s hike. We started up the hill when Jordan saw a series of caves on the side of the hill that were too irresistible to pass up. After an initial no, we decided that these caves, although crazy difficult, were easier and safer to get to than the ones at the base of the cliff we walked yesterday (which he was determined to climb to). If you zoom in on the photo below, you can see a tiny Jordan on the rocks on the left. The caves he was bouldering to are on the far right.

Dinas head cove

He is 18 now and capable of making his own decisions, so we trusted him to be safe, and we headed up Dinas Head, a hike of about 1.5 hours. I won’t say we didn’t worry, but he was determined to boulder, and this seemed like the lesser of two evils.

The hike was glorious, with lots of other hikers out enjoying the beautiful weather.

Cove

On top of the world

Foxglove in gorse

On the other side of Dinas

He survived!

When we got back to the beach, we were more than a little relieved to be greeted by this sight–Jordan sleeping on the sea wall, exhausted by his successful climb. He is currently editing the video of his adventure to be posted TBA.

We came back to the house for a lunch of lamb and mint sausages, potatoes, leeks and bread, and then headed out for a third walk around the estuary towards Morpha head. The coastal path crosses a golf course, which was busy with players, but luckily they paused to let us walk through. Everyone in the village seemed to be out walking today.

At six, Jim and Steve met Kevin and Jo at the boat club pub for drinks and joined us back at the house where we all had a fantastic dinner of Dorota’s creation–chickens roasted with lemons and rosemary, new potatoes, and cabbage, followed by a mixed fruit crumble. How Dorota had time to put together such a luscious meal, no one could figure out. The sun doesn’t set until 10pm and exhausted, we followed it to bed.

Newport market, Porthgain, Abereiddie

This morning we decided to explore the Newport market.

Butcher shop

The butcher shop offered wild boar, venison, pheasant, and partridges among other game. We bought fresh ravioli (one salmon dill and one goat cheese, spinach and chives) and several fresh pasties (sausage roll, spinach/goat cheese, potatoes leek, bacon mushroom, and the traditional Cornish pasty).

As the boys were standing around outside, meat was delivered. The deliverymen hoisted quarters of beef over their shoulders and away they went. We know it’s fresh and it’s local.

Then we walked up the hill to St, Mary’s church, built in the 1740’s an visited by John Wesley.

St Mary’s church

Interior

On our way down the hill, we saw this lovely Welsh pony. They were bred to haul coal and slate out of mines. This one clearly has a better life.

Welsh pony

After a lunch of our Cornish pasties, washed down with Guinness, we headed off to Porthgain, a quarry that first quarried slate, then exported brick, then road rock. It is a tiny settlement surrounding a harbor where boats were loaded.

Porthgain

slate garden

These lovely flowers grew in the slate wall. The walking path above the quarry was some of the most beautiful country I’ve seen

Porthgain Harbor

coves

Every rise brought us new and startlingly beautiful vistas.

Barry Island farm beach

Warm enough for wading

Amazing cliffs

Beach seen from above

Blue Lagoon at Abereidy

Abereidy

Rock wall with wildflowers

Return to Porthgain at high tide

Return to beach and walk back from Cwm yr eglwys

We had such a great time at the beach yesterday that we decided to pack a picnic lunch and return to swim today (since today was supposed to be even warmer than yesterday). Unfortunately, the weather didn’t cooperate. The sky was gray and a cold wind blew from the sea, and the water was far too cold for swimming. We explored the private beaches over the rocks, Jordan bouldered over barnacle encrusted rocks towards a cave half way up the cliff, but we called him back and he didn’t put up a fight.

Jordan bouldering

If you zoom in, you can see a tiny Jordan to the right on the rocks beneath the cave. In spite of the lack of sun, we enjoyed our picnic in the shelter of the rock outcrops.

Jim and Dorota chilling

After lunch, we decided to head home and Jim dropped Dorota and I off at Cwm yr eglwys and we walked back to the house. The sun decided to come out and the day turned warm and beautiful.

Newport at low tide

Walking path with Nervern at low tide

We arrived home in time for cocktails.

Nevern church, Preselau hills, Ceibwr cliffs

We began our adventure by visiting the church where Jim’s relatives are buried, the 12th century Nevern Church, that boasts a 10th Century Celtic cross, a 600 year old bleeding yew, and a memorial to a Roman soldier with an inscription in Latin and Ogham.

Nevern Church

Bleeding yew

Celtic cross

One of Jim’s family plots

Jim’s family were the landed gentry that supported the church, and every plaque inside the church commemorates one of his ancestors.

Afterwards, we drove to the Preselau Hills where the bluestones for Stonehenge were quarried. It is a windswept hill with wild horses, high above the coast.

Preselau Hills

It’s hard to imagine how they got the immense stones down the hill and several hundred miles to Stonehenge.

Jim explaining bluestones

panorama

Ceibwr cliffs

Jim gave us several geology lessons during the day.

We had a view of the entire valley.

Next, we headed to Molygrove through winding one lane roads, which I take my hat off to Jim for being able to navigate, to the Ceibwr (pronounced Keiber) cliffs. The sediments were laid down 450 million years ago and went through two mountain building phases around 150 and 350 million years ago. Then the mountains were deformed by collision events. Quite spectacular.

the other side of the cut

the geology lesson

To celebrate our last evening here, we went out to dinner at the Old Sailor at Porthgain next to Dinas head.

Jordan ordered grilled lobster, the best lobster he’s ever had, he swore. Steve and I ordered steak and ale pie, and Jim and Dorota ordered suwen, a local trout that lives part of its life at sea and turns pink.

For dessert, we ordered the most fantastical desserts imaginable. Jordan had homemade marshmallows with white chocolate and raspberry coulis. Steve had a trio of Welsh ice creams, Dorota a trio of sorbets, and Jim raspberry Eton mess (I kid you not).

Old Sailor

London

We left Jim and Dorota’s by 7 and arrived in London by 11.30, no white knuckles this time. We took a free city bus to the Marriott, where the staff was incredibly accommodating, checking us in early, printing our tour tickets, and calling to confirm our tours. They also explained how to take the free city bus to Hatton Cross tube station, where we purchased oyster cards that will hopefully take us through our three days in London.

We took the Piccadilly line to Piccadilly Circus, walked down Regent Street looking for a restaurant and happened on to Inamo, a restaurant with projectors above every table that not only projected images onto the table, but allowed us to select our meal and order it electronically, a delicious bento box with salad, salmon, steak and chicken wings for under 10 pounds.

projected image on table

We walked through St James Park, which was crowded with thousands of sun worshipers enjoying the sunny, warm weather. We missed Westminster Cathedral by minutes (closing time 3:30), but walked down the Themes past this obelisk from 1500 BC flanked by sphinxes.

London Eye

Our destination was St. Paul’s Cathedral where we were lucky enough to catch a choral performance of Evensong.

We walked across the Millenial bridge to the Globe Theater. Tickets for that night’s performance were sold out, but just down the street we found a Southern b-b-q restaurant that played blues and had beer pong tables set up that were crowded with locals within a half hour. We lucked out on restaurants in our first day in London.

After walking for a good 5 hours, the tired travelers headed back to the hotel.

Downtown London

We woke to another lovely day in London. Our tube ride in is about an hour, a great opportunity for people watching. We went first to the 11:30 changing of the guard at Buckingham Palace, arriving at 10:50 to a steadily growing mob. It was a bit too much of a crowd scene for any of our tastes, but we can say we’ve done it.

Next, driven by hunger, we found a wonderful Italian restaurant a few blocks away, where we had a fantastic meal. My lasagna was the best I’ve ever tasted.

Then it was on to Westminster Abbey for a self guided tour that takes at least 1.5-2 hrs. Every major political, scientific, religious, and artistic figure is buried there including Darwin, Newton, Kelvin, Chaucer, Thomas Hardy, Lord Byron, Gerald Manley Hopkins, Lewis Carrol, CS Lewis, George Eliot, Jane Austen, WH Auden, Henry James, TS Eliot, Wordsworth, and the list goes on and on. It’s a gorgeous abbey with a history that dates back to 960.

From Big Ben and the houses of Parliament, we walked down the southern side of the Themes towards the Globe Theater. Thousands of people teamed the walk, with musicians and performers dotting the route. We were able to get in on one of the last tours of the Globe, again an education in and of itself. The building is a modern reproduction of the original structure spearheaded by the American actor Sam Wanamaker.

From there, we crossed back over the Themes in search of the charming old Blackfriars pubs we passed yesterday on our way to St. Paul’s Cathedral. Our luck running true, we landed in Shaws Booksellers, where we rested our feet and enjoyed cold guiness and frontier lagers. We ordered a meat and fish plate, both of which were delicious.

Within an hour, the place was teeming with locals, most of whom chose to stand outside with their beers.

By the time we left, both sides of the street were crowded with Friday afternoon drinkers. Once again we lucked out in the places we landed. We haven’t had a bad meal yet. Having walked another 5 miles, we headed back to Heathrow to buy our London Express coach tickets to Victoria coach station for our tours tomorrow. It will be an early morning and a long day. Jordan goes to Stonehenge, Bath, and Shakespeare’s birthplace in Stratford, and we head to Leeds Castle, Canterbury Cathedral, Dover, Grenwich, and a cruise up the Themes. We will rendevouz back at Victoria Coach station for our return trip to the hotel.

An exhausted tube passenger.

Leeds Castle, Canterbury, Dover, Greenwich

We took the National Express from Heathrow direct to Victoria Coach Station, a 40 min drive as opposed to a 1.5 hr tube ride with a walk at the end. The tours didn’t depart until 8:20, so we could have slept later and taken a later coach but at least we made it easily. We were heading off for different tours but planned to rendevouz back at the arrivals terminal of the coach station at 8pm when Jordan was due to arrive. We didn’t realize it was the day before the summer solstice, a day that would draw hundreds of Druids to Stonehenge. We headed off to Leeds Castle, a gorgeous gem of a castle restored to its former glory by Lady Bailey, an Anglo-American heiress to the Standard Oil fortune, who purchased the castle in 1926 when she was 27 and spent millions on restorations improvements.

She entertained lavishly, with guests such as Charlie Chaplin, Errol Flynn, Mary Pickford, Winston Churchill, the glitteratti of her day. The house dates back to the 1200 when it was bought by Queen Eleanor of Castille. It was a house owned by many women. My favorite was Catherine of Valois, the widow of of Henry V who took up with a Welsh servant named Henry Tudor, causing a scandal at court. She had five children with him but they never married. Nonetheless, he is the progenitor of the Tudor line.

Henry Vlll dinning room

Henry VIII and Catherine of Aragon used the house on their trips to the continent because it was a convenient stopping off point.

Today the house is filled with bouquets of fresh flowers and art that Lady Bailey collected all over the continent such as this Venetian lion that is said to bring good luck to all those who touch its nose.

This lovely woodwork was rescued from an English manor house that had to be auctioned off after WW1 because of the death of the heir and estate taxes.

The gardens are also lovely and the moat is home to a dozen or more black swans imported from Autstralia.

Next we headed to the white cliffs of Dover to see Dover Castle, which served as a center for the British command during WW11. You can see the caves that were built to be able to observe the war directly.

After that, we headed to Caterbury, but when we arrived, the Catherdral was closed for a ceremony celebrating the 200th anniversary of the battle of Waterloo. We did get to view the crypt beneath the cathedral, which was magnificent.

The grounds of the cathedral and the houses surrounding it were lovely.

Notice the carriage behind the tree, which holds two actors playing the emissaries from the Duke of Wellington announcing the victory at the battle of Waterloo. It was quite a ceremony, with a band, soldiers, dignitaries. The honorable Michael, Duke of York, a relative of the Queen, spoke.

Royal Ascot was also on, so the shop windows were filled with hats.

Next, we went to Greenwich.

We are standing to either side of longitude east/west line.

All the official measurements.

It started to rain as we descended the hill to our cruise back to London, so we didn’t get photos from the boat. The only glitch in the day was that when we made our way back to Victoria Coach Station where we had arranged to meet Jordan, we were told Premier coaches don’t drop off there, but along the street in front of the train station. We waited for a half-hour, wondering how we would find him since my phone had died. I decided to return to the coach station and saw him strolling casually up the street. He had been dropped off ten blocks away but knew to make his way back here to meet us. We grabbed a bite to eat and headed back to the station for our coach back to Heathrow and our hotel.

Arrival in Varenna

We had to get up at 4:30 to make it to terminal 5 for our 7:30 departure, but it all went smoothly. JP was waiting for us when we emerged from our flight in Milan. Together for Father’s Day, we made our way to the train that would take us to Stazione Centrale in Milan where we could get a train to Varenna.

The train took less than an hour, passing by Lecco and giving us tantalizing glimpses of the lake. When we arrived, we made our way down the one cobbled street to our hotel, Alberbo Beretta, happy to have landed and happy with the gimpses of the lake from our windows. We were all starved, so we headed out to find food, which we did in the tiny square in front of the ferry boats.