Day 3: Exploring Wales

Weather: Light rain

Today started out with breakfast---not a Welsh one! While eating we met another Welshman who was eager to talk. He currently lives in Bristol but he and his wife are building their second home near Neath. He was very interested in where we were heading and said to meet him at breakfast tomorrow morning and he would give us some tips. He needed to think about it.

Next we were off on our next journey. It is my day to drive. We went to St. Fagans Natural History Museum, consisting of actual farm houses, chapels, shops, etc. which had been moved to this location stone-by-stone.




















It was started in the 1940's and continued growing throughout the years. The last building to be added was a church built in the 1500's. It was remarkable!

After an hour or so at the center we drove to MerthyrTydfil---a small village in the southeast of Wales. We have a picture of someone (probably a relative) whose picture was taken by a photographer here. We found the building but it is now a private residence.

Next on to Treherbert where Hananiah Dyer was living when he died.  We found the location but the building had recently been torn down to build a new home. We found one church with a cemetery but we could not get in. The gates and the church were locked up tight.

The next stop was Mumbles on the coast. It is a very nice resort village with numerous shops and restaurants. I am sure it would be beautiful if the sun were shining!

We drove along the coast and found a shop where we bought some lovespoons. Also, drove by the home of Catherine Zeta Jones and Michael Douglas. She is originally from Wales and they spend time here whenever possible. The locals leave them alone so they have their privacy.

Leaving Mumbles we drove down the coast to the Gower Peninsula passing lovely homes and cottages. We ended up in Rhosilli---again a beautiful spot but the rain and fog spoiled it.

From Rhosilli we drove back to the hotel through numerous back roads, some of which were only wide enough for one car. They have "lay-bys" on some so you can pull over to allow another car to pass. Others are not so fortunate so someone has to backup.

We came to a very old stone bridge on one road where Sally had to get out of the car and direct me across---soooo narrow! On several of the roads we had to stop and wait for the sheep to move. They are everywhere and many farms have no fences. They are so cute!

We made it back to the hotel around 7ish. We could not find a place to park in the little 4-car garage or in the lot which also only has 4 spots, so we had to get the manager and Samantha, another desk clerk. They helped us squeeze into a little area so now it is a 5-car lot!

We grabbed a sub from across the street and called it an early night. Sally was not not feeling too well. I hope she doesn't have the "man flu" which is something going around according to BBC news media. I'm not sure what that is all about.



Tomorrow we check out and head north.


Nos da! (Good night)