Day One - North Wales: Rabbits and Royals.

On the road! I love that feeling. Emails and voicemails seem less important (sorry to those who have written or called), and I remember that I am at work. We set off from Manchester around noon and headed to Wales. The border is only about 45 miles from Manchester city centre, but once you cross over, you lose all vowels. It's fntstc.

We had enough sunshine and daylight before load-in to drive a bit past Bangor, where our show was, onto the island of Anglesey, which my autocorrect thinks is Anglesby (sorry to the locals), where Will & Kate live.







 After taking plenty of photos at the train station in the town of Llanfairpwllgwyngyllgogerychwyrndrobwllllantysiliogogogoch, we headed to see a bit more of the island and to look for Prince William's house take a stroll through some pretty farmland. I think technically we were hunting for rabbit warrens or something, but all I could see was big farmhouses where Kate & Will probably live. Unfortunately, it was time to leave before we found either rabbits or royals.



The gig was great fun, and the cafe where we played was delightful -- delicious food (vegetarian shepherd's pie) and a packed house that sat politely quiet during our show, laughing at he right places, and listening intently. I met some lovely Welsh folks and had a genuine good time.

Our host family lives in the village of Penmaenmawr, which sits at the foothills of Snowdonia a short distance from the sea. From the front door of the gorgeous Victorian mansion where we stayed last night, I can see the mountains and the sea as well as majestic pine trees. It's truly idyllic here, and I'm a bit sad to be leaving Wales. Every time I've been here, I've had a grand adventure. Still no dragons though... off to Nottingham this afternoon.

2 comments

  1. Having lived there years ago, just south of Manchester; made this drive more than a few times. One visual etched in my mind is the extreme change in the terrain in short time - in particular the shape of the hills (mountains) as one arrives in Wales. Near magical, I noticed you used the word idyllic and wondered if my memory strikes you as accurate. One doesn't forget! jbirch, Louisville, Kentucky, judeky@gmail.com

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  2. Thanks, Jude ... yes, you are so right. That terrain change as soon as you get to Wales is magic. I always expect to see a dragon or unicorn running across the mountains. Wild!

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