We visited the town of Aberyswyth and stayed in the Richmond Hotel, right on the promenade by the beach. The proprietor, a nice guy by the name of Richard Griffiths, was generous with his time, and told us about how the old merchant homes along the beach had fallen into hard times, and then gradually changed into boutique hotels. Renovation is expensive, he said. In the early days guests didn't have free use of electricity. To turn the overhead light on in your room, or use the single wall outlet, you had to put a coin into a box. The Richmond Hotel is now set up for guests to use all manner of electric devices. But couples who come from the U.S. and bring only one converter with them (ahem) have to juggle their use of electric appliances.
I told Richard that I have a couple of school groups coming to D.C. In October, and I want to greet them properly. He told me that the Welsh word for welcome is "croeso." OK... And I can add, "Yr wyf yen Hanner Cymraes. Mae Fy nmeulu yn dod o Aberyswyth. " If I can pronounce it properly I will be telling them, "I am half Welsh. My family is from Aberyswyth."
Actually my ancestors on my father's side are from Aberyswynth and small villages in the area. So the trip to Aberyswyth was by motor coach in order to see the countryside.
What you see from the window of a bus traveling through West Wales is green pasture. And sheep. Lots of sheep. As a matter of fact it is said that at this time of year sheep outnumber people in Wales 4:1. The ratio is about to go down drastically, because the lambs have been separated from the ewes for about a month. I hate to think about what will be happening to the lambs. Actually, from reading the dinner menu, I know.
Let me end with a bit of silliness from the Cotswolds. Apparently there they do something like what we Americans call the Hokey Pokey. Here's what I saw in a shop window:
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