What are Men to Mountains and Machines? – 1 August 2011

Monday came nice and late(ish) but only by through the whining of the girls.  Tom is a robot, in case anyone wanted to know. And because he is the driver he usually is the dictator of our group. (But a very nice one who listens when we get persistent enough.) We enjoyed a hot breakfast again and then bade Conwy a fond farewell. We began to head down the west coast of Wales. The theme of the day seemed to be Industrialism and Victorianism – these are two of my favorite things to learn about so I was happy all day.

Our first stop was in the town of Llanduno where we walked down a Victorian pier and watched all the candy, knick-knack, and carnival game vendors begin to wake up. I think the Victorian Era is so interesting because of its tendency to be fractured. It was the best of times, it was the worst of times sort of thing. This was the first time that people had leisure time and money to burn. As a result, works like the Llanduno pier were built for people to walk along and amuse themselves. This is also the reason the arcades in many large cities were built. (For those of you who don't know I am referring to arcades as in hallways lined with shops that went through buildings and crossed streets...not Nickelcade or Chuckee-Cheeses). I imagine 19^th century people sort of pattering around comparing their clothes to someone else's and basically just living for show. What's more, I don't know if I would like that existence. Also, in Llanduno is a great big hill that has been named the sleeping dragon. I, of course, then dubbed it Smog. 

Afterwards we drove to Trefriw Woolen Mill tucked high up in the hills of Betus-y-coed (Betsy's Wood), a forest traditionally known for elves, goblins, and fairies. I was jumping up and down with excitement because everything they were using and doing was a direct product of the Industrial Revolution. It was in the textile industry that machines were first put to work and I got to see those. Wales was one of the very first country's to be mechanized because their main resources were wool and coal. Both were very highly priced commodities, especially, at least at first, wool. The machines were loud, big, powerful and intricate. It was easy to see how people got hurt. Also, the products at the woolen mill were gorgeous. I bought some yarn to make something special with and to remember the impressive mill. 

We traveled next to the National Slate Mine Museum. The canyon was so impressive because it wound through real mountains. I liked to see the breaks in grass as jutted rock came out of the earth. It was dotted with lakes and with sheep – very picturesque. Unfortunately, I forgot to bring my camera with me so I have very little pictures of the canyon and of the mine. I liked the mine museum because it was pretty to look at and well organized. I'm realizing professional management isn't really a Welsh talent. But the museum was laid out so well I was actually impressed. We watched a slate splitting demonstration given by a man who had previously worked in the mine. All the slate is still split by hand and it is a real gift that some say only the Welsh have. He can get a 16”x14” long piece of slate maybe 2 inches thick to split 16 times. Can you say, “Wow!”? Another cool thing the museum had were a row of miners cottages from different time periods to give you a feel of what it meant to live like a miner. I have never been in smaller living spaces – and I lived in Heritage Halls! I also really loved the wooden molds that were used to make iron tools and machinery. I'm always impressed by what people are capable of accomplishing without the aid of modern technology. I'm beginning to realize just how lazy (and blessed!) my generation really is.

From the slate mine we walked up and over to the village and castle at the base of Snowdon. Before going up the mountain we climbed up to Dolwyddelan Castle that was built by the Welsh in the 12th century and overlooks the mountains and valleys. It was so beautiful I just wanted to sit there awhile and breathe it all in. That was another thing I loved about Snowdonia. I could breathe freely! There was absolutely no pollution mugging up the air and it smelled so good and clean.

Snowdon is important to visit when you are touring Wales because it is the tallest mountain in the county. People from all over the UK really like to travel there to hike. It is a good hike (about four miles of  pretty steep trail) but you don't need the high tech hiking gear we saw some people hauling up. Tennis shoes, water, a jacket and some snacks will get you there just fine. As far as mountains go, Snowdon is actually really little. Regardless of its size, the small amount of hiking we did (about a mile) still made me breathe heavy and sweat a ton. Anyways, the beautiful views that surround Snowdon are simply breathtaking and by far my favorite part of Wales.

Ignore my nasty hair please

By the time we got back down off of Snowdon we were all rather tired. We stopped at Harlech Castle on our way to the Borth hostel to spend the night. I loved the Harlech castle because of where it was built. It was balanced on the edge of cliffs so that it was practically impossible to take the castle by force. The men of Harlech have always been known for their courageousness and determination. The castle really reflected the song Men of Harlech. Look it up. Give it a listen. You will like it. Or just watch the film Zulu - it plays at some point in the movie.