Having a Wales of a Time

     The days and hours leading up to our trip to England and Wales were particularly stressful as Nan broke her ankle the Sunday before we were scheduled to go. We went to an emergency care facility about three minutes from our home.  They were great, but, because Monday was Labor Day, we couldn't get to see an orthopedic doctor until Tuesday afternoon. They put her in one of those large walking boots and supplied a set of crutches.  We contacted American Airlines and they were great. They upgraded us to business class so we'd have more leg room and arranged to have personnel meet us with wheelchairs at each airport.  We had to change our London hotel because they didn't have a lift, I mean elevator.
      The trip from Raleigh-Durham to London Heathrow was a little over 7 hours long, but two movies, a dinner and breakfast snack helped the time pass.  Neither one of us are very good at sleeping on planes.  I certainly envied the guy next to me who slept most of the trip (Of course I could have done without his snoring).
     We had originally planned to take the Heathrow Express to Paddington Station and the railroad to Cardiff, Wales.  Because of the ankle issue though we decided to rent a car and thus incurred an extremely annoying and stressful two days of driving.  I won't go into the details, but suffice it to say that we won't be using the services of that car rental company again.Both Nan and I find lying to customers to be bad business practice.
     Rather than head straight to Cardiff, we took a side trip to see Tintern Abbey located on the Wye River..

          A worshipper of Nature, hither came, Unwearied in that service: rather say
         With warmer love, oh! with far deeper zeal of holier love. Nor wilt thou then forget, That after many wanderings, many years of  Absence these steep woods and lofty cliffs,  And this green pastoral  landscape, were to me More dear, both for themselves, and for thy sake.
                                    (Lines Written a Few Miles Above Tintern Abbey - Wordsworth-1798)

       The Abbey was founded in 1131 by the Anglo-Norman lord of Chepstow, Walter fitz Richard of Clare and colonized by Cistercian monks from France.  The Cathedral was started in 1269 and consecrated in 1301.  Tintern was surrendered to the King in 1536, who in turn granted the Abbey to Henry Somerset, Earl of Worcester.  All articles of value from the Abbey were catalogued and sent to the King's treasury. Eventually even the lead roofs were melted down and sent on to the King, leaving the haunting walls that remain today.