Trip to Wales

We just spent four days on the Pembroke Coastline in Wales, near the city of Cardigan. It was so beautiful- but cold, windy, and rainy for most of the trip. We wouldn't have expected anything else! We saw lots of early Christian monuments (crosses, stone carvings), and old churches. This part of Wales is really known for its concentration in early Christian historic sites (5th century +). We also visited the beach to explore some rocky caves- Quentin and Emil even did some impromptu rock climbing. Wales is full of prehistoric sites, too. We went to an old burial tomb that was erected around 3500 BC. All that remains is the entryway which is constructed of three gigantic monoliths, the same bluestone used in Stonehenge (over 200 miles away). The pictures of this site do not demonstrate to any degree how windy it was that day!

We stayed on a farm with six cottages, an indoor pool, farm animals, and a playground. We were really close to all the sites, too, but still felt like we were in a remote location. I would love to return to this exact spot, but there's so much to see in Europe before we move back to Richmond next summer.

The pictures of Wales are available, including several short movies at the end of the picture file. Enjoy!

By the way, it's snowing here in Nottingham as I write this post!

Remember, remember, the fifth of November

Sound familiar? I've heard that phrase before, but never knew what it was about. It's from a poem, or nursery rhyme (?), about Guy Fawkes Day, otherwise known as Bonfire Night. I had been forewarned by another American that this is a crazy holiday in England. She was right. Starting around November 1st or 2nd, the English begin celebrating the foiled plot to blow up Parliament in 1605, and continue celebrating for almost a week.

Guy Fawkes and a few other conspirators had intended on blowing up the Parliament building while King James I and his family were inside. At this time in England, anti-Catholic sanctions were restricting jobs, freedom of worship, representation, etc., and Fawkes thought if he killed the King, a new monarchy might be more sympathetic to his religious background. So the plotters accumulated a massive amount of gunpowder over several months and stowed it in some rented cellars under Parliament. (I actually read they had planned to dig a tunnel under Parliament, but decided to rent the available cellars when they couldn't figure out what to do with all the dirt...) An anonymous letter warned the King at the last minute and Guy Fawkes was arrested in the cellar with match in hand. Needless to say, he and the other plotters were dragged through the streets of London to where they were hung, drawn, and quartered as examples for their treasonous plot.

The English love this night, and it has thankfully evolved from the original anti-Catholic bonfire celebrations in Victorian Times to a community get-together. (I actually feel kind of weird about the whole thing in general). Apparently some bonfires in Victorian times featured the Pope on a Catherine Wheel, or other anti-Catholic demonstrations. That's all blown over, of course, and now you just have lots of random bonfires and fireworks. And usually some bloke running across the kindling dressed as Guy Fawkes before the lighting of the fire.

We went to a community bonfire that also featured kiddie rides and a half hour firework show. I was not prepared for the size of the bonfire- we're talking absolutely huge! It seemed really unnatural to be close to so much fire. And the fireworks display was a little crazy, too. I can't say I've ever seen a 4th of July show go on as long as this one did. We were so close to the staging area, too, that debris rained on us the entire time. Quentin and Mallory loved it.

The fireworks have been everywhere almost every night since. Tonight, November 10th, is the second night of Divali, the Hindu celebration of lights, so more fireworks are popping in the distance. My kids have gotten accustomed to sleeping through them, so it's not a big deal. I just feel like I'm in a warzone.

Halloween in an English village

I wasn't quite sure what to expect of Halloween here in England. Even though it developed here in Great Britain (All Saint's Day and All Soul's Day were inserted into this time of year by the Catholics uncomfortable with the pagan celebrations of harvest; Jack-o-lanterns evolved from an Irish story about a guy named Jack and the devil), it still seems very American to me. So I started asking around Quentin's school what people do on Halloween. Most people said it's not a big deal and occassionally some children will trick-or-treat in their neighborhoods. The stores had a few decorations and costumes, but no candy...yes, no ailes full of Halloween candy that we are used to. So I figured we would have a quiet night and trick-or-treat next year in Richmond.

Then I heard that a friend of ours, an American who has lived here 20 years (a "lifer"), has persuaded her small village over the last few years to organize a Halloween event. They hold a small disco early in the evening in the village hall with music and treats. After an hour or so, the children all leave the hall and trick-or-treat around the village. We knew we had to go!

We arrived after meandering carefully down winding dark roads (Sleepy Hollow-esque) to the hall which was appropriately across from a old dark church and graveyard. At the disco we danced a little, then made a few stops in the village.

Not all villagers were on board with this idea- some had "No trick-or-treating" signs in their windows, or the lights turned off. But several houses were decorated and gave out candy. One house gave out single gummies, unwrapped, and that was it- they need some more Halloween guidance. Another house gave out cupcakes (fairy cakes in England), unwrapped as well. That could of gotten messy. And my favorite: one house had a stuffed puma on the front porch. Creepy, but not in a Halloween kind of way.

But, overall it was just right for us. The kids left with a few pieces of candy, not the giant bag that one usually has to haul home after American trick-or-treating. And since the candy was mediocre at best, Quentin's bag is still hanging up on the coat rack barely touched.