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Wales 1996Quick referenceTuesday 20 August Tuesday 20 August
Wednesday 21 August
In the afternoon I arrived in Cardiff. The castle was beautiful, and the shopping center was nice too, only I couldn't find any supermarket. But I needed to buy some food anywhere! Lucky for me: in the shop where I bought a map of Wales they knew were to find a supermarket... In Cardiff I visited the National Museum of Wales. It was very nice to see how they explained the evolution by use of many objects, movies and sounds. Also, there was an temporary exhibition about insects. Some large models were made, 200 times enlarged and moving! It was also nice to see how a man showed some very large (about 20cm long) creepy insects and put them on a hand of some fascinated children, while their parents were looking very scared, well, if they could look at all... Cardiff Youth Hostel, the place where I stayed for that night, was quite good, but the visitors were not very nice. But that was no problem, because I could think about just one thing: getting in bed! Thursday 22 August
I took a regional train from Cardiff to Merthyr Tydfil, which was also the last station on this railroad. Merthyr Tydfil is just south of Brecon Beacons. From there I cycled to Brecon, about 20 km (7 km climbing, 7 km flat, and 7 km downhill). The landscape is beautiful! Nice lakes, hills, and valleys with some wood and small rivers. The shapes of the hills are very remarkable. I did some shopping in Brecon (northern part ov Brecon Beacons), and then I continued my journey via Sennybridge and Trecastle to Llandeusant YH. About 10km before the youth hostel I was on the top of a hill. The only things you see there are sheep, dry grass, sheep, the road and sheep. You don't here anything there (except the sheep). The youth hostel was laying deep in a valley, and the road went steep downwards. Thanks to the rain my brakes didn't work very well, so I was going faster and faster. The road wasn't very well, and there were many arcs, but lucky for me on my right a entrance appeared, so I cycled up the entrance which was going uphill to get my bike stopped... pooh! When I walked further along the road I saw that it was a good choice to get my bike stopped, otherwise I would be landed between the trees, perhaps many meters lower than the road... The Youth Hostel was very nice. Ok, the shower was not clean, but after a long day you're only interested in a fresh shower, not if it is clean or not... There were two other guests: a boy and girl from Manchester who were walking arround there for a few days. The warden lit on the fireplace later that evening, and we had a nice conversation. After hearing their stories about this part of Brecon Beacons I knew it for sure: I have to come back here once! Friday 23 August
Ok, I had to change my plans. The next railway station to get away here was Swansea, about 60km away from Llangadog. That moment I knew I had to cycle a lot today. Unfortunately there was a lot of rain, so it was a long road to get back to the living world. At the end of that afternoon I arrived at Swansea Station, where I took the intercity to Bristol, the nearest youth hostel where I could found a bed for that night and not too far from a intercity railway station. Bristol is a big industrial city, there are not many things to see there. Well, there is one nice place to visit in the evening: an old building along an old port, which now houses cafe's, bars, restaurants, etc. O yes, there was a large group of female scouts from Canada in Bristol Youth Hostel. I talked a bit with their leaders. Saturday 24 August
Ok, I took an intercity to Birmingham, Crewe and Chester to get on my scheme. In Chester I did some shopping and took another train to Bangor (far northwest of Wales). What a journey! Because of my bike I had to stay in a luggage room of the train, so I opened the door of that cabbin... oops! Someone (sitting inside against the door) nearly fell out the train! He was very angry about that... I knew better: don't sit against a door! At Llandudno Junction I left the train to take the Conwy Valley Railway to Dolwyddelan. This was a beautiful journey! Through the valley along a big lake and a small river, nice towns, nice hills, beautiful nature. But don't forget to tell the crew where you want to leave the train, it's "stop on request". Near Dolwyddelan I spent the night in Lledr Valley Youth Hostel. I met some Dutch people, and also some others, like a strange bookseller who was walking arround in the surrounding mountains for a few days. Sunday 25 August
The famous Ffestiniog Railway brought me further in the hills (or should I say mountains?). The small railtrack was made in the previous century to get slate stone from the hills to the coast. On top of the hill cars were filled with slate stone. Then they pressed the car down, and because the railroad is only going downwards nothing was needed to get them to the coast. To get the cars back upon the hill they used horses and later trains. 2 Engines still exist: the "Prince" (still running on this track) and the "Princess" (nowadays located in a railway museum). During the journey I left the train at 2 places: in Tan-Y-Bwlch (beautiful lake up in the hills) and in Tanygrisiau (another lake, made to get water energy). Back in Blaenau Ffestiniog there was a lot of rain, so I went into a local pub. Wow, what a crowd! Oh, an important football match just begun... In the evening I went back to Dolwyddelan YH. Monday 26 August
So I cycled to Penrhyn Castle. It isn't an ancient castle (about 150 years), but neithertheless it was worth to visit. I went inside and took a roundtrip (with a walkman). There were also some paintings of Dutch artists like Jen Stien (Jan Steen) and Rembrent (Rembrandt). Those Welchmen can't speak their names! I slept in Bangor YH. Oh, yes: they have a pool table! Tuesday 27 August
With a regional, not striking, train I went to Jordans YH, just west of London. This is getting my normal place to stay when I visit London. After 6 years nothing has been changed, except the wardens. This was now a couple. The wife came from Holland (Peize, near Groningen) and they had lived in Holland for 2 years. So the man also speaks a little bit Dutch. He was impressed by the many cycle roads and bike traffic lights in Holland. They don't have them in England. As usual, it was very nice to stay at Jordans YH. That evening I spoke to a student from Japan, who was travelling arround in the United Kingdom for a month, and wanted to end his holiday by visiting London. I told him some nice places to visit in London. I also talked with a family from Slough (not far away from Jordans) about the landscape arrouond Jordans. Wednesday 28 August
During peak hour I cycled to Liverpool Street Station to get the train back to Harwich. That night I went with the ferry to "Hoek van Holland", back to my own country. Thursday 29 August
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What goes through a bird's mind when he finds himself flying through a fireworks display?