WALES IN YOUR HEARTText and Photography by Sandy Katz |
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Come Evans and Jones and Hopkins and Prices,
You are Celts whatever your forebears role
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According to legend, Merlin was born in South Wales. His mother was the daughter of the King of South Wales and his father as described by other wizards, was a spirit who lived between moon and earth. Merlin helped and advised King Arthur. In Merlin's old age, he fell in love with a woman who betrayed him to reveal his magic, then cast a spell on him which left him sleeping in a cave forever - or at least until King Arthur and his men awoke him. We all remember the story of King Arthur pulling a sword out of stone.
John taught me how to notice my surroundings to truly enjoy the Wales experience as we traveled through the countryside. I noticed all the lambs gamboling in the fields. The landscape looked speckled with lambs and they didn't have to graze too close to each other because there was plenty of wide- open land - a natural mural that is spread over the Welsh landscape. John is proud of his Welsh heritage and it shows. He was bursting with pride when we visited the Museum of Welsh Life just outside Cardiff set on a hundred acres of beautiful countryside. This museum gave me the chance to travel with John from the Celtic village of 2000 years ago to a miner's cottage of the 1980's.You could spend most of your day here. We took a horse-driven carriage ride to cover this open-air museum. When we passed the saddle maker my curiosity led me into the shop. There was Fred Clarke who told us that Princess Diana came into his shop with her sons, Harry and William, and he taught them to make a leather belt, which he proudly displays on his wall. As we strolled the museum grounds, John's commentary was informative and educational. He told me about the Welsh bowman as depicted in the movie "Braveheart." Then he spied a Yew tree, which he said, is always found in old church yards and that Yew trees make the best bows. Our next stop was at Rhondda Coal Mine. "How Green Is My Valley" is a classic movie depicting the coal mines of Wales and the hardships that made the miners come to the United States to seek a living.
Next on our itinerary was a visit to Brecon Jazz Gallery in Brecon. Brecon Jazz Festival is one of Europe's top international jazz festivals. Brecon has the only distillery in Wales where you can taste some Welsh whisky and have a fine tour. By the way, Jack Daniels was a Welshman and had a hand in developing the Kentucky whisky industry. The next day we headed for darling and charming Hay-on-Wye, the second-hand book capital of the world. Jane Lewis guided me through at least 20 bookstores. She bought me Dylan Thomas' book since I was on the way to visit his boathouse. To get to Dylan Thomas Boat House, we went down a narrow winding dirt road on foot in the peaceful village of Carmatheren.
There are various sections within the main exhibit that explore beliefs and culture; the poetic, inventive, and heroic aspects of Celts and re-creation of a Celtic village from around AD 50. Click here to read TO BE BORN WELSH, a short introduction to Wales.
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My poetic guide John Wake filled my head with mystical thoughts that reinforced the legends of Merlin and King Arthur.
The Rhondda is the most famous mining valley in the world. Rhondda Heritage Park is easy to reach. Sprinter Train Service runs every half an hour from Cardiff Central in just 29 minutes. Ivor England, our guide, worked as a miner for 35 years. He called coal "black gold." When coal was king, Rhondda reigned
supreme.
The last place we visited was the frosting on the cake. Travelers wanting to learn more about the Celts should visit Celtica, a new attraction in Machynlleth. This restored mansion brings Wales' Celtic past alive with the latest in audiovisual technology.