I’m writing this from an internet cafe, one block west of the Millenium Stadium, near the Taff River, in amazing, sunny Cardiff. I’ll be writing more about this glorious city when we return to Northampton (there’s much to see and tell), but for now, I’ll offer you a quick overview of day one of my cross-England adventure.
WARWICK
A small city known for its castle, our stop there turned into a delightful discovery of the many Medieval and Tudor buildings. Below you will find pictures of me near various pieces of architecture in this beautiful town, as well as glimpses of Warwick Castle over its long wall; we didn’t go in, due to the extraordinary line ups and the steep price.
MALVERN
A town that seems to stretch and spill along various ledges (rather precariously, if you ask me!)…I wasn’t prepared for how beautiful and gorgeous this place actually was. It felt like some odd combination of San Francisco and Switzerland, mashed between the unassuming borders of the ideal English town. Malvern is a post-modern fairy tale town come to life.
The pictures below include shots of the impressive Norman-era Malvern Priory (only some of which turned out well enough to post — it’s why you only get a taste of it), street scenes, a view from the various elevations, a meeting with local dead celebrity composer Edward Elgar (seriously!), and the small house & cafe of St. Anne’s Well: a place my friend and I climbed hundreds of metres in blistering summer heat to reach…only to discover what amounted to a pretty fountain in the side of a wall!
Sometimes, vacations require exercise.
So far, the vacation has been extraordinary — the indescribably beauty of the English country-side is passing by like a dream, and I’ve had some of the most amazing pub breakfasts, lunches and dinners (each village — LITERALLY, each village — has one). As for Wales…after what I’ve seen and experienced today, the delights of Cardiff are making me fall head over heels with this city…and I’m talking about London-type love! But I’ll be making a full report very likely this Friday…so, once more, stay tuned?
