Britain: Day 3 - A train to Crewe and hike up to Castell Dinas Bran

I woke early this morning feeling awful, the product of too little sleep and what appears to be the makings of a chest cold. I'm racking my brain wondering how I might have contracted it. I think it might have been shaking hands with an educator at Vancouver Island University that I met last Friday while on business in Nanaimo. She had been complaining of a long and nasty cold.

My mistake, of course, was that I probably didn't wash my hands afterward before eating, something that might have prevented me from getting it. This, of course, is the last thing I, or the family needs when embarking on a long holiday to the Mideast. I just pray Hilary and the kids don't get it, too.

To my relief, I started feeling better about an hour after I was up. Rebecca and I made it to an Internet cafe, where for the next hour I sent a series of urgent work-related messages, and then we set off for the day.

Harrods
The rest of the morning was spent exploring the most extravagant department store in the world. Harrods was a destination that Rebecca just HAD to go to . That Harrods is set apart from all other department stores is immediately evident by the armed guards that were at the doors. We walked in, and were presented with plastic hair clips, worth about three dollars anywhere else, on sale for twenty. It was a sign of things to come.

The opulence was stunning. Harrods is organized by themed rooms, each, it seemed, as on went deeper into the store, more amazing than the other. The heart of the store is the Egyptian Room, that left no doubt who the owners of Harrods were and the clientele that is attracted to it. We saw discounted clothing starting at 144 pounds (about $300 CDN) for a light cotton top.

We saw food from literally every corner of the world, fresh, beautifully presented. The fish display, with the centerpiece a fresh Marlin was a work of art. I would have taken a picture, but I knew the armed guards were not far away. But the display that made me feel I was truly out of league was the jewelry department. I had expected five carat diamonds, and of course they were there.

But what set apart Harrods from any department store I've ever been in were the $30,000 watches, and titanium alloy cell phones selling for $60,000. The woman selling the cell phones was a practical, no-nonsense lady, who said that she sells at least one every day. Some of her customers have several of these phones, which have designer colors that they swap the SIM card in order to match to their wardrobe. I wondered whether they manage to lose their cell phones or, as Jerome did with his Blackberry a few weeks ago, drop them into a toilet..

We escaped from Harrods with four small ice cream cups at $4.00 each. Hilary and the kids dragged me through a few more affordable clothing stores along the way, but, frankly, after our experience with Harrods, the fun of shopping in London seemed to be drained from them. We took the Tube back to our apartment, buying lunch along the way, then picked up our bags and headed for Euston station for the train ride to Crewe.

A train to Crewe
Euston Station was an experience in itself. We had been warned by our friend, Brian, to arrive early and wait for the platform where the train was departing to be announced. When it was, experienced travelers literally ran to the train at breakneck speed to claim the best seats. Hilary and Naomi ran with them, I followed with Naomi, dragging our luggage with me. We caught up with Hilary and Rebecca on the train. They were not quite fast enough to get a table with seats, but they did manage to get four seats that were together. And so, we were off.

The Virgin train to Crewe was modern, exceptionally quiet, and very comfortable. We quickly left the greater London area, whereupon the train silently picked up speed to what must have been well over 80 kph. The hour and a half was spent viewing quaint brick farm homes and shops set in lush English countryside.

Brian met us at the station, a hold-over from the second world war. Apparently, the station has been used as a movie set for its authentic flavor. He then took us on a ride for another hour, on narrow congested roadways that took us through small English villages with brick and stone walls and tile or thatched roofs. Riding on English roads was an experience in itself. Not used to driving on the left side fo the road, I found myself bracing for a head-on collision that, thankfully, ever came. Entering a round-about was particularly "interesting", as cars whip around in a circle, with other vehicles entering at various points, all going, from a North American's perspective, in the wrong direction!

Brian, of course, was an exceptionally careful driver, and we arrived safely in northeast Wales at a lovely restaurant at Llangollen in Denbighshire, called the "Corn Mill". It is set beside a fast stream that flows through the picturesque village near their home. There, we were met by Claire and their two children Laura and Owen. I remembered Laura as a pretty, petite little girl, but somewhat fragile it seemed. Laura, who is fourteen years old, very nearly the same age as Rebecca, is now a lovely young woman, and a spunky one at that. She seems to be willing to try anything adventurous, from flying a plane as an RAF cadet, to doing survival camps in girl scouts. Her brother is much more like his father, very bright, but perhaps not quite as athletic as his sister. All of our athletic abilities were put to the test, however, when, after dinner, Claire suggested we go up to the top of a hill overlooking the village, where one could see what
appeared to be ruins.

Castell Dinas Bran

So, we drove up, parking at the base. As the sun was about to set, Claire and Brian had intended to simply walk part-way up to get a better view. Laura, on the other hand, would have none of this. Taking off her shoes, which had given her blisters earlier in the day, she led the way up the stony path to the ruins, taking the rest of the kids, and us, with her.

Owen, Naomi, Rebecca and Laura at Dinas Bran

<----Claire and Brian

We arrived at the top, to find the stone ruins of a castle that had been built in the 1260's. The vista, and the ancient structures were amazing. We clambered among the ruins in the fading light, in awe of this remarkable place.

A plaque commemorating the site was placed on one of the stone walls, written in Gaelic and English, showing how the castle must have looked eight hundred years ago.

We climbed down the mountain just in time before we were left in darkness. We made our way deeper into the English countryside, past more villages, until finally coming to Clair and Brian's country home, built in the 1800's on the side of a hill overlooking a broad valley at the edge of Wales.

And so, here we are. I am completing this entry as the morning light is streaming in the dining room window.

It is July 5th, but I'm keeping this entry with that of yesterday's as, at least for everyone else who is still asleep, the new day has not really started. Outside, the wind is literally howling, but so far there is no rain. It will almost surely come. In the meantime, in a pasture just outside the yard, a small herd of cattle are grazing. Far below in the valley, I can see sheep dotting carefully hedged pastures. Beyond this, nestled amongst trees, is a small village.

It's quiet now. I've been writing for several hours, but not a stir in the house. I am looking about, enjoying the comfortable clutter of their home, filled with turn of the century nick-knacks. An arrangement of peacock feathers set in a brass pot in front of the fireplace gives a Victorian flavor to the 'blue room', as they call their living room. It is so named for the rich blue walls and tablecloth on the formal dining table. Beside me is a piano, staked high with sheet music, to the point of almost spilling off the edge, to stacks and stacks of CDs, with guitars, violins and violas strewn casually in a corner.

Beyond is the family room, lined with antique white bookshelves and frumpy sofas. A flat screen TV sits in the corner, a technological marvel that is quite out of place to the rest of the home.

The home, with its renovated kitchen, that includes a wood-burning stove together with modern appliances built into rustic pine cabinets, is quite lovely. It reminds me of my brother Mark's home in Ucluelet. There is even a mantle clock sitting on the window in the living room that is nearly identical to the one that Mark has, an heirloom that had been in our family log cabin when I was growing up.

It is so nice to be here, taking in the country vista, despite being blown about on this wildly windy day. It's time, however, to start the morning, and a new journal entry.