Our day in Wales!
The day was exciting and outdoors as Sally and Murthy took us around the place. It was a day full of learning about Wales, its history, the coal mines and Christianity.
After a wonderful, sound sleep we were ready in the morning hours at the breakfast table. Starting with thanks giving, which we experienced for the first time in U.K., we had cereals and breads. Sally and Carl had decided our plan for the day and off we went. The day started with a trip to the Pwll Mawr: Amgueddfa Lofaol Genedlaethol Cmyru. No, this in no garbled script. It is an interesting fact to know, specially for the international readers, that Wales has its own Welsh language and a completely different script. Translated it means "Big Pit - the national mining museum of Wales".
One may wonder - "of all the places, we went to a mining museum??" Yes, we did. And trust me - it was a delightful experience. Not that we came out all black with charcoal dust or anything. But we did come out with a realization of how difficult those days must have been. Our discovery of the time when coal was king was done by descending 300 feet (90 metres) into the underground workings of Big Pit where we experienced the hidden world of the Welsh miner. We saw their locker rooms (see pic img_311.jpg), their tools, saw mill, mortar mill, the blacksmith shop. One of the caretakers got us talking and he took great pains to show us around with detailed and vivid explanations of every thing. As if hit by nostalgia, he even showed the picture of a protesting parade in yesteryears in which his great-grandfather had participated. We saw and read about the many mines that were closed during 1980's. It was an odd feeling too, to see the vast land outside full of coal but withering away while there is scarcity of such resources in some other countries. That is an irony of our world, I guess.
The last bit of our trip to the museum was amazing. It started with a video movie of the life of a miner and we were navigated into tunnels through cameras to see the development of a miner's world. With simple technology used fabulously, we experienced the sound of dynamite blasts, heavy machinery movement and thundering noise - just the way a miner would have experienced daily.
Our second stop after the museum was Tretower court & castle. These monuments of inspirational heritage date back to the 13th century. The castle was built to control a strategic route through the Black Mountains. By the 15th century it was abandoned in favour of a new building to the east. The Court is a handsome stone manor house, which must have served as a very desirable domestic residence in its times. The galleried courtyard is entered through a stone gatehouse, something which would remind one of the colleges of Oxford and Cambridge.
During lunch we chatted like excited children, asking questions after questions to Sally and Murthy. They answered with such patience that for a few moments I was wondering if they are doctors or historians. They knew so much without being Welsh - Sally comes from Midlands and Murthy from India. After lunch, Sally took us on a long drive across the mountains into the Welsh city where we visited the Church. There again, Divya and I explored the history of Catholics and Protestants, the beliefs and ideologies, etc.
We also went around town to the two biggest water reservoirs we would have ever seen. With lush green environs around, budding flowers and quite, serene surroundings, I felt completely fresh. So easily I had forgotten about the intensive days at Cranfield. There was no sign of tiredness or anxiety about a project. It was a rejuvenating experience. And of course, we had our share of adventure when Sally had to speed across to the other end of town because Divya had forgotten her purse at the restaurant where we had lunch. It was 4:50 and the restaurant was to close at 5:00. We reached at 5:01, just in time before the staff was about to pull down their shutters.
Back home, we shared our day with Carl, who unfortunately was confined to his books due to an approaching exam. I was thrilled to realize that it is complete a sane thing to study at our age. Here was Carl - working on his assignments while doing a full time job too. Divya and I are far too lucky that way.
The evening got stretched close to mid night as Sally showed us her family albums and pictures - including her childhood and medical school days, her wedding and then their trip to India. We had to force ourselves to retire to bed, knowing that tomorrow it would be time to bid goodbye.
After a wonderful, sound sleep we were ready in the morning hours at the breakfast table. Starting with thanks giving, which we experienced for the first time in U.K., we had cereals and breads. Sally and Carl had decided our plan for the day and off we went. The day started with a trip to the Pwll Mawr: Amgueddfa Lofaol Genedlaethol Cmyru. No, this in no garbled script. It is an interesting fact to know, specially for the international readers, that Wales has its own Welsh language and a completely different script. Translated it means "Big Pit - the national mining museum of Wales".
One may wonder - "of all the places, we went to a mining museum??" Yes, we did. And trust me - it was a delightful experience. Not that we came out all black with charcoal dust or anything. But we did come out with a realization of how difficult those days must have been. Our discovery of the time when coal was king was done by descending 300 feet (90 metres) into the underground workings of Big Pit where we experienced the hidden world of the Welsh miner. We saw their locker rooms (see pic img_311.jpg), their tools, saw mill, mortar mill, the blacksmith shop. One of the caretakers got us talking and he took great pains to show us around with detailed and vivid explanations of every thing. As if hit by nostalgia, he even showed the picture of a protesting parade in yesteryears in which his great-grandfather had participated. We saw and read about the many mines that were closed during 1980's. It was an odd feeling too, to see the vast land outside full of coal but withering away while there is scarcity of such resources in some other countries. That is an irony of our world, I guess.
The last bit of our trip to the museum was amazing. It started with a video movie of the life of a miner and we were navigated into tunnels through cameras to see the development of a miner's world. With simple technology used fabulously, we experienced the sound of dynamite blasts, heavy machinery movement and thundering noise - just the way a miner would have experienced daily.
Our second stop after the museum was Tretower court & castle. These monuments of inspirational heritage date back to the 13th century. The castle was built to control a strategic route through the Black Mountains. By the 15th century it was abandoned in favour of a new building to the east. The Court is a handsome stone manor house, which must have served as a very desirable domestic residence in its times. The galleried courtyard is entered through a stone gatehouse, something which would remind one of the colleges of Oxford and Cambridge.
During lunch we chatted like excited children, asking questions after questions to Sally and Murthy. They answered with such patience that for a few moments I was wondering if they are doctors or historians. They knew so much without being Welsh - Sally comes from Midlands and Murthy from India. After lunch, Sally took us on a long drive across the mountains into the Welsh city where we visited the Church. There again, Divya and I explored the history of Catholics and Protestants, the beliefs and ideologies, etc.
We also went around town to the two biggest water reservoirs we would have ever seen. With lush green environs around, budding flowers and quite, serene surroundings, I felt completely fresh. So easily I had forgotten about the intensive days at Cranfield. There was no sign of tiredness or anxiety about a project. It was a rejuvenating experience. And of course, we had our share of adventure when Sally had to speed across to the other end of town because Divya had forgotten her purse at the restaurant where we had lunch. It was 4:50 and the restaurant was to close at 5:00. We reached at 5:01, just in time before the staff was about to pull down their shutters.
Back home, we shared our day with Carl, who unfortunately was confined to his books due to an approaching exam. I was thrilled to realize that it is complete a sane thing to study at our age. Here was Carl - working on his assignments while doing a full time job too. Divya and I are far too lucky that way.
The evening got stretched close to mid night as Sally showed us her family albums and pictures - including her childhood and medical school days, her wedding and then their trip to India. We had to force ourselves to retire to bed, knowing that tomorrow it would be time to bid goodbye.
posted by Sandeep Gupta at
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