Sunday, our field trip was to Harlech Castle, Portmeirion, and Beddgelert. It was a beautiful, sunny day and perfect for sight-seeing. Harlech, like all the other castles, was amazing. It sits on a rocky hill with more incredible views of the mountains and sea. The sea 800 years ago came right up to the castle, but you would have never realized it now with all the land and buildings separating the two. Harlech Castle is another of King Edward's built in the 13th century by Master James of St. George. What makes this castle unique is the Celtic story The Two Kings from the Tales of Mabinogion. While visiting Harlech, the King of Ireland marries the sister of the King of the Island of the Mighty (Bendigeidfran) and they have a son, Gwern. Eventually Bendigeidfran's sister is mistreated and banished from the kingdom. She sends a message to her brother for help and a war begins between the two countries that leaves only seven survivors. Outside Harlech, there is now a sculpture of this story where Bendigeidfran is carrying on horse the body of his nephew Gwern who is murdered during the war.
Next, we went to a quite unusual place: Portmeirion. Architect Clough Williams-Ellis built this little village out of nothing just to prove that architecture didn't have to ruin the beauty of its natural surroundings. It is a little Italian looking town with Asian elements sitting along Wales' coastline. All the buildings were colorful; and scattered throughout the town were Asian statues and paintings of vases and flowers made to look real. I can't say Portmeirion is my idea of how a town can enhance the natural landscape but it was a fun place to look around. We followed some pretty walking trails and found a dog cemetery. The beach looked beautiful but we didn't walk on it because there are some patches of quicksand apparently. It was a really cool little place to visit and I'd like to see it when all the flowers are out.
Our last big stop was to Beddgelert, a peaceful village in Snowdonia. Beddgelert means "the grave of Gelert" and claims to be the location of a famous legend. The tale is that, one day, the Welsh prince Llewelyn went hunting and left his hound dog Gelert behind to watch over his infant son. When the prince returned, he found the dog covered in blood and the baby missing from his bed. The prince, concluding Gelert had killed his son, stabbed the dog. Moments after the dog died, a baby started to cry; Prince Llywelyn searched the house and found his son unharmed. Next to boy was the body of a wolf that Gelert had killed. Saddened by his mistake, the prince buried the dog under a tree and never smiled again. Beddgelert claims to be the grave to be here and tons of people will come to the village just to see Gelert's grave. However, no historical proof of this story and a similar tale can be found in other European countries so it is pretty much just a way to bring in tourists.
It was another fun day and the sun stayed out for most of it. Next weekend is our three day trip to Cardiff, Wales capital; and I'm so excited.
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