Sheep

"Each section of the British Isles has its own way of laughing, except Wales, which doesn't". - Stephen Leacock

There are three million people in Wales and eleven million sheep. That explains the landscape. It is hard to drive anywhere in Wales where there isn't a sheep in view unless you are on a street in a city core. Even then, there is no guarantee.

Our current location of Betws-y-Coed is in the area of Wales known as Snowdonia. The beauty of the region is breathtaking. Today we took the train up Snowdon mountain. The view from the summit at the top is said to be of five kingdoms - Wales, Ireland, England,The Isle of Man and the Kingdom of Heaven. I'm not sure which kingdoms I was looking at when we got there, except for the heaven part. I'm pretty sure I had a glimspe of the Kingdom of Heaven. I'm happy I'm not doing any of the driving on this holiday. I don't know how Merv can concentrate on the road when immersed in such beauty. In some places it feels like a fairy land. In others it is the stark beauty which is so startling. Whether in lush green areas or in the slate rock quarries, there are sheep. So many sheep. Many of them are still wearing their winter coats. Some have been shorn. They look so tiny without their coats. I saw some today that seemed to be the size of Dora.

After our trip up Snowdon Mountain, we headed to Caenarfon, the city that houses the palace in which Charles became Prince of Wales. It is a sad gray place, showing clear signs of being economically depressed. We didn't stay long.

Tomorrow we are going to Conwy Castle. I'm also hoping to have a chance to wander through some of the specialty craft stores in Betws-y-Coed. The stores close early here and they had all closed by the time we returned to the village tonight. It is a quiet village. There is no night life which is fine. The bed and breakfast in which we're staying has a small lounge. The three of us have made ourselves quite comfortable, sharing companionship and watching a bit of TV.