Soliloquy to Mystras

I remember that Sunday in March 2018 when I asked the taxi driver to drop me off at the top. Mystras was closed, it was Sunday. He was worried. I told him I'll be alright, I will walk the 5Km back to town and take pictures as I go. The only frightening thing was a big dog guarding an olive grove. It was so beautiful, the whole area was covered with wildflowers. I wouldn't mind it at all even  if the walk was twice that long because before I knew it I was back in town, in Sparti.

Kalimera (Hello and/or good morning) in Greek

It was this little red flowers that got me up and going. I went back to Greece in search of them. Today I know where and when they can be found in Greece. The Greek lady at the B&B I stayed in, in Kardamyli called it, 'Ahni Mohni' we call it anemone. They come in various colors, the red and mauve being the most abundant.

Corinth

I am home now but the end of March was the start of my 3 month adventure and it was in the Peloponnese that I started. It was a glorious morning, that was spent roaming the ruins of the ancient city of Corinth.

Wisley garden

I have a few days in London and then it is home to Los Angeles. Today I went to Wisley garden. It is a huge property, a garden center, a horticultural center and is absolutely lovely and magnificent. The instructions given Online on how to get to by public transportation is confusing. I tried yesterday but had to abort the trip. I tried again today and was successful. From London Waterloo take the train to Guilford, there are lots of trains going there. At Guilford, locate the bus station, it is up the hill behind the Friary's mall. Take bus 715, one every hour on Weekdays, ask to be dropped off at Wisley. Walk the 10 minutes to the property. On the way back, head back to the main highway, it is very busy, use the overhead bridge and walk to the bus stop on the other side. Be sure to wave to the bus to indicate to the driver you want him to stop or else he won't stop!

The end of a 3 month adventure

A few days ago I began to realize that I'm about to complete my 3 month adventure. There was a time a month ago when I thought I wasn't going to make it and that I wanted to quit and go home alone. That was when my trip to the Outer Hebrides did not pan out. I needed a new place to go to, somewhere South and warmer. I chose  South Wales  reluctantly. I walked into a bookstore in Glasgow, bought a guidebook for Wales, went to Glasgow central train station and bought a ticket  for Cardiff. Last Sunday as I realized that it was my last day in Wales, I became quite emotional. Thank you Wales for saving my trip. It has been a lot of fun discovering South Wales. There were so many highlights. The photographs were magnificent. I've been in London for 2 days and will be here till next week when I fly home to the USA. I went to Oxford yesterday, to the Bodleian library for the JRR Tolkien exhibition, an excellent exhibition. This photo was taken in the grounds of Trinity college in Oxford.

Sundays

In many smaller places especially in Wales and Scotland, buses don't run on Sundays. I need to plan carefully to take that into consideration. So the last 2 days I took the bus to Tintern Abbey and Monmouth. Today I'm staying in town and exploring Chepstow. Also I have to look at the supermarket opening hours whether they are opened Sundays. If not I have to buy more food on Saturdays that is if I have kitchen privileges. I was pleasantly surprised in Pembrokeshire that the tourists buses run everyday during Summer. It made a lot of sense. I was able to do a lot of things the Sunday I happened to be there. Another thing I don't do is travel on a Sunday. I stay put on Sundays wherever I find myself at. Happy Sunday.

Chepstow and Tintern Abbey

I left Hay-on-Wye yesterday and is now in Chepstow, my last stop in this 'traipse through South Wales'. It wasn't my choice to come to Wales but other plans fell out and I had to pick a place to spend a few weeks. I picked South Wales and it has been wonderful, not what I expected. It doesn't have the highs like Greece. It is sedate and comforting and comfortable. I met the loveliest people, kind and friendly. I took the bus yesterday to the evocative and iconic Tintern Abbey. It is beautiful, more beautiful from the outside as it stands magnificently in the valley next to the river Wye. Tintern Abbey like so many others was a victim of King Henry VIII's action, 'the dissolution of monasteries and Abbeys act.' He closed and dissolved all monasteries and Abbeys, robbed and pillaged them of anything of value, left them destitute and to a fate of ruin and disrepair. William Wordsworth visited here and wrote a poem about it. JM Turner painted it and so many others, writers, poets and painters have paid tribute to Tintern Abbey.

Hay-on-Wye, Hereford

I was in Brecon for 3 days, it is a quiet little place. I left this morning, took the bus and am in Hay-on-Wye now. This little village is famous for its used bookstores. Years ago, some fella from here went to the USA, bought a bunch of used books and came back to open a used bookstore. Many others follow and soon this village became renown for its used bookstores. Then they held an annual literary festival and has burgeoned over the years. The last one ended yesterday and I'm here a day later. I saw the lineup, nothing there that piqued my interest. It is a sweet little town, one does not need to shop for used books to enjoy this place.

Brecon, Wales

This was taken in Newport in the Pembrokeshire coast 2 days ago. I left yesterday by train to Cardiff and took a bus from Cardiff to Brecon. I am in Brecon now, a small village in the Powys valley. We passed Brecon Beacons yesterday, a premier hiking area. I hope to explore this area over the next few days as my time to end this trip draws closer and I get closer and closer to London. It has been quite hard, each place is new and I have to force myself to ask for help all the time to locate the places I want to be. The Welsh people has been nothing but kindness and hospitable. Thank god!

The Pembrokeshire coast of Wales

I have been in this area for a week now. It is wild and beautiful. Monuments of any repute are hard to come by but it the wild and rocky and rugged coast that make it such a draw to visitors. For me it is the wildflowers that is the draw and there are plenty. Until I arrived in this area my visit to South Wales has been quite humdrum! After seeing the wildness and the copious amount of wildflowers, things has changed for me. In fact, this is my next favorite place after the Outer Hebrides.

Saundersfoot, Wales

The scenic route or the road less traveled. I took the scenic road this morning. I took the train to Saundersfoot this morning. The train station at Saundersfoot is a mile away from the village, a seaside resort, a smaller version of Tenby. I passed some lovely wildflower meadows and this tunnel of trees. It is a poor imitation of the Dark Hedges but still as beautiful. Saundersfoot is a sweet little seaside resort and is on the Pembrokeshire trail.

Tenby, Caldey island, Wales

I arrived in Tenby yesterday, took the train from Swansea. Tenby is a sweet little resort town. In the daytime, the day trippers fill the streets. At night it is quiet and deserted. I also took the boat over to Caldey island which still has an active Cistercian monastery community. It is a small island where in Spring, seabirds breed here. From the highest point on the island, one can see the sea all around, it is that small. It was a very pleasant outing, long hikes and walks through bluebells in the woods.

Rhossili, Wales

At the very end of Gower peninsula is a little village called Rhossili where a little island sits. The island is called worm's head, an incorrect translation of the Welsh 'WURM' which means dragon. Here are found many varieties of birds who use this remote place to breed in the Spring. It makes for a lovely hike along the coast and down to the beach.

Clyne Gardens, Swansea

Clyne gardens is famous for its Azaleas and Rhododendrons which is in full bloom right now. It is a 20 hectares garden replete with castle. One cannot go anywhere in Wales without bumping into a castle. Clyne castle is a private residence and entry is not permitted. The garden surrounds the castle and is free for the public to meander and wander around. It is an incredibly beautiful garden with woodlands and streams also. The woodland walks are covered at this time of the year with bluebells. What a treat to just walk everywhere in it to enjoy the trees, flowers and other plants. The dogs loved it too, they can run all over with such reckless abandon. The weather today was so lovely. Wales and England are warming up!

To be continued

I'm still traveling. I'm leaving soon for Swansea, Wales, checking out of my room in Cardiff. A funny thing happened yesterday morning as I was walking towards Cardiff bay. A young fellow on a bicycle stopped me and asked if I remember him. 'Are you talking to me?' Yes, he said and continued 'Greece.' Where in Greece? Delphi! OMG, yes of course! That morning in Delphi, there were 3 of us taking the bus heading towards Kalambaka/Meteora. There was me, him and another guy and we had to change buses 3 times, Delphi to Amfissa, Lamia and Trikala before finally ending in Kalambaka. Here we split up, he and the other guy went to one hotel and I to another. Fancy bumping into him, he was on his way to work. Until a week ago I had no plan to come to Wales.

Cardiff and Welsh cakes

I left the Outer Hebrides 2 days ago and was in Glasgow for a night. I left Glasgow yesterday and came to Cardiff to traipse through South Wales. It was a full day for me today. The weather is so lovely compared to the Highlands of Scotland. Well, I ate a lot of Welsh cakes already and probably will eat much more before the trip is up. I love the food scene in Cardiff. It is a very understated city.

The Machair at this moment.

It is too early, 4-6 weeks too early! I have left the Outer Hebrides, left on the ferry this morning and am chilling out in Portree, the capital of the Isle of Skye. I am going back to Glasgow tomorrow and then onto Wales to see if I can find anything interesting there. But I will come back to the Outer Hebrides next July. I will fix my itinerary early and get all my rooms booked. The Outer Hebrides is getting very busy. It is small and is easily inundated. So if you have any plans to visit, get my eBook 'The Hebrides' and make your plans early. The Machair blooms in late June onwards, July being the best month. Now everyone is going there in July and if there are no rooms available, bring a tent and a sleeping bag. Wild camping is allowed!

Leverbugh, in the Outer Hebrides

Finally I'm here. It took some juggling with buses and ferries to finally get this far. However it is way too early for the Machair. I will stay 2 more days then return to Glasgow and head South to Wales. But I will return next year at the right time. The Hebrides, part 2 will be delayed till 2019.

Berwick upon Tweed

I took the train to Berwick upon Tweed this morning. It is a seaside market town a half hour by train away in the South East corner and in England at the English/Scottish border. It was just a sleepy little seaside town. I hung around for a few hours, had coffee and a fruit scone and left on the next train back to Edinburgh. This is my last day in Edinburgh and I am sad to leave. I've become quite attached to Edinburgh. I'm leaving to go to Glasgow for a few days as my adventure continues.

Abbotsford, Tweedbank

Abbotsford was the home of Scotland's premier author, Sir Walter Scott. Even as he travel around Europe, he always come home to Abbotsford to write. It was an hour by train fro Edinburgh to Tweedbank, the village closest to the property. Sometimes a volunteer would drive a shuttle to pick up visitors and send them back to the train station but not today, the day that I went. Today I had to walk an half hour to and from the property. It was a nice walk, it being a cloudy day and not hot at all. The property sits by the bank of the Tweed river and can be seen from the property at the back. It is a lovely place and showed the life that Sir Walter Scott had when he lived there, pouring most of the money he made from his writing into the property.