Adventures in Wales

When we lived in England, we decided to take a long weekend in Northern Wales. This area of the United Kingdom is one of the most beautiful I have visited.

We booked a small cottage right next to a small stream in a tiny village well off the main road. Beside it was a graveyard that contained burial plots from the Roman times. It was close enough to major centres that we could take interesting day trips.

On our way up there, we stopped off at a pub in the middle of nowhere. The proprietor had met Elvis and had received a TCB (taking care of business) ring from him. From this brush with greatness he was planning on creating an Elvis museum in Wales. I don’t know how far along he got along with his scheme, but I haven’t noticed it in travel brochures yet.

When we booked our accommodation, I asked the travel agent how we would find it. She simply told us to go to this village, tell somebody who we were and they would direct us to the place.

Have you ever been to Wales? There are many towns and villages that start with a double l. This place was one of them.

After about four hours of driving, we arrived in a town that started with a double l. Following the advice of my travel agent, I walked up to a policeman and told him who I was. He was very polite and said that he was glad to meet me.

I then asked him if he could tell me where to go. He gave me a puzzled look, probably considering some smart answer. He smiled nicely and asked me what I was talking about. I explained what my travel agent told me. He then asked me if I knew whether I was in the right town. I showed him the name and mentioned that it started with a double l.

He smiled again, as if I wasn’t the first to go through this, and told me that while the place I was going had a similar spelling, it was about half an hour away.

Sure enough, when we arrived, I went into the local newsagent and told him my name. I got a reception like I was the second coming of the Messiah. He had been waiting for my arrival.

It’s funny how you can be in the wrong place and your presence can mean nothing, yet when you are in the right place, it can mean everything.