September 11, 2008

We leave at 8.30 after a breakfast without white beans for me. Around London is a highway, fortunately with sparse traffic. We leave the highway and join a minor road that brings us to Stonehenge. This ancient monument is a tourist attraction and being this close it is an opportunity to visit it that one should not miss. There is a large car park and it costs a number of pounds to enter the area. There is a souvenir shop, and included in the entrance fee are headphones to get information while you walk around. Under a cloudy sky we walk around the stone blocks on the gravel paths. The area close to the monument is fenced off to the public but a flock of bird, unaware of this, sit happily on the stones. Scattered over the surrounding fields are several burial mounds. Certainly, it is interesting to consider how and why one cared to put together the whole monument including having to transport the massive stones from Wales. There are bus loads of school children arriving, we leave the stones.

We soon arrive in Bath. It is busy in the city and we disagree on how to follow the AA route planner. Right or wrong, we get a nice sightseeing tour of the city. The majority of houses are built with yellow stones from the area. In bad weather it looks dirty, in the sunshine it is beautiful. Regardless of our route through the city, we are put on the right track towards Wales. Over the river Severn is a toll suspension bridge about 5km long which connects England and Wales. Soon after Cardiff there has been an accident and we have to stop. After half an hour a helicopter takes off and the traffic is moving again so we can continue to our destination, Tenby, where A and I check in at our pre-booked accommodation in South Cliff Hotel. The streets are narrow and it is difficult to find a place to park for a short time to unload our stuff. Nearby is a large pay car park, but the parking attendant won't let us put the car there for five minutes without paying the full price. We get out outside the hotel and as we check in K drives around. Our room is nice with two beds. We go around the block and look for the car and K. Tenby is located by the sea and is a popular seaside resort. We meet K on the promenade above the beach.

We continue to J's sister and family, they live in a village just outside Tenby where we are invited for dinner. Before dinner we go down to the beach, on the way we pass a golf course and a military practice firing range. Off the coast lies the island of Caldey, an island with a monastery and that would be worth a visit in itself. We go on to the sandy beach, it appears to be low tide, in the distance the coast consist of steep cliffs. I try to remember the route we walked to the beach, A and I will go back to Tenby along the beach later in the evening when it is dark. We are offered a vegetarian crépe, broccoli, potatoes, carrots, much wine, and in particular, good company. Finally we thank them for the good dinner and evening. It is late at night when A and I walk along the beach back to Tenby and it is a wonderful, moonlit stroll. I have borrowed K's headlamp but it is not needed, the light from the moon is enough to allow us to find our way. I have recently had problems with nosebleeds, and now it begins to flood. With a napkin in my nose we move ahead. Tenby is located on a cliff, there is a stone staircase from the beach to the town which we manage to find. Half past eleven I close my eyes.

Links
Southcliff hotel
Caldey island