France trip, Jul 2007 - Purchase

SP and I used to wonder why people can buy sooo much while they are travelling...

Now we understand :)

We're back!

After a week of foie gras, truffles, red wine, lavender and sexy French accent, we're back!

I will be 'trapped' on this island for the next 2.5 months!

Greece trip, Jun 2007 - Καπνικαρέα (Kapnikarea Church), Athens

Kapnikarea Church is one of the most important Byzantine monuments in Athens. It is estimated that the Kapnikarea Church was built some time in the 11th Century and it is one of the oldest surviving churches in Athens. It is located right in the middle of a square at the intersection of two busy streets in Monastiraki.

Lovely Mosiac

Wales trip, Dec 2006 - Portmeirion

Portmeirion is a fantasy town dreamed up by an architect called Clough Williams-Ellis . The folly was built from 1925 to 1975 on a peninsula off the coast of Snowdonia. There are all sorts of architectural elements on this site: columns, shall grotto, fountains, statues, paths, arches, cottages, balconies, cobbles, gateways and many others.

The village was also famous as the shooting location for the cult TV series, 'The Prisoner' in the 60s. It is now owned by a charitable trust, and has always been run as a hotel, which uses the majority of the buildings as hotel rooms or self-catering cottages, together with various shops, a cafe, tea-room and restaurant.

Wales trip, Dec 2006 - Caernarfon Castle

The Caernarfon Castle is one of Wales' most significant castles. King Edward intended this castle to be a royal residence as well as the seat of government for north Wales. It costed in excess of £25,000 to build in the 13th Century. This amount is more than a year's income for the royal treasury!

The symbolic significance of this castle lies in the fact that King Edward ensured that his son, the first English Prince of Wales, was born here in 1284. The tradition wasn't followed through in the following centuries. But the castle again gained its symbolic status in 1911, when the Prince of Wales was again invested here. The current Prince of Wales, Prince Charles, was also invested here in 1969.

The polygonal towers are a special feature of this castle.


As with all of the castles of Edward's Iron Ring, Caernarfon was built on the shoreline ( supplies came by sea due to the Welsh prowess in convoy ambush over land)
The royal town of Caernarfon is also very picturesque

Wales trip, Dec 2006 - Llechwedd Slate Caverns

The Llechwedd Slate Caverns @ Blaenau Ffestiniog is one of the major tourist attractions in North Wales. It used to be the site of the Llechwedd mine, which was a major slate mine. At its peak in 1884, it produced 23,788 tons of finished slate per year and had 513 employees (source: wiki).

You can visit the surface level workings by taking the Miners' Tramway.

Taking the Miners' Tramway

Listening to the guide explaining the geology of the area. The guide used to be a miner himself!

The workings of part of the oldest section of the mine, mostly at the surface level

The guide explained how the slates were mined during the Victorian period, when the production reached its peak. It is surprising to hear how millions of tonnes of rock were removed from this mine by using very primitive tools, gunpowder and a lot of manpower. The working conditions of the miners during the the period was also very poor. Some of them work underground for long hours in the cold, dam environment. The miners also have to pay of all their tools, including ropes, chains and candles as well as for the services such as sharpening and repairing of the tools. If the conditions had not been good, the men could end up owning the management money!

A 'slice' of slate!

Most of the slate produced from this mine were used as roofing slate.

Roofing slate being used on the Victorian cottages.

Most of the mined at this site is done underground. The underground workings consists of over 25 miles of tunnels connecting vast chambers. You can visit deeper parts of the mine by going on the Deep Mine tour, which takes you on Britain's steepest passenger railway, with a gradient of 1:1.8 or 30°.

Stairway to the Deep Mine. Parts of the deep mine have become underground lakes and they have put special lighting and music in those sections to make them beautiful. Unfortunately, the pictures didn't turn out so well.

For every one tonne of saleable slate, there could be up to 30 tonnes of waste! Rubblers helped to keep the chambers free from waste by taking them out of the underground workings.

You can see mountainous heaps of the waste slate around the town.

Wales trip, Dec 2006 - Castell y Bere

Castell y Bere is situated near Llanfihangel-y-Pennant, north of Abergynolwyn. The castle was built by Llywelyn ap Iorwerth of Gwynedd, a Welsh prince, in the 1220's and it guarded what was once a major route though the nearby mountains.

Nice view!

In comparison to what the Normans built, they are not as impressive in size. But Castell y Bere does have its own historical significances.

In 1282, Llywelyn ap Iowerth's grandson, Dafydd ap Gruffydd attacked the Hawarden Castle, and provoked an invasion of Wales by Edward I. Castell y Bere was finally surrendered to the English in 1283 and it was the last castle to fall during Edward I's invasion into Wales. This invasion was to result in the building of Edward's ring of castles around Wales and the effective end of Wales as a separate nation.

See the sheeps in the background?

The castle itself was abandoned in the 13th Century and it has been neglected for hundreds of years. So, it is very much a ruin now. The castle do offers a nice vintage point over the surrounding ground and having been built by a native, it is a very different from the Naglo/Norman castles!

At the highest point of what remains of the castle.

A word of warning: make sure you wear good shoes when you are visiting the site. There is a rather rocky slope that you have to walk through before you arrive at the site. And don't go on a windy day! You will literally be 'blown away' :)

Otters in <3

I usually try not to post cute things on the blog but I just can't resist the temptation this time!

These two otters are side-by-side in the water: floating , napping and HOLDING HANDS.

Watch til the end. You will see something extra cute and lover-ly!

I feel so warm and fuzzy now.