Adventures in Wales

I’ve survived the last crazy days of the school year, summer has arrived once again, and it’s time to travel!  My grandmother was celebrating her 90^th birthday (in Wales) on June 27 so after working the very last school day of the year, I caught a flight to London-Gatwick. 

After a flight of crying babies and little sleep, I picked up my rental car and started my cross-country dash to Pontardawe, Wales.  Driving on the left is always an adventure, made even more challenging this time because my little Fiat 500 had a stick shift.

I hadn’t purchased a data plan before I left ($70 for 300 MB of data is ridiculous!), so I loaded my route into Google Maps at Gatwick, thanks to their free Wi-Fi.  After a few unintended detours (Google’s not powerful enough yet to recalculate a route when you make a wrong turn and your data is turned off…), I made it safely to my grandmother’s party.  It was so great to see her face light up when I arrived and then even more when I told her I was staying for a week!

The party was a huge family reunion – and I do mean huge!  My Dad has five brothers and five sisters and all 11 of them were able to attend the party.  I think this is the first time all 11 of the siblings have been together since the late 70s!  Most of their children and grandchildren were also there.

Kitty and her 11 children.

Time with family was the priority for the rest of the week:  visits with Grandma, celebrating my uncle John’s birthday, looking through old family photos and learning more of the family history, family dinners.  We also did a bit of tourism, visiting the National Botanic Garden of Wales and doing some shopping in Carmarthen.  It was such a great way to start off the summer holidays.

My grandmother was in the Auxiliary Territorial Service during WWII.

My great-grandfather, John Patrick Grimes, & his regiment.

Driving around southwestern Wales has been an adventure.  Before leaving one location, I would load my route into Google Maps and head off, again without data.  I ended up down some very narrow country roads, wondering where the heck Google was taking me.  One time I was trying to get to my Grandma’s and Google got me close – I could see her place! – but on the wrong no-exit road.  Thankfully my cousin had suggested I load the app “navmii” and it was able to get me where Google couldn’t.  All part of the adventure – and part of me would have been disappointed if I had never ended up down one of those narrow roads bordered by hedgerows so typical of Wales.

Not all who follow Google Maps are lost
... But they might find themselves on an adventure!

Right now, I’m experiencing one of those other travel “adventures”.  After returning my rental car (to a closed rental agency, whose key drop box wouldn’t open, so here’s hoping they get the message that I put the key in the other agency’s box!), I checked in and went through security with time to spare.  My flight to Paris was supposed to leave at 13:00.  It’s now 13:56 and the information board states “Next info at 14:00.”  Seeing as how the other delayed flights have an estimated departure time listed, I’m thinking this does not bode well!  (Update:  We left Cardiff at about 14:45!)