Dear Dragonboyzzzzzzzzzz and girlzzzzzzzzzzzzzz,

    Being a new member of your bonsai club and living overseas in the Netherlands, I am writing about my adventures in Wales .

   I visited Wales in Summer 2009. I did a tour around like any tourist would. Wales is something else. I would like to share this with you .

   As normal the journey started going to Calais, Dover and a few days in London. Sniffed cultural London, museums and the gorgeous Whitechappel gallery. Between London and Wales we had a pitstop in Rugby, we could not believe but it was actually the birthplace of the rugby sport in England. Then Wales, a little place outside Llangollen... Corwen. Hedges , meadows , sun .... Yes !!

   Looking for a campsite and ended up at a farm, no showers, nice and easy, run by 2 elderly men who spoke the singing Welshish English i know so well as Chris Thomas starts to speak in his easy sound and words to me. A smile on my face all day, hearing the singing language.

   On the road from Llangollen to Corwen is a little hill and on that hill are 4 or 5 different species of trees grown together , it is very special to see and a bonsai person would go like .."" uuuhh , is that for real ???" very special place in Llangollen woods. As i was there i visited Kev Bailly in St.Asaph. But before arriving there I was plunged in having to speak the Welsh. Going on public transport I had to say the places , Hhhaaa.  I tried and in the beginning i just showed my paper with the address and repeated the names . Bus tour .... 4 hours !!! Unbelievebally gorgeous !!! Been in the highest place in Wales , seen a lot of celtic crosses , moors and it was so beautifull and .. all the people spoke Welsh on the bus, could not understand one word ....just smile and enjoying !

  I enjoyed Kev's beautiful garden on the hill , full with bonsai"s , yamadories and accents. From Kev's garden you could see Snowdonia.  Kev drove me back to Llanggollen , half an hour drive , hhhaa, saw the horseshoepath and he taught me how to speak Welsh ,,,,,,, you all spit a lot !!!

   Snowdonia was the next place i visited , must say , drove through, because i was rather sick ,laying in the back of the car but saw how immensely special and beautiful it is. Next stop at the sea , Abersmittiwittisomething .....Aberystwyth.

     Lovely place with all the pastel coloured houses on the boulevard and there was a jewish congress, saw so many people in the traditional clothing, with wifes and children, for me this was very special and saw this for the first time. Looking at the sunset one evening i called Chris Thomas. My plans were to go south and visit Dragon bonsai and the places you live. Chris was looking at the same sunset but at another sea !!! Dragonbonsai was at Brighton for a show !!!! Jerry was in London and on to Brighton ....Aaahhh. I was in Wales !!! So all my presents stayed in the car, no dragonboyzzzzzz and girlzzzzzz !

I went south anyway, through the Black Mountains, this was something else !!!

   The Black Mountains made me silent, no words needed, the hidden emptiness, the grasses, the colors , the sky is as a roof there, its like a house with inhabitants. The colors, seem all the same but they are definitely not !! It looks if there is nothing as You walk , but there is sooooooo many, very mystical, calm, great presence as if all comes together in those hills with the grasses. I was overwhelmed by the Black Mountains and they make me feel welcome and happy to be in and gave me peace of mind and body .

   From here i had a last stop in Wales before going back to London and Holland. Bargoed , and surroundings....The other side of all the natural beauty , the forgotten industrial outside. Sinister, scarry, poverty, criminality, a lot of kebab and chips with fish, cheese, obscure sauce. Houses in rows, as glued together, street after street, no gardens, burned out cars beside the house. In the beginning comming to this area it felt as a shock but i like to be shocked and as i walked the streets with a lot of shouting youngsters, policemen and drunken people, it also made me feel alive in truth, Wales, has also this side and i was happy to be there. Had some great fish with mince pie, such a pie with small meat in it !!! A group of boys came in a cafetaria and ordered all sorts of chips, noticed we were from Holland and we had great time together laughing about how to eat chips with melted cheese in a rather proper way without throwing the cheese threats around. Wales is such a beautiful country. I loved staying, it makes me at ease and gives me a freedom feeling.
I will definitely come again !!

Kind regards from over the Northsea,
Morea