Monday, April 04, 2005

More geography madness!

Sorry I haven't posted in a while.... Things have been hectic around here! Life has really changed now that Mike has a job. We be adults now.

We did manage a lovely break over the Easter long weekend in North Wales. Mike and I visited several castles--Harlech, Caernarfon, and Conwy, and also my hometown of Llanberis! They have a fascinating Welsh Slate Museum there. I know that sounds odd if you haven't been there, but the town is surrounded by slate quarries. My ancestors left there the middle of the 19th century and moved to ... Slatington, Pennsylvania, to start a slate quarry there. So for me, it was a bit of family history. Mike thought it was very cool. We visited a graveyard and found lots of my family names -- Hughes, Williams, Parry -- and... GRIFFITH! Lots and lots of Griffiths.... ! We found several John Griffith's (Mike is really John Michael). We found tombstones with his brothers' names on it too. And tombstones which indicated that Griffiths had married Williamses and Hugheses.... So I guess we are just in a long tradition!

We also visited Portmeirion, the village and gardens which inspired our dishes (they're actually made in Stoke-on-Trent) and where the 60s cult TV show "The Prisoner" was filmed. We also, thanks to a great deal on LateRooms.com stayed in Ruthin Castle, where I stayed with my family when I was 10!

One last little tidbit.... My friend Peter led me to this site, where you can take a geography quiz and 'represent' your country (and state, if from the US) in a global competition. It's fun, for the geekier among us! Just go here to play.