The best way to deal with the Olympic hoopla seemed to be to get out of Dodge. Or London, as it were. So after a stop at Mildenhall AFB for a quick visit to the doctor, we drove into Wales where, surprisingly, it is sunny. And very, very green.
The Welsh language supposedly derives from English, but you can't prove it by me. It seems to thrive on double letters, especially "Ls" at the expense of vowels and many words are very long, making sign-reading a tough go. Luckily most people also speak conventional English, (Welsh was unofficially "outlawed" for years but is now taught in the schools) though nearly as incomprehensible as a Yorkshire-man's.
Pontcysyllte Aqueduct, 1000 feet long
We are staying at a nice little B&B in Llangollen and spent the day checking out the local attractions; abbeys, churches and the amazing Pontcysyllte Aqueduct. Unlike those of the Romans, the more modern Pontcysyllte wasn't constructed to carry water, but to carry canal boats. It is suspended 126 above the valley floor, allowing canal boats to travel the 1000 feet relatively level. It is still in use today, mostly by tourists, more than 200 years after it was built.
