supervising from the couch: Tintern Abbey in Wales

Saturday, June 7, 2014

Tintern Abbey in Wales

Posted June 26, 2014.

On our way from Bath to Preston we stopped in Wales to see Tintern Abbey. Wales isn't really signposted as you enter, I guess to emphasize that it is part of the UK, not a separate country.

We had lunch at a great little cafe right next to the abbey. It's also a hotel, and I think it would make an awesome romantic getaway, very remote and scenic.

Although there was no entrance sign, all of the signs in Wales were in English and Welsh, and Welsh does not look like an easy language to learn!

So here's the deal with all the abbey ruins: when King Henry VIII made a break with Rome after the Pope wouldn't grant him a divorce, he wanted to wipe out Catholicism (and possible rebellions) completely. So there are abbey ruins all over the UK. Can't say that I condone Henry, but I must say that the ruins are pretty spectacular. So here's another abbey photo overload.

1 comment:

Unknown said...: Awesome!; August 31, 2014 at 7:49 AM

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here's the story:

I was interviewed for a newpaper article about kids and sleep, and quoted as saying something like "when I'm tired, I feel like supervising from the couch." Ever since, it's been our catch phrase for slacker parenting. Ironically, I only had one child at the time and we were practically attached at the hip. Now that I have four older kids, they spend chunks of time playing without even the benefit of me watching from the couch. However, I do try to come running if it sounds like there might be blood. Somehow they have all thrived in spite of me.