WALES 2023

Our departure to Wales was scheduled for Wednesday morning at 6AM.

But at 2PM on Tuesday, I was still waiting to get my renewed passport.

Everything worked out, and Nelly and I flew from Baton Rouge to Atlanta,
to Amsterdam and to Wales, arriving the morning of 6 April.

We were in Wales from April 6 to 12.

We were met at the airport in Cardiff by our friends Rev. and Mrs. Carl Roberts,
the founders of Step by Step Ministry.

They took us directly to St. Fagan's National Museum of History where
we got a taste of Old Wales.

Cardiff has the same latitude as Calgary in Alberta, Canada - much colder than Baton Rouge! Within the next hour, we experienced the Welsh sun, rain, winds, and hail.

You wouldn't know it by this photo, but Carl says there are more sheep than people in Wales!

We stayed at the Shepherd's Inn, not far from the Roberts' home in Pontarddulais
in the county of Swansea.

On Friday morning we hiked down to Mewslade Bay.

On Saturday we dedicated this place to God. A hair business occupies part of the building, but Step By Step is using the rest for the FATHER'S business of SAVING "SOZS".

On Easter Sunday morning, I taught at the Bethel Mission Church where the
congregation of Grace and Truth church is pastored by Carl and Viviene.

L to R, Back Row: Len, John Hughes, Viv, Carl, Craig, Jason, Nesta
Middle Row: John Hall, Maerwen, Carol, Margaret, Lynne, Sylvia
Front Row: Noah, Archie, Alfie

On Monday, our tour continued through Cenarth Falls in Pembrokeshire.

Nelly is standing beside a coracle, a one-person boat made of woven wood.
These were used in the UK over 2,000 years ago and are still used today.

Next we visited Penparc in Cardigan where I taught in August 2000.

At the baptistery at Penparc Baptist Chapel where Carl and I
conducted a water baptism service in 2000.

Mwnt (pronounced munt) Beach in Ceredigion. It was beautiful but VERY windy!

The Church of the Holy Cross at Mwnt Beach.

Inside the Church of the Holy Cross.

We toured Cilgerran Castle near Cardigan. It dates from the early 13th Century.

Later that day we visited Oystermouth Castle overlooking Swansea Bay.

We spent the evening at Mumbles Bay.

Tuesday was a cold and rainy day. We started out at Laugharne Castle
in Carmarthenshire, originally established in 1116.

At the boathouse and writing shed of Welsh poet, Dylan Thomas.

From Carmarthenshire we drove to Tenby.

Tenby is a walled seaside town in Pembrokeshire.

Castle Beach, looking out on St. Catherine's Island and Fort.

Wednesday was our last day in Wales before flying to Switzerland.
We spent the day in Swansea.

A delicious hot chocolate at Sullivan's Tea & Coffee. As we walked in,
our friend Miguel Briseno's band LORD HURON was on the radio!

Outside the Mechanics Institute where I taught in 2011.

The new Oystermouth Road Bridge, fondly known as "Taco Bridge".

The gold color represents Swansea's copper-producing history, and the design
includes origami swans (for SWANsea, of course).

The St. Mary's Church website says, "Our main tradition is Anglican Worship in
the choral setting, one of the few churches to maintain a choir and the joys of
sung praise." I wish we'd had time to attend!

At the Swansea Indoor Market we sampled a traditional Welsh breakfast food,
cockles and laverbread.

High winds from a large Atlantic low pressure system named Storm Noa
brought traffic to a standstill on our way to the airport.

Our flight out of Cardiff was also delayed, so we had to run like Olympians through the airport in Amsterdam to make our flight to Switzerland where our adventure continued.