Wales -- Cymru

Rhossili Bay on the Golden Gower peninsula

I have been back from my week's stay in Wales for two weeks now. I've been trying to stay in that vacation frame of mind and the Wales experience is so powerful, it hasn't been too hard.

I don't know what it is about the country, the people, the language -- the whole package -- that reaches down and puts my heart and soul in a bear hug. But it is powerful, and this time I did not want to leave at all.

I spent four solid days touring with my stepmother, and she was glad she came.

Four day tours with Welshman and tour proprietor extraordinaire Paul Harris in his SeeWales minivan.

They were coming off a month of rain in August, and our week was mostly rainy, too, but we never got poured on and the sun came in and out.

We saw so much. I didn't take many photos, due to weather conditions, but I saw such beautiful scenes. I saw beautiful countryside last year when my work sent me to Wales on a travel junket. This trip never disappointed and continued to produce one awesome and inspiring view after another.

Some observations:

Cardiff is cool. Just my size of a city (around 300,000) -- with people on the streets, good restaurants, waterfront, parks

Cardiff -- everyone is sports crazy. Men, women, children out in the evenings connecting with each other

Street traffic -- somehow louder. Maybe the water in the air. Cars weren't noisier, but the tires all whished and echoed

Tropical plants -- everywhere in south Wales (where our tours took place) -- growing in people's yards. So, obviously, the winters cannot be very cold

Dandelions and hydrangeas -- plants from all of our seasons, growing at once -- and some, of course that you only see in greenhouses here. The dandelions had delicate, rippled leaves that actually looked as if they would be delicious in a salad, not bitter and thick as dandelions here

Parks -- lovely, but several areas downtown lock up after 7 p.m. Literally lock up the parks, at the most lovely time of the evening for a walk. I -- and others -- jumped the one fence at Bute Park -- and jumped it again later to get out. I haven't been able to find a specific reason for this: maybe there are several. Controlling drifters, drugs and alcohol may be one reason (insight gained from my experiences here in Toronto)

Sheep, cattle, horses have range over exquisite countryside -- the horses, especially -- of which there are an inordinate number of white ones -- seem to know they have it pretty good. One view from our bus was that of a black stallion frisking close to the narrow road behind a stone wall, his mane rising and blowing in the fresh air

The freshest of air --

Real estate prices -- shockingly high. Definite reality check on any ideas I had for a B&B. Seemed to be equal to Toronto prices, and this when realty worldwide is crashing

A country of breakfast lovers! Local restaurants I passed served breakfast all day, and I saw several people chowing down in mid-afternoon

Food at tourism stops -- mixed. A lot of creamed dishes, which makes sense with all the sheep and cows, but I'm a vinaigrette girl

I am fairly certain I need to spend lengthy time in Wales. I may move there for at least a solid year. A lot to think about and study and learn to take this step.