England 2012

Last week we had what the locals here think of as hot weather, up around 70 or more, Fahrenheit. This week we're back to the more usual rain, or rather, a fine mist, just enough to need an umbrella, maybe. But Monday was still mostly sunny, and a Bank Holiday besides, in honor of the Queen's Diamond Jubilee. So we decided to give our 'new' car its first work-out by driving into North Wales.

We are still learning about operating a car in the UK. For example, we have had no idea what it means when the white lines at the edges of the road turn into zig-zags near intersections. Dimitrios surmises it means 'stay in your lane', which seems reasonable. I've just now, while typing this, looked it up on the Internet, so now I know, and will tell my husband, what it really means: no stopping, no letting off or picking up of passengers, no blocking of this area in any way. We have also learned how the 'Pay and Display' car parks work, and where some of them are located here in Ormskirk.

Anyway, We took a leisurely drive into North Wales and found that the further you get into Wales, the more beautiful it becomes. We drove from just past the Wirral peninsula along the coastline as far as Colwyn Bay. Right about there is where the landscape began to look as I've always imagined it would: craggy and blue. And green.

Our destination, though, was the Church of St. Trillo, which by much asking, we eventually found. It is a tiny stone structure right on the stony beach, holding six worshippers or, we are told, up to 22 if they are all standing and all willing to be quite friendly. Hard to believe that. It's reputed to be the smallest church in Great Britain.

We had no idea who St. Trillo had been, or even whether he was Orthodox, meaning even whether he really was a saint. But we agreed the place had a decided feel of holiness about it. Sure enough, I now find, on the Internet, that St. Trillo was a 6th Century bishop and missionary. And prince. That seems to be about all that is known about him. See http://www.earlybritishkingdoms.com/bios/trilloby.html. To see pictures of this charming chapel, with a bit more info about it, see http://www.walesdirectory.co.uk/Ancient_Churches/St_Trillos_Church.htm.

There was a square hole under the altar, which we wondered about, and now discover is a holy well. Don't know the story behind that, but regret we didn't know that and collect a bottle of the water.

I'm also hapopy to report that both the driving and the navigating went very well, so we had no repetition of last year's trauma. This car is smaller, for one thing. And we didn't need any city maps, for another.

So we had a delicious little taste of Wales to whet our appetites and make us want to spend more time seeing more of it.