Outstanding Wales – part 3 – Culturally Rich and Charming Cymru

On this celebration of Saint David's Day, Wales National Day, I thought I would introduce you to a softer side of this beautiful, culturally rich, and charming country. My first experience of Wales was through a Sharon Kay Penman novel, "Here Be Dragons", telling us the story of Llewelyn ap Iorwerth “the Great”, King of Gwynedd and eventually ruler of all Wales, and his fight to unite Wales and keep it from falling into the hands of King John. I was hooked. In this last article of a three part series on Outstanding Wales,

Let’s start today’s journey with Welsh food and drinks. On the online version of Montreal’s SIAL exhibition and conference last October, we showcased Welsh products found in Canada like refreshing Llanllyr Spring Water, Cradoc’s Savoury Biscuits, fresh Welsh lamb, golden Penderyn Whisky, and creamy Snowdonia Cheeses, as well as Welsh food producers who are looking at the Canadian markets like gluten free snacks from Wholebake and yummy private label OP Chocolates.  Why don't you try traditional Welsh recipes like Welsh lamb or Welsh cakes next weekend?

Wales is one of six Celtic nations (it is believed Celts arrived in Wales around 600BC), with its druids and distinctive artwork. The Welsh language (Celtic in its origin) is still very much alive and growing, thanks to the Welsh Government's efforts. If you are interested in learning a bit of Welsh, like I did, you can do it for free with Learn Welsh and Duolingo (their phone app is really handy). To really get transported to Wales, I invite you to sample Welsh songs and music with Creative Wales Spotify Playlist. Or watch one of the many movies or TV shows filmed in Wales like Sherlock, Doctor Who, A Discovery of Witches, Hinterland, Da Vinci’s Demons, King Arthur: Legend of the Sword, Born to Kill and Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows.

Now, I can't write about Wales without talking about tourism and outdoor activities. I leave you with views of 750+ year old castles, hiking trails, marinas, and surf beaches. When we’re allowed to travel again, I encourage you to come Visit Wales. In the meantime, take a virtual visit of Wales, learn about its heritage, its amazing castles, fortresses and keeps (cadw in Welsh), its outdoor activities, and  of course, its football and rugby! For all Canadian hockey fans out there, did you know Cardiff’s Devils hockey team is owned by Albertans? A little bit of us, in Wales. Happy travels!

Dydd G?yl Dewi Hapus! Happy St David’s Day!