Our primary reason for visiting Wales was for a type of rest week. However, it was different than all the other ones we had done in the past in that there was no school work to do nor any travel plans to book (though there was still the need to do laundry!). Instead, the primary focus was on reflecting on the last year and preparing to go home though we did get to see a bit of Wales as well.
Ffald-y Brenin
We spent our week at a spiritual retreat center called Ffald-y Brenin in south western Wales. We had learned about this location from reading the book called Grace Outpouring. Knowing we would be in this general area close to the end of our trip, we looked to see if there was the option to allow a family to stay there and there was a delightful lodge area that worked perfect for us.
The center is up on the hill.
The buildings and gardens provided a peaceful setting for reflection.
Amazing flowers and beautiful views.
We separated in the mornings to write down our individual reflections on different aspects of the trip and then reconnected after lunch to share and review. The girls groaned a bit about the writing part, but the sharing and laughing over memories made it worth it. Julia may share some of what we reflected on and remembered when she does the recap of the trip with all the statistics.
We also participated in some of their structured daily prayers that the team at Ffald-y Brenin run. It was special to combine the slowing down and spiritual reflective nature of the center here with our structured reflection of the trip.
Mynydd Carningli
Mynydd Carningli (or Carn Ingli), is the “mountain” that FFald-y Brenin is part way up and there is a trail leading from their property to the top. We decided to hike this one afternoon and it allowed us to see the ocean from the top.
Fishguard
The closest coastal town to Ffald-y Brenin was Fishguard where we went one night for fish and chips on the recommendation of one of the staff at the retreat center. We then enjoyed a nice walk out on the pier.
Tree Top Trails
During the weekend while we were staying in Ffald-y Brenin we celebrated Annika’s birthday by doing a zipline and tree obstacle course.
Some of the fun one way drives in the valleys and hills in the area.
Tenby
We asked at the rope course where a good place for ice cream was and they said the town of Tenby which was about 15 minutes south on the coast. We went searching and discovered that Tenby is a little tourist town with a fortress wall around and old city and was quite cute. In these old countries you never know what you will discover when you just go out for ice cream!
Cardiff
On our way from Wales to London, we stopped in Cardiff to visit the WVYA from Hong Kong 1996 who now lives in Cardiff. Julia and I had met her in Prague a number of years ago and she was part of Julia’s YA prayer group during COVID. It was great to reconnect.
After meeting for brunch, we walked to the Cardiff Castle. They were setting up for a large festival which took a bit away from the atmosphere of the inside grounds.
In discussing our trip with her, it came out that we all fell in love with bubble tea in Taiwan, especially Annika. It turns out that one of her friends owns a bubble tea shop in Cardiff so we walked over there to get some. It was also funny that we found a bubble tea stuffy in one of the tourist stores across the street.
She also asked whether we had tried the Welsh cakes which we hadn’t yet. That prompted a quick stop in the old market to the famous baker that makes them. The classic is with raisins but they had lots of different flavours. It is kind of a cross between a cake, a biscuit, and a pancake and are very good fresh and warm.
We had a wonderful time in Wales and were blessed by the location we stayed in and in the end we were all thankful for the chance to reflect on what we had done and seen and the people we had met during the trip.