No sailing today.

Rented a car for the day after a good breakfast in town, on the scene of some hooligan riots (20 people arrested) that took place the previous evenings... found that out reading the paper.

We drove to CAT, the Center for Alternative Technology - and spent an hour looking at solar and wind powered energy demonstrators, organic farming and composting techniques which fueled many a conversation for the rest of the drive about the necessity of a shift of our society, of our planet, towards a more sustainable way of life. Don't have any great pictures of the CAT, but I found it quite interesting. Richard, the cynic of our group, commented that if this was the state of sustainability today, most of the work remains ahead.... clearly it does.

After the CAT, we drove to Portmeiron - a tiny town built by one person, Clough Williams-Ellis. He believed it was possible to create a town to be beautiful, while at the same town integrate seemlessly into it's surroundings. I have to say it was quite beautiful, if a little surreal amongst the rough Welsh country side. My companions were very excited at the idea of visiting the set of "The Prisoner" - I've never seen it, and Barbara swears it's one of the most classic TV series ever made... I've added it to my check-list of things to see.

Here is a shot taken at Portmeiron - followers of "The Prisoner" cult will recognize the scene of the chess board.

Finally we drove home the same way we came, through Snowdonia National Park. I have to say that the next time I come to Wales, I want to rent a little cottage in Snowdonia and spend at least one week there. It is ABSOLUTELY STUNNING. Rolling hills and mountains, the tops of which are lost in the clouds, brown, gray and dark green slopes, occasionaly interrupted by an old stone cottage, a bright green pasture, a large mass of stone, a winding hand-made wall. And everywhere sheep, spotting the countryside like as many white shrubs... I'm not too happy with my pictures, but here are a couple

Tomorrow, it's unclear what our sailing program will be - head winds are planned. I'm hopping for a little change between now and tomorrow morning! In the coming few days I have to decide whether I'm going to push up to Scotland, or decide to head for Ireland to start my journey home... If I don't make it to Scotland this summer, I'll be stuck with having named this log wrong :)
12:13:32 AM    
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