27 Sep. - Tintern

 

Image: Inside Tintern Abbey

Meandering down the Wye along narrow roads fully enclosed by arching, early-autumn trees - occasional gaps or low hedges or roadside lays in high-perched villages give glimpses of the river below - brown + swollen with recent rain + fringed by pasture or woodland.

The valley broadens + Tintern Abbey stands tall + desolate as we round a bend. The old church marked in the turf by Victorian restorers, the later grand edifice still bold + proud + glorious despite (or because of) its sacking by Henry VIII + company.

The abbot, the monks, the lay brothers - seeking a closeness to God? Or seeking simplicity, security, solitude, sanctuary - from a busy, chaotic + frightening external world?

With lingering sadness + a sense of loss, I leave Wales - Cymru - behind, but take its flag proudly with me. Fly high Draco!

Notes: In our secular times - we lack suitable places of refuge for those among us that wish for a simple and secure community away from the masses. There is a pretty view looking upriver the Wye - England to the right and Wales to the left- from the heights of Llandogo village.