The tragedy of Lockerbie

Ever since the tragedy of Lockerbie, which took place on 21 December 1988, I've wanted to come here to pay my respects to those who died.  On that day, at 7 in the evening, Pan Am flight 103 exploded over Scotland, the victim of a terrorist bomb on board.  Hundreds of people died, including eleven on the ground in the town of Lockerbie.

Today, in this cemetery just outside Lockerbie, this memorial stands in remembrance of the victims of Colonel Gaddafi's terrorism.  Neil and I paid a visit.

On the memorial itself, people have placed items that show the victims are thought of and remembered, references to the victims' nationality....

....flowers....

...and references to their final tragic moments..

Above and below are some of the victims of the Lockerbie disaster...

The cemetery which hosts the memorial

In a small house in the cemetery is information about the disaster, as well as the history of the town itself and surrounds.

Overnight in England's Lake District

We stayed only very briefly in the Lake District, sighting Lake Windemere several times as we drove around it and near it.

We stayed overnight in Ambleside at Claremont House, which, with its external scaffolding, looked like a 'dud'.  Inside, though, it was perfectly comfortable.

A scene in Ambleside

On the Camino?  No!  We fancied a walk, so we went in search of the Stockghyll Falls...

Are these the falls?  Yes, possibly.

This was the top of the Stockghyll Falls - nothing special, but it was a pleasant, short walk.  Soon after, we headed out of Ambleside, out of the Lake District, and off to Scotland!

Short stop in Chester

We had a fairly long day today, leaving Bow Street on the mid-Welsh coast at exactly 10am, and arriving at Lake Windemere in the Lake District around 6.45pm.  On the way, we had a 45 minute coffee break at Bala in North Wales, and stationery traffic held us up in Lancashire.  Otherwise, we had a roughly three-hour break in Chester, in which we toured the Chester Cathedral and strolled the old city walls.

The Chester Cathedral - a church has existed here since the 690s.

Inside the Cathedral

In the cloisters

This is the Cobweb picture, a picture which has been painted onto the web of a caterpillar.  There are 66 such pictures in the world.  This one in the Chester Cathedral is the only cobweb picture in Britain.

The wood carving in this area of the Cathedral dates to the 1380s.

I appreciated the Cathedral's natural light coming in, which seemed better than in other churches and Cathedrals.

Wood carving that dates to the 1380s

Chester's Tudor style is very charming.

Part of Chester's old city walls

Looking down from the city walls 

We took a walk along the old city walls...

...which, for a time, runs alongside water.

A visit to Betws-y-Coed

We hit the road again today, driving to Betws-y-Coed in the heart of Snowdonia National Park.

At Betws-y-Coed, there is a river which forms a little 'falls' near a bridge...

...where, for a while, we watched a Herron hunt for fish in the water.

In Betws-y-Coed, there's a pleasant selection of tourist shops and coffee shops as well as outlets for campers, hikers and nature lovers.

There are also hotels around this area for people to stay in more comfortably.

Downstream from the falls, the river is more sedate.

Betws-y-Coed, near the railway station.

Some of the local produce.

Postcards of Betws-y-Coed 

We walked around for a while, having lunch, inspecting the falls, and doing some window shopping.  We left around 5.30, getting home at around 7.15pm.

Wales v N. Ireland

In the Euro 2016 Championships, Wales played Northern Ireland.  The four of us joined our friends, Ann and Barry, at the Rhydepennau pub to watch the game.  In the wake of the historic victory by Wales over Russia, local football fans were more confident than ever.  In the end, Wales beat Northern Ireland as expected.  But Wales never scored.  An own goal was scored by one of Wales' opponents.

At the Rhydepennau with the locals - Ann in the picture

Neil and Carolyn - Neil got with the spirit of the game, sporting a Welsh flag hat....

...with a small Welsh flag pinned to the back!

After Wales won 1-0, the pub erupted.  This pic shows the locals after the excitement of winning had begun to die down.