Poll: What do you know about Wales?

[Bara_no_Hime]

You see, on the occasion that I go out of the UK, I find that almost nobody has ever heard of us, although I kind of expected to be rather obscure

Really?

I'm American, and I've not only heard of Wales, I've been there. Repeatedly. Portmeirion is fucking awesome - I have an umbrella that I bought while visiting that particular resort town. Also, the castles that the invading British built to hold Wales are some of the most impressive castles anywhere in the world. Caernarfon, Conwy, and Caerphilly... I'm sure there are others that don't begin with C, but those are the three I remember visiting.

Plus, there's Cardiff where they film the new Doctor Who. Wales is pretty famous these days what with Doctor Who being filmed there (and Torchwood taking place there).

 

[Da Orky Man]

You see, on the occasion that I go out of the UK, I find that almost nobody has ever heard of us, although I kind of expected to be rather obscure

Really?

I'm American, and I've not only heard of Wales, I've been there. Repeatedly. Portmeirion is fucking awesome - I have an umbrella that I bought while visiting that particular resort town. Also, the castles that the invading British built to hold Wales are some of the most impressive castles anywhere in the world. Caernarfon, Conwy, and Caerphilly... I'm sure there are others that don't begin with C, but those are the three I remember visiting.

Plus, there's Cardiff where they film the new Doctor Who. Wales is pretty famous these days what with Doctor Who being filmed there (and Torchwood taking place there).

Nice to know we aren't quite as invisible as it seems.

At some point, you should try Kidwelly. I lived there for quite a while, and the have one of the best preserved castles in Wales.

 

[mad825]

Simple, us English owed the Welsh then we used you as archers for the majority of the medieval era which then we also took your bow and put our label on it. -____-

Still, I would like to go hiking there one day.

 

[Bara_no_Hime]

Nice to know we aren't quite as invisible as it seems.
At some point, you should try Kidwelly. I lived there for quite a while, and the have one of the best preserved castles in Wales.

I'll keep that in mind. Not sure when I'll be able to get back there, though - it's a pretty expensive vacation.

Oh, nearly forgot - I find the food in Wales better than almost anywhere else in the British Isles. I'm not sure why that is, but I recall that was the case. Portmeirion had a particularly delicious restaurant, although I can't recall the name.

If I didn't like Bath so much (and I really do) I'd consider making my next trip to the British Isles a Wales-only vacation. Again, no idea when that will be...

 

[Leadfinger]

I once saw a lambing one fine April morning in Wales.
captcha-which one is a country

 

[Forobryt]

Going around in Welsh rural areas don't wear wellies, its tips off the sheep.

Welsh rarebit...which from what I gather as an Englishman is like cheese on toast with stuff but with a fancy name attached.

The fact that all train stations are named so that you can identify foreigners by their inability to actually pronounce them, which I must say is pretty highly ranked on the evil meter so good job there.

A little shop in Tenby called Eclipse(I think) that was full of new agey coolness when i was a kid.

And joking aside some fantasticly beautiful landscapes.

 

[MysticSlayer]

I know Wales was where the King Raven Trilogy was set, and as a result I tend to associate Wales with Robin Hood. I also tend to associate it with the Celts more than England, Scotland, or Ireland. Other than that, I've always thought it would be a nice place to visit if I ever travelled to Europe, especially since it has some truly beautiful scenery.

 

[BlumiereBleck]

Well I know they've been in the U.K. for a long time and that's where Led Zeppelin wrote Led Zeppelin IV

 

[Prince Regent]

Well.. this sortof is what I think of when someon mentions Wales.. sorry ^^


I do know a fun fact about the name "Wales" though it has the same etymologycial origin as Wallonia in Belgium. Meaning foreigners in proto Germanic.

 

[Sir Thomas Sean Connery]

Basically everything Torchwood showed me.

Also that it's a "Principality" according to Diamanda Hagan.

 

[Pharsalus]

I was vaguely aware of it in a historical sense, much more aware of it after watching new Doctor Who and Torchwood. People there seem to sound different from English as well, I can barely understand Gwen from Torchwood when she gets talking.

 

[someonehairy-ish]

Basically, the only bit of Britain that anyone really wanted was the south-east, so the Celts kept getting pushed back into the not so nice bits.

It wasn't so much that noone wanted them. The romans tried to take over all the isles except perhaps Ireland, but never successfully took full control of Ireland or Cornwall or Wales, and got their arses handed to them by the Scottish.

Anyway, half my family is Welsh and I'm at Cardiff uni, so I know a fair bit... I know that their literature tends to be very dull, and that the have the dubious honour of being the only country with shittier and less predictable weather than England. On the plus side, they have some very pretty countryside and good windsurfing, and the people tend to be nice unless there's a rugby match on, in which case tensions can run quite high. They're good at rugby generally, which is something I can definitely get behind. Rugby is way better than football.

As for the language, I know that 'w' is a vowel, and that 'dd' is pronounced 'th' or 'ff' depending on your accent. So Cardiff spelt the Welsh way is Caerdydd. And Cymru (Wales) is pronounced cum-ree or cam-ree for some reason.

Also the Welsh flag looks boss.

 

[Kinitawowi]

As several people have pointed out already, Y Ddraig Goch is infinitely cooler than all the other UK flags; and most other flags, for that matter (although I've always liked St Lucia's and Sierra Leone's).

But yeah. I lived eighteen years in one of the other parts of the UK associated with fornicating with sheep (Norfolk), so those jokes got old fast. It consists mainly of Cardiff, Swansea, Anglesey, hills, several defunct coal mines, a steel works or two, and the world's most awesome power station at Dinorwig, which exists solely to power all the kettles that get turned on to make tea when Eastenders finishes.

My dad went there on holiday once. All the locals thought he was Welsh (his name's Bryn - he also looked remarkably like Griff Rhys Jones when he was younger), although he was actually born in Hampshire.

I remember reading TV listings for S4C in my Grandad's Sunday Telegraph. They looked scary. That soap somebody was trying to remember earlier was Pobol Y Cwm; I also recall spotting Newyddion, which by timing I guessed was just their word for the news.

The double-L thing is pronounced somewhere nearer "thl" than the "ql" someone suggested earlier, although "ql" seems to be the vaguely lazy and foreign way to do it (that's how my dad taught me to pronounce Llanfair-etc).

Wales also gave the world Ryan Giggs, who is epic.

 

[Tazzman]

Being welsh I know too much about the place. Haa but seriously it?s like everywhere else in the UK, could be better but still it?s better than living in most other places. Our rugby team is awesome, not so much our regional teams, but we tend to slip up when we play the southern hemisphere teams. But then again we have a much smaller talent pool to choose from when compared to those countries so it's not really surprising (Although I'm just waiting for the Welsh dominated Lions team to tear Australia apart this summer). Our language is dying but won't be sorely missed and that MTV show the Valleys is actually very slightly semi-accurate, as much as it hurts me to admit it. But all things considered we have a dragon on our flag so all other arguments are irrelevant haa.

 

[Asuka Soryu]

Well, they swim a lot. They're quite big and they seem to menace Sonic.

 

[dagens24]

They are mammals and they each a shit ton of plankton.

 

[CrashBang]

Not as much as I should, probably. I lived there for 3 years whilst at Aberystwyth University, and my home isn't far from the border anyhow. (Near Welshpool/ Montgomery, as if anyone here would actually know where they are )

I went to Aber as well! I was there 08-11 and then did my teacher training there as well. A few of my mates still live there and my flatmate is visiting there as we speak. It was an incredible experience; best three years of my life.

Woo another Aberite! Yeah it really is a wonderful place. Strange, but wonderful. I don't think you can quite replicate the Aber experience anywhere else. I'm in Birmingham doing an MA and it just isn't the same. I graduated last year, still go back there for a night out now and then. What course did you do?

Agreed, it's small and yet, for the whole time you're there, it never gets dull. My mates who still live there say it's not great if you're not a student; it loses its spark.

I did drama which was fun but not the most academic or useful degree in the world. That's why I made the most of it by becoming an English teacher. The PGCE in Aber is really good. What about you?

Yeah I'm not surprised. Glad I left after my undergrad course finished, with good memories intact. I imagine once you dont have lectures/work/excessive drinking to do, there's not much in the way of other attractions. Still a great place for a piss-up though! Although having to stay in The Cambrian makes me feel dirty.

Aye, I've heard that its a good place to do a PGCE - fair play to you, I dont think I could handle being a teacher! I did History so it seems like a natural career choice, but I've not got the patience!

Ugh, The Cambrian is filthy. I've heard stories.

Trust me, I'm not cut out for teaching; I'm the most emotionally ill-equipped and immature person you're likely to meet but they'll take anyone nowadays!

 

[Pinkamena]

They are basically really large fish. Except they breathe air and can talk. That shit's cray-cray.

 

[Kursura]

I'm well aware of Wales but that's no surprise as I live less than half an hour from the border.