The UK – Wales Pub Crawl

Everybody has been to the UK, everybody knows it – even cousin Marta does. OK, but not everybody has been to the ICI, Ltd. (Imperial Chemical Industries).  This was the largest chemicals producer in the UK (founded in 1926) until it was taken over by AkzoNobel in 2008 and dismantled.
It also developed and operated the world’s biggest bio-reactor which, at that time, interested me. I got to actually see that bio-behemoth that was 10 times the size of the largest conventional bioreactors. 
As it happened, I got invited to talk shop at the most impressive ICI research headquarters located half-way between Liverpool and Manchester. In the middle of nowhere, only fields all around it – and that very location in the fields is of importance to my story here.

All done, I was looking out of the window of one of the bosses’ office there when he mentioned, pointing outside, “They are all rentals” – meaning the cars parked on a fairly big lot. Obviously seeing a big questionmark on my face, he added an explanation:  “We are somewhat isolated here and our people need cars to get around – so we have a whole fleet of rental cars available.  Would you like to spin one for your days in England ?”

Actually, I was just contemplating what would I do for those remaining 5 days that I had in England. 
The offer couldn’t come at a better time – and I found myself on the roads of “UK West”. Welsh castles – my educated head suggested and I added “pubs” to that cultural idea.
The cozy rustic charm of English pubs is well known and I was not familiar with it at that time.  I glanced at the map and then, dutifully on the left-hand side of the road, the engine of my ‘rental’ just purred –.

A few miles and there they were, the famous ancient Welsh castles, or distinguished ruins of them.
I recall Conwy, Caernarfon, Aberystwyth, Criccieth – and several pubs in each of the villages with impossible Welsh names that I drove through. History to contemplate, rugged coast and mountain vistas to enjoy, some stop-over beers to taste – and here came juuust a tiny bit of a disappointment :  There was hardly any food in those lovely pubs !
Of course that I remember hearing about that - but it was so hard to believe that those cozy places wouldn't feed you.
I guess that things are getting better on that front.

But then, those local beers were not quite fitting my Czech beer palate either.  But this little disenchantment did not bother me at all as I drove through impossibly narrow country roads hemmed in by hedges and hand-piled walls of black stones, even roofs of farmhouses scattered through the countryside were covered with that black slate.
Strange and haunting.

To make a circle, I had to turn away from the Wales coast – inland, into England. First road sign mentioned Stratford-upon-Avon – that invariably meant Shakespeare !
OK, why not ?  Take in one play perhaps. I drove in and they played, you would not guess, Romeo and Juliet, my goodness !
One cannot miss that – and I did not.

It happened to be a new staging of the play in a contemporary set up – very controversial (Romeo drove a car !). The theatre critics and I had something to talk about for years. Nothing could beat that and I headed straight back to return the ‘rental’ up 'north' in Runcorn - and flew home.
Thank you ICI !
A bit of the UK in a very unusual and unplanned way. I have been to England not much, but several times, however, hardly anything can beat this whimsical and scenic trip full of little happenings !