The spoons of love
Called "lovespoon", they symbolize the age-old tradition of carved wooden wedding spoons.
According to Welsh tradition, they are said to be made from a single piece of wood by young men to declare their flame to their beloved. The oldest 'lovespoon' is in the National Museum in Cardiff and dates from 1667. However, the tradition is thought to be much older than that. Originally, the lovespoon was inspired by the soup spoon to which decorative carvings were added. It has become a decorative object, often hung on the wall. Today, they are offered for many occasions and depending on the carved motifs, the meaning varies: for example, a wheel is to support a loved one, a horseshoe brings luck, a dragon symbolizes country and protection, a bell or a Celtic cross symbolizes marriage.
They can be found everywhere, for example, in Cardiff at Castle Welsh Crafts. In theGower Peninsula, in Mumbles, don't hesitate to visit The Lovespoon Gallery shop which offers wooden spoons, but also silver ones.Rare books
For literature lovers, there's a must-see in the Brecon Beacons region: the town of Hay-on-Wye. Richard Booth is a bookseller, entrepreneur, scholar and iconoclast, born in 1938 in Hay-on-Wye. Hostile to established conventions, he created a new concept of establishing a large used book trade in a rural and picturesque community. In 1962, a new model of rural and tourist development in Wales was born in the book industry: the "Book Village". Or when books bring a town to life!
This project quickly took a great turn and made a name for itself. On the strength of this success, Richard Booth, a romantic personality, proclaimed himself King of Hay-on-Wye!
Since then, the idea has been adopted and adapted around the world.
Here are a few bookshops: Hay Cinema Bookshop, a shop specializing in cinema, but not only! It is mainly located in the old cinema of the city and has more than 200,000 books! Enough to find some nice nuggets. Rose's Books, a shop specializing in illustrated books for children.Vinyls
For music lovers with a record player, many shops have a nice collection of vinyl records. It's a great opportunity to discover new bands!
Forexample, at Spillers Records in Cardiff.A Welsh Blanket
This is a blanket (or typical plaid) designed with old looms. The Jane Beck Welsh Blankets shop in Tregaron is full of these blankets.
A choice of local drinks
With whisky and more precisely, Penderyn, the only single malt whisky in the country.
is located in the Brecon Beacons region, a few kilometres from Merthyr Tudful. Opened in 2000, it is the first Welsh distillery to make whisky in 100 years! In addition to being a great discovery, it is renowned for the quality of its ageing in old Madeira casks.Those who prefer wine can visit the Llaneyard Vineyard estates in the vicinity of Cardiff. With 3.5 hectares of vines, they also offer tastings of their wine. The area offers a beautiful walk, especially in autumn when the vines take on their orange-red colours.
Alittle further north, in Llanvetherine, White Castle Vineyard
is a 5 ha vineyard which offers a good pinot noir.The country also has a brewing culture with a large choice of beers. In Wales, and in Great Britain in general, the beer comes from a top fermentation and is therefore less carbon dioxide laden than bottom-fermented beers. This brewing method considerably changes the taste compared to French or Belgian beers. The tasting is done at room temperature (pub temperature!), which may surprise at first, but you quickly get used to it!
, you have the Kingstone Brewery which is a very nice micro-brewery to visit. And to finish on alcohol, it's impossible not to mention gin: alcohol made from juniper berries. And to discover a distillery, direction Llandysul in the Ceredigion region, with the Da Mhile Distillery. Their particularity: the "seaweed" gin in which seaweed has macerated for 3 weeks. The result is surprising and good!Some gourmet ideas
And since the country has a good number of farms, it is only natural that we will find a wide variety of cheeses. Among them are: the delicious Llangoffan, the Gorwydd Caerphilly with its subtle astringency, the delicate and herbaceous Hafod, or the Y Fenni, flavoured with beer and mustard seeds. To buy some, you can simply go to the stalls at Cardiff Central Market
or the Madame Fromage shop, one of the best cheese makers in the country. In Powys, for example, the Blasau Delicatessen shop is a great place to buy Welsh products, including Snowdonia-flavoured cheese. And in Blaenafon, don't miss the Blaenafon Cheddar Company, which has a surprising number of different cheddars, including the 'Big Pot Cheddar' which is matured at the bottom of the mine. to find a beekeeper on your itinerary. By the way, in 2016, a hive of over 110,000 bees took up residence under the roof of Cardiff's Rookwood Hospital. They discovered it, because literally, honey was pouring from the ceiling! In the heat of the day, the beeswax had melted.
