Back in the 16th Century

Just left a three-day stay in the most incredible place, Dolbelydr, a Landmark Trust property in North Wales. I wish more Americans would know about the Landmark. They rescue historical properties that have fallen into decay and open them to the paying public to help with the upkeep. It's a rare experience to actually live in one of these houses, have it all to yourself. Dolbelydr was the home of a Mr. Salesbury who actually took the magical but difficult language of Welsh and wrote a dictionary. He seems to have belonged to a family of the landed gentry. His house appeared to me like a giant cottage, a simple 3-storied white-washed stone house with tall chimneys at either end. All the Landmark properties are self-catering, so you cook your own meals. We ate ours either at the long dark kitchen table or upstairs in the sitting room by a huge fireplace. My sister is the master fire starter but had trouble with this one since the wood seemed to be a bit green, and she had to use coal too, but she eventually got it going. Magical, sitting there by fire and candle light, drinking our g&t's and trying to pretend it was a few centuries ago!