Wednesday, May 26, 2010

Gallivanting in Cymru - National Slate Museum & "The Ugly House"


From Snowdon Mountain Railway, we stopped by at the Welsh National Slate Museum.  Yeah, I got that right.  It's slate and not state.  







 

Slate is a type of rock which is used to make roofs.  North Wales was once the main producer and exporter of slate.  The rock can be found from mountains such as this >>














The museum was once a slate factory.  So, the place was full of machines and artefacts related to slate production.  Not my kind of museum, I'm afraid :)





But at least, it's free.  I realized when we go for trips like this, we really have to plan where to go.  Since we are budget 'tourists', we try to go to a lot of places but at the same time try to keep costs down. Museums are normally free, so we try to include a museum visit on our itinerary.  Parks are usually free, too. It's an ideal place for the kids to unwind after a 'boring' museum visit and a good place for the parents to just sit, watch the kids and eat :). 

That was why, our next stop after the museum was a picnic spot near the "Ugly House".  The Ugly House was not ugly at all!  If not, I wouldn't have chosen a picture of the place as my blog mast :)



The river near the Ugly House proved to be a hit with the kids :)






Before we left the place, we visited the house.  The friendly in-house guide showed the kids the typical welsh way of life in the olden days - from making rag rugs to spinning wool thread on the spinning wheel. 

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