"En Angleterre"

Name of traveller

Marie-Anne de Bovet (1855-19??)

Reason for travel

• cultural tourist

Date of travel

undated, ca. late 1880s to early 1890s

[J]’ai préféré prendre le train qui jusqu’à Bangor longe une côte merveilleuse, coupée de caps rocheux et de promontoires boisés tombant à pic dans la mer, ce jour-là très calme, roulant sur les sables blancs où traînent les varechs glauques, ses bagues lourdes d’un sourd bleu d’ardoise, sabré de sillons vert-émeraude. (Bovet 25)

Content

• agriculture: pretty sheep grazing on Snowdon
• architecture:
  • description of Valle Crucis and Dinas Bran ruins
  • reference to the bridges across the Menai Strait
• art:
  • illustrations by Austrian artist Felician Myrbach (1853-1940) taken from a previously published account
  • north Wales has not received proper artistic attention and study; the region warrants its own volume
  • Betws-y-Coed overrun by artists
• clothing: depreciates the Welsh costume adopted by the Ladies of Llangollen
• customs:
  • Wales as a protestant version of Brittany; very religious
  • important role of Eisteddfod in conserving traditions and language customs
• history: rich history of resistance and conquest
• industry: predominance of slate
• language: mocks Welsh place names; difficulty of pronunciation
• people:
  • quarrymen's houses are clean, they are hard-working, happy and not poor
  • reference to the Ladies of Llangollen, Eleanor Charlotte Butler (1739-1829) and Sarah Ponsonby (1755-1831)
• recreation:
  • ascent of Snowdon is too strenuous
  • the Welsh know how to exploit tourists
  • Plas Newydd, former home of the Ladies of Llangollen, forms a tourist destination
• terrain:
  • Wales provides picturesque landscapes for travellers who do not want to spare themselves the inconvenience of crossing over to Ireland or go on a long journey to Scotland
  • comparison with Switzerland
  • description of waterfalls around Llangollen
  • Llandudno is too hot in summer, but a lovely place to visit during the winter
• click here to read the full account

Nationality of traveller

French

Language of publication

French

Gender of traveller

Female

Type of publication

illustrated travelogue

Citation

Bovet, Marie-Anne de. "En Angleterre." Revue illustrée 7.14 (15 June 1892): 21-8, 117-24. Print.