"Erinnerungen aus Wales"

Name of traveller

Karl Blind (1826-1907), Friederike Blind (g. 1819) and their children

Reason for travel

  • holidaying, leisurely travel while living in exile in London

Date of travel

undated, summer 1862

Die Frau vom Hause konnte, obwohl Llandudno ein besuchter Badeort ist, das Englische nur radebrechen. Ihre Kenntnis dieser Sprache, sagte sie, habe sie dadurch erlangt, daß sie sich "zwei Jahre in England aufgehalten". Bis dahin war ich gewohnt gewesen, Wales als in England liegend zu betrachten. Hier wurde mir nun plötzlich ein Licht aufgesteckt. (Blind 1)

Content

  • agriculture: stallions are frequently named "John Jones" and mares "Jenny Jones"
  • art: Betws-y-Coed described as established artists' hub during summer
  • customs:
    • coastal areas in Wales are culturally mixed
    • description of the Caernarfon Eisteddfod held inside the castle
    • notes the great variety of the competitors, among them craftsmen and farmers and compares them to Hans Sachs (1494-1576)
    • notes predominance of dissenters in Wales
    • identifies the harp as national instrument
  • history: some notes on medieval Welsh rulers in relation to visited castle ruins
  • industry: frequently hears reverberations of blasting work carried out in the slate quarries near Llanberis
  • language:
    • vast majority of the population are monoglot Welsh speakers
    • notes the Welsh language for its antiquity, quaintness and its barbaric sounds
    • contrasts difficult place names with the simplicity of family names
    • antiquated Welsh language culture described as generally in decline and in opposition to modern English
  • people:
    • travels together with his wife Friederike Blind (g. 1819) and their children
    • describes the physiognomy of the Welsh population as distinctly different from the English
    • identifies the rival bards Talhaiarn (John Jones) (1810-1869) and Gwalchmai (Richard Parry) (1803-1897) as attendants of the Caernarfon Eisteddfod
    • description of a local boy acting as tour guide to the summit of Snowdon
  • recreation:
    • describes various hiking tours into the mountains of north Wales
    • notes established tourist industry around Snowdon; trade with walking sticks; ponies and horses for hire; wooden huts on the summit
  • terrain:
    • Welsh landscapes described as the home of the Arthurian legends and retreat of the ancient Britons
    • the landscape further into Snowdonia becomes increasingly romantic and fairy-tale-like; is reminded of Carl Maria von Weber's (1786-1826) opera Der Freischütz
    • identifies three established footpaths leading to the summit of Snowdon
    • detailed description of the landscape features seen during ascent of Snowdon from Llanberis; view from the summit reaches as far as Yorkshire and Ireland
  • transport:
    • modes of travel: boat; horse carriage; on foot
    • watches a mountain train crash near Penmaenmawr
  • compare with the author's earlier, more detailed account describing the ascend of Snowdon
  • compare with the author's description of the Merthyr Tydfil Eisteddfod in 1881
  • click here to read the full account

Nationality of traveller

German

Language of publication

German

Gender of traveller

Male, Female

Type of publication

essay; travelogue

Citation

Blind, Karl. "Erinnerungen aus Wales." Neue Freie Presse (19 Mar. 1869); 1-4. Print.

Entry created: 8 July 2015
Entry last updated: 13 September 2016