My next stop is to Milford Haven, Wales (MAP) to see an old college buddy, Dennis Harman, and while there to visit Pembroke Castle.

Dennis standing on one of the Battlements

I met Dennis Harmen in 1971 in College after we came out of the service and since then we have kept in touch. Dennis travels worldwide for Exxon-Mobile recently coming to Wales from Siberia.

Den is expert in many fields. However my favorite is his cooking. A hobbist Chef, he’s attended The Culinary Institute in Hyde Park NY and can cook up an incredibly delicious meal.

One night we had fresh baked bread and Seafood Chowder, which was unbelieveable good.

Here’s the view from Den’s third floor apartment. I was hoping that he owned one of these sailboats, but it was not to be. But it was still a great time watching them sail away.

The town of Pembroke is mid sized with some really attractive views

Norman Pembroke Castle is one of the largest castles in Wales, starting in 1093 as a timber castle and then stone in 1204. This structure is huge.

 

Pembroke is the birthplace of Henry VII, father of Henry VIII, grandfather to Queen Elizabeth I.

 

One of the very narrow stairways.

Ramparts built on the outer wall during the Civil War 1642-1645 when Cromwell lay siege to the castle.

This type hallway is found throughout the castle.

The Great Tower or Keep built in 1204 by William Marshall I is Five stories high.

There is so much to see here that I could keep writing for days, but I am on vacation and want to enjoy some more of Dennis’s good company and cooking before heading to the airport in Birmingham tomorrow. It’s been a great trip and I’ve seen alot of interesting places and met a lot of good people.

Here’s some interesting information when traveling in the UK:

1. Full tank of gas is over $100 US (for a small car)
2. Regular burger, regular fries and coke is $13
3. If you smoke you pay $10/pack
4. Pint of Ale $4.50
5. Driving while talking on a cell phone is against the law with a heavy fine
6. If you don’t have car insurance and the police stop you, your car is confiscated on the spot. You have 14 days to get insurance or you car is sold or demolished.
7. Police will not pull you over for speeding. There are 1000s of speed cameras everywhere. You speed, they record it, and send you a ticket in the mail.

This entry was posted on Tuesday, May 27th, 2008 at 10:33 pm and is filed under From the Archivists, Joe's Trip to England. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. Both comments and pings are currently closed.