Hiraeth(Hee-rieth)

I have been learning Welsh over the last 200 days, using the app DuoLingo. It’s a Celtic language, and is much harder than it might look. Imagine speaking in German with an Irish accent, and you have Welsh. Sort of.

As I learned the language, I heard the word, “Hiraeth” over and over. There is no direct translation into English. It generally means, “A Welsh concept of longing for home, which can be loosely translated as ‘nostalgia’, or, more commonly, ‘homesickness’. Many Welsh people claim ‘hiraeth’ is a word which cannot be translated, meaning more than solely “missing something” or “missing home.” To some, it implies the meaning of missing a time, an era, or a person. It is associated with the bittersweet memory of missing something or someone, while being grateful of that/ their existence.” It’s a word I’m really beginning to appreciate, Especially when I think of Maw and Paw in Heaven, siting on a bench, waiting for us to join them. Yup. Hiraeth.

To start off our England/Wales trip, we’re flying into London and staying there a few days We’ll see all the touristy places like the London Eye, the Tower of London, Buckingham Palace and the Changing of the Guard. Robin has her heart set on a High Tea at Kensington Palace. I will move mountains to make this happen. Figuratively, of course. I was never strong enough to move a mountain, even less so now. After a few days we’ll take a train north to Manchester, get a rental car, and head west to Northern Wales.

I have thought long and hard about, why Wales? My family name, Satterleigh, originated in County Devon, just east of Cornwall, in southwest England. It lies to the south of Wales, and given its geographic location, I am certain there is Welsh blood running in my family, along with Irish, English, and a lot of other things that makes us pretty much mutts. I’m pretty sure I have more Cherokee blood than Elizabeth Warren, but that’s another story.

One of the stories that fascinated me as a lad was that of King Arthur. The Knights of the Round Table and all that. Their exploits fueled a young boy’s fantasies, and taught me many lessons that I still apply to my life today. Might does not make right. Protect others, always live right, Chivalry is not dead. At least, not while I still live. The Arthurian legend is rooted in Wales. Dragons, giants, feats of derring-do, epic quests. It was all in Wales. Looking back, those stories generated my first sense of hiraeth. I longed to be a Knight of the Round Table. I dreamt of riding the countryside, helping others, protecting them from those who sought to harm others.

So when there was a chance to see some of the places associated with King Arthur, I was all about it. From Manchester we look to rent a car and drive west to Conwy, a World Heritage Site. I mean, this little town on the north coast of Wales has a Norman castle!

We plan on using this as our base of operations. We’ll be within easy drives of Snowdon Mountain, fabled tomb of the giant Rhitta Gawr. This giant wore a cloak of beards, and was slain by Arthur after stealing his beard. Betws-y-Coed, home of the Fairy Glen, said to be the birthplace of Fairies, Harlech Castle, another World Heritage Site, Caernarfon, yet another World Heritage Site, and the site of a Roman fort

We hope to take a 99-minute ferry ride to Dublin, Ireland, and if time allows, visit the oldest International soccer venue still in operation, the Racecourse Ground in Wrexham. If you haven’t seen Welcome to Wrexham on Hulu. You should. It gives you a great look into the Welsh people in one of its newest cities, Wrexham. The problem is, there is so much to see, and as Robin keeps telling me, “We ain’t got time to see it all!” So my guess is, after the short time we spend there, I’ll have a bad case of hiraeth. One thing is sure, I’ll be bringing a piece of Wales home with me, and I’ll be leaving a piece of me in Wales. I am sure I’ll find a couple of appropriate places to spread some of Maw and Paw’s ashes. They’ll appreciate that, I’m sure.

I will be taking tons of photos, and will be happy to share them, but nothing beats actually being there. To hear, see, taste and touch Wales (not smell, because I don’t have that sense, but I’m sure Robin will be smelling for the two of us!) will all leave their mark on me. I can’t wait, and I know I will hate to leave.

All I’ll be left with is hiraeth.