Archived posting to the Leica Users Group, 2010/12/15

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Subject: [Leica] Pictures from Wales
From: daniel at dlridings.se (Daniel Ridings)
Date: Thu, 16 Dec 2010 08:40:22 +0100
References: <AANLkTikegikmY+fXqUxDPYG6cDA5SDLs0VAe+STtw_FM@mail.gmail.com> <BB4721AC-E3A0-4BCE-9E1C-A909502ABB70@embarqmail.com>

Another place on my "to go" list. Close enough to be realistic. I
enjoyed reading your text. Thanks.
Daniel

On Thu, Dec 16, 2010 at 1:49 AM, Ric Carter <ricc at embarqmail.com> wrote:
> these are going to be fun
>
> thanks
>
> ric
>
> On Dec 15, 2010, at 7:30 PM, Lawrence Zeitlin wrote:
>
>> Menai Bridge is a small harbor town boasting a population of about 5000. 
>> Its
>> Welsh name is Porthathwy, but few, except the most zealous Welsh
>> nationalists call it that. It has one supermarket, two gas stations, three
>> banks, four churches, and too many pubs to count. Everything, no matter 
>> how
>> new, looks at least a century old. We lived abouta half mile from the 
>> center
>> of town, a nice stroll in good weather. The road in front of our house 
>> also
>> bordered the Menai Strait so the walk was scenic as well. The burbling 
>> water
>> of the strait framed the view of the Snowdonia mountains in the distance.
>>
>> The center of attraction in Menai Bridge and the town's raison d' etre is
>> the bridge itself. The steel link suspension bridge across the Menai 
>> Strait
>> was built in 1826 and was the first of its kind in the world. It connects
>> the island of Anglesey (where we lived) to the mainland. The bridge made
>> possible a land route from Holyhead, the port where the Irish ferries
>> docked, to England. Thomas Telford, the bridge architect, was a civil
>> engineering genius who left his mark on many British construction projects
>> of the early 1800s. Almost every town has its Telford designed bridge or
>> aqueduct or roadway or even tollhouse. Most are still in use, having
>> outlived more contemporary construction.
>>
>> The best view of Menai Bridge is from the other side of the Menai Strait.
>> You can see the town as returning sailors would once have seen it, a 
>> village
>> of cottages and pubs rising from the waterfront, backed by the larger 
>> houses
>> of ship owners. In Victorian times Menai Bridge was a major port and the
>> bridge had to be built high enough for the masts of
>>
>> ships to pass under. Paddle steamers from Liverpool moored at the
>> town piers, pausing just long enough to unload passengers and cargo, while
>> the crew nipped up to the Liverpool Arms for a quick refreshment before
>> the return journey. The Menai Bridge waterfront still has its boats but 
>> they
>> are usually used for pleasure and fishing. The harbor has a 26 to 30 foot
>> tidal range. At low tide most boats on moorings near the shore sit on the
>> exposed mud bottom. Many of the sailboats have twin keels for a good 
>> reason.
>> They don't fall over on their sides when the tide goes out.
>>
>>
>> http://gallery.leica-users.org/v/Larry+Z/View+from+our+window.jpg.html
>>
>> http://gallery.leica-users.org/v/Larry+Z/Telford+Bridge+1.jpg.html
>>
>> http://gallery.leica-users.org/v/Larry+Z/Telford+Bridge+at+night.jpg.html
>>
>> http://gallery.leica-users.org/v/Larry+Z/Menai+Strait+at+mid+tide.jpg.html
>>
>> http://gallery.leica-users.org/v/Larry+Z/Bangor+harbor_+low+tide.jpg.html
>>
>> http://gallery.leica-users.org/v/Larry+Z/Red+Wharf+Bay+at+low+tide.jpg.html
>>
>>
>> Larry Z
>>
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>
>
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Replies: Reply from grduprey at mchsi.com (grduprey at mchsi.com) ([Leica] Pictures from Wales)
In reply to: Message from lrzeitlin at gmail.com (Lawrence Zeitlin) ([Leica] Pictures from Wales)
Message from ricc at embarqmail.com (Ric Carter) ([Leica] Pictures from Wales)