The Longest Town Name In Britain

Welsh is not an easy tongue to pronounce for most but the 58 letter long town name Llanfairpwllgwyngyllgogerychwyrndrobwllllantysiliogogogoch would take even a phonetics expert to Olympic levels. Located on the island of Anglesey in North Wales this Celtic tongue twister is also one of the longest place names in the world.

In English the name means: St. Mary's Church in the hollow of the white hazel near the rapid whirlpool and the church of St. Tysilio with a red cave.

The village is also called Llanfairpwllgwyngyll and was given its longer name in the 1860s to snare the honor of having the longest train station name in Britain.  Today tourists flock here to have their photo taken in front of the sign.

Go on, try and say it in Welsh. I dare you.

The Ugly House, North Wales

Situated in Snowdonia National Park in North Wales The Ugly House, or Ty Hyll in Welsh, appears to unfairly labeled.

Legend has it that its origins date from the 1500s when two outlaw brothers homesteaded the land. At the time the law allowed that if between sunset and sunrise you could build four walls and have smoke coming out of the chimney the building was yours. A property line was defined by standing at each corner of the house and throwing an axe as far as you could.

It’s unclear why it was named The Ugly House. One account maintains the home was named for the less than attractive outlaws, who used it as a hideout.

The last private owner moved out in the 1960s. The cottage lay derelict until the late 1980s when the Snowdonia Society bought it. It is open to the public during the peak summer season.

What do you think? Is this house ugly?

Staircases From Around The World

Sometimes a staircase is just a way to get you where you need to go. But staircases can also be pieces of art, archaeology and places to meet.

How about climbing a stairway to nowhere in a surrealist sculpture garden built in the Mexican jungle by an eccentric Englishman? 

Cascading down the sides of one of India’s oldest and deepest step-wells, Chanda Baodi, are steep stairs you’ll have to navigate with care.

Most who travel to Rome will at some point walk by and perhaps even sit and watch the world go by on the Spanish Steps.

This post was inspired by a piece in Travel & Leisure on the World’s Coolest Staircases in which the image of Las Pozas above was featured.

UK Bound

I’m spending the next few weeks in the UK. My mother is from Wales and I’ll be visiting and staying with family and friends in North Wales and surrounds. This trip is long overdue.

Naturally photography is on the agenda. In addition to travel photography I plan to take images that depict everyday British lifestyle. The goal of the latter is to take  photographs that immediately make you think  “Britishness.”

When you think of Great Britain what images come to mind?

Published Photographs: Seoul Edition

Ancient palaces, sprawling markets, modern and ancient culture, excellent infrastructure, and not overcrowded relative to other large metropolises in Asia are some of the reasons Seoul, South Korea is an appealing destination. It’s also one of world’s greenest cities.

The above photographs have been published in a variety of magazines and books.

Street Scenes: The Dark Passage of Villefranche sur Mer

Just a block from the waterfront of Villefranche sur Mer on the Cote d’Azur in France is the coastal town’s Rue Obscure or Dark Passage. 

Dating from the 13th Century and devoid of sunlight it is more tunnel than street. Houses and businesses were built around and above it and can be reached by doors lining the passage. Throughout the centuries residents used it to travel safely during times of attack. 

Pictured above is a cafe that has been tucked inside the far end of the street.