The Castles and Town Walls of King Edward I in Gwynedd, Wales is a UNESCO World Heritage site. After his invasion of northern Wales in 1282 King Edward I of England needed a means to keep the territory under his control. He commenced to building four coastal fortifications to garrison troops and act as a foothold in lands surrounded by an angry local population. Pre the advent of gunpowder these are the prototypical medieval castles that spring to mind when envisioning something from that era. I watched the documentary Castle hosted by David McCaulay on my local PBS station and became fascinated with these English castles in northern Wales. These castles and town walls are well preserved and armed with a little background history are great examples of the era and art form of castle building.
The first castle you will visit if coming from England to the north is Castle Conwy. The massive battlements and impressive town walls make this the most picturesque of Edwards castles. The town of Conwy is a great place to station yourself when planning a visit of the area. We stayed at a small B&B with views of the castle out the window. A relaxing stroll along thetop of the old town wall is the best way to end an evening.
Beaumaris Castle is a beautiful unfinished castle located on the Isle of Anglesey. Harlech is the last of the four castles of Edward in Wales. The castle is located up on a small bluff with a commanding view of the countryside. This is the best example for studying the architecture of castle design. The off set inner and outer castle walls aptly illustrate the defensive positions needed for the castle when under siege.
A blue police telephone box lands in your front yard giving you the ability to travel anywhere in time and space. Where would you go and what would you see? One caveat you can do nothing to affect the course of events; “you can’t rewrite history, not one line.” This is my list of the seven destinations and events I would want to see. Let me know in the comments where you would go.
#7) Martian Colony – Seventh on my list is a fully up and running Martian colony circa 2075? I am not a pioneer and would not like to be there in the first stages of colonization but would love to be a tourist when the colony is up and running. To be able to gaze into the Valles Marineris, the Martian Grand Canyon or to climb the highest mountain in the solar system the extinct volcano Olympus Mons would be spectacular.
#6) Pericles Funeral Speech for Athenian War Dead – One of he great speeches in western history Pericles extols the virtues of democracy and enlightenment that still echos in the modern world. I have often wondered if Pericles had survived the plague of 429 BCE if the seed of democracy that Athens birthed would have taken root 2000 years earlier.
$4) Dinosaurs – Who would not want to go on a game drive during the time of dinosaurs. I think we could all think back to our childhood and come up with our own “big Five” game drive.
#3) First Contact (2179?) – I must say that the Fermi Paradox worries me but if there are intelligent, communicative aliens first contact will be a pivotal moment in the history of the planet.
#2) Rome during the Height of the Pax Romana – Rome in all of its glory during the time when the empire was at its pinnacle. To be able to see Augustus’ “city of marble” built on and expanded by successive emperors would be something to behold.
#1) Lincoln’s Gettysburg Address – Abraham Lincoln has always been a personal hero of mine, his towering intellect shining through every word or action. A man able to combine his intelligence with an equal amount of compassion. I would love to be able to sit and hear him deliver those 272 words that so perfectly summed up what this nation strives to become. We are far from achieving that lofty goal but we must never forget the ideal.
Honorable Mention – I have not listed any great battles of history but as an intellectual exercise I find many of them fascinating. The truth is I would never want to witness or be a part of the human carnage such battles would entail. However if there was one battle that I would like to observe it would be the Battle of Little Round Top at Gettysburg during the American Civil War. To see the moment when Joshua Lawrence Chamberlain made the decision to fix bayonets and charge and in so doing possibly preserving the Union army and the country we know today would be inspiring. It would be interesting to see if you could determine if great men are forged in fire or do they have those qualities inherently.
