Archived posting to the Leica Users Group, 2010/12/15
[Author Prev] [Author Next] [Thread Prev] [Thread Next] [Author Index] [Topic Index] [Home] [Search]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 >> >> _______________________________________________ >> Leica Users Group. >> See http://leica-users.org/mailman/listinfo/lug for more information > > > _______________________________________________ > Leica Users Group. > See http://leica-users.org/mailman/listinfo/lug for more information >