Archived posting to the Leica Users Group, 2010/12/15
[Author Prev] [Author Next] [Thread Prev] [Thread Next] [Author Index] [Topic Index] [Home] [Search]Hi Larry, Great images, and an informative history lesson. Thanks for sharing. I look forward to seeing more. Jim Nichols Tullahoma, TN USA ----- Original Message ----- From: "Lawrence Zeitlin" <lrzeitlin at gmail.com> To: "Leica LUG" <lug at leica-users.org> Sent: Wednesday, December 15, 2010 6:30 PM Subject: [Leica] Pictures from Wales > 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 > >