Smithy, St Fagans

“In this bright future you can't forget your past.”
Bob Marley
Something different and a bit closer to home to start the day – Big Pit, Blaenafon and a guided tour down the mine. Nothing like this back home in Switzerland so L is keen to give it a go. Luckily the school group in front is quickly despatched and we’re up, with a small group of about a dozen. These tour guides are really entertaining and funny, must have had the same training ground as Max Boyce. We skimmed the exhibitions in favour of a coffee and cake in the canteen before heading off to St Fagans for lunch – more vegan options on offer which were delicious. I left L to have a couple of hours explore and went off to annoy the volunteers in the houses. Stopped to look in the Smithy and the smell from inside transported me back to when I was sixteen, and a striker wielding a sledgehammer in a blacksmith’s forge. We used to  toast sandwiches by putting them on the anvil and holding white hot plates of metal above them, delicious! Managed to miss the worst of the traffic and were home in plenty of time to get ready for an evening meal at The Queen (Upper Cwmbran). Their (all vegan) menu had changed since we were here last week but what a choice, K2 thought it was amazing that she could have anything on the (full) menu, as did L. A great evening, with the added bonus that L heard she’d been shortlisted for a second interview, having carried out the first one from Chapter in Cardiff. Off to Bristol tomorrow to bid a tearful farewell to our guest, it’s been great having her company.