I, with another library student, finally reached the small town of Hay-on-Wye after much traveling by airplane, train, and bus. It felt as though we were out in the middle of nowhere, but the countryside was so beautiful and peaceful that I really enjoyed the few days we had there. Obviously I did some book shopping while I was there. I got a first edition copy of Tolkien’s “Mr. Bliss”, as well as a first edition of a Lewis Carroll biography, along with three other Lewis Carroll books. I was very tempted by a first edition of Carroll’s “Sylvie and Bruno”, but just could not reasonably pay the 48 pounds (almost $100) that it would cost. I also got a look at several first editions of Tolkien’s “The Hobbit,” along with numerous other first editions of books that I had studied, read, and loved throughout school. We also took a leisurely walk down to the Wye River, which apparently was a hidden swimming hole for the locals. After walking alongside the river for a while, we came to a meadow full of wild flowers, and followed the trails through the tall wild flowers to a pebble beach on the riverside, where there were all ages out enjoying the sunny day and cool water. While at Hay-on-Wye, we had traditional English breakfasts both mornings of our stay at the Belmont House B & B, which consists of toast, a poached egg, two breakfast sausages, two pieces of ham/bacon, sautéed mushrooms or a halved tomato, and sometimes baked beans.
There is a website for this small town: http://www.hay-on-wye.co.uk/
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