Permission Granted

One of my favorite parts about travel is being a stranger. I thrive off the excuse of ignorance and the sense of discovery that comes with it.

“But what do I know? I’m just a tourist,” I say, as I shrug my shoulders.

This trip to England and Wales has felt no different.

The other evening at Chris Williams’ home, Chris Schwarz and I sat next to each other on the sofa. He asked what I thought of the trip so far. It felt like a big question to answer since I hadn’t even begun to process everything we’d experienced.

So I was honest with him. I told him that while I enjoy England and Wales, I couldn’t begin to share what my biggest takeaways are. I feel those realizations come in time.

I was relieved when Chris said he understood – that he also felt the same way when he first visited Wales.

A personal favorite from St Fagans.

We began rattling off some observations on the antique stick chairs we had seen. How the majority of them don’t have stretchers, or lack a medial stretcher. How common wide seats seem to be. And most important, how unique each stick chair is.

Then what Chris said next hit me.