What do Catherine Zeta Jones, castles and zip lining have in common? If you answered Wales, you’re right. It is the birthplace of the actress, the country with more castles per square mile than anywhere on earth and home to Europe’s longest, highest and fastest zip wire. It is also the destination of my most recent travels.    

“We’ve crossed the River Severn, so I can officially say Croeso i Gymru or, Welcome to Wales,” greeted our guide, less than three hours after my arrival into Heathrow. Changes seemed gradual during our journey from UK’s capital. On approach to Great Britain’s western country, we saw just a few of its natural aesthetics—rolling hills, the faint silhouettes of mountains and a scattering of sheep (only a sampling of its 14 million).

Cynthia Dial

Cynthia Dial is an admitted travel writing addict, and shares that she pinches herself each time she steps onto the promenade deck of a cruise ship, boards a train or settles into a plane seat to go to work. She's taken a city tour of Melbourne, Australia, from the back of a Harley-Davidson motorcycle, hiked the Austrian Alps and learned to surf in Waikiki -- all for a good story. A special corres...(Read More)