Deify Plums

I got into Hay-On-Wye around 5 on Saturday afternoon, and left Monday morning, so I really only had Sunday to explore the shops.

There were certainly books everywhere, but, despite having what seemed like a not-too-esoteric list, there were some authors I had a lot of difficulty finding. In some of the shops, there was a mustiness, and the haphazard way the books were piled was a little hard for me to take. What's more, as an aspiring author, being where so many books have come to die was a little sad. It makes the whole goal of being published seem like a little less of an accomplishment.

Fortunately, I discovered that this melancholy was due in large part to the shops I happened to wander into first. As soon as I found the right shops, my whole day truned around and I started having a much better time hunting for treasure.

Hay-on-Wye is a great town to wander - with a partly ruined castle in the center of town surrounded by old stone buildings, it doesn't lack for character. The non-book shops are also very browseable, though I had to be very careful since I lacked space in my luggage

I stayed at The Old Black Lion Inn for my two nights in Hay-On-Wye. It was a charming inn, which I would absolutely recommend. I had a single room, which was small, but clean and comfortable. The only problem I encountered, which is to be expected in any 17th century building, was that I am rather a bit taller than the peope for whom the building was originally built, so there was a lot of watching my head and ducking through doorways. I survived relatively unscathed - the nasty bump I got on the first day served as a reminder to mind my head for the rest of the trip.

The Old Black Lion is a DB&B on Saturday nights. My dinner Saturday was so good that I ended up eating in the restaurant again on Sunday night as well. The halibut from the main menu is fantastic, as were the cider and dessert wine. All of the staff were very warm and friendly. Since I got done shopping early, and it was a beutiful day out, I sat out on the patio in back, had a cider, and read for a few hours.