Back in 2013, JD Vance visited Wales. U.S. Vice-President was blown away by Caernarfon Castle. In his new book, Communion: Finding My Way Back to Faith,he calls it "coolest thing I've ever seen." This 13th-century fortress,a UNESCO World Heritage site, left a mark on Vance and his wife, Usha Vance, as they soaked up its history.
Vance marveled at castle's age,a stark contrast to what he considered historic back in U.S. His Cincinnati home,150 years old, seemed young compared to Caernarfon Castle, which was ancient when settlers first landed in America. "For nearly a millennium,young men had climbed the castle walls and watched the sun reflected on the surrounding water," he wrote, noting castle's timeless presence.
The Sunday Times published an excerpt where Vance explained how the visit changed his outlook on life and marriage. Standing by the castle, he felt small against an "infinite" universe . It made him aware of time's vastness and our limited human experience. "Here, on the banks of a river I'd never heard of,in a castle we selected as cool tourist stop,I felt for the first time something similar: scale of time, and how little of the life of world we'd ever see," he wrote .
Vance and his wife embraced local culture,enjoying an English breakfast at a nearby pub before hitting another castle in Conwy. Their trip was full of typical vacation fun: sightseeing, sleeping in, and indulging in food and drink. Each day, Vance felt more like a fleeting moment in the vast timeline of existence.
The journey sparked a lasting tradition in their marriage. Vance and Usha vowed to explore destinations off beaten tourist path. He stressed the importance of truly experiencing place rather than just ticking off landmarks. "We started a practice that has continued through our marriage: to go to the places other tourists don't. To get off the beaten path,not to photograph a landmark or to say we'd seen something,but to understand what living in foreign place feels like," he wrote.
While in Wales, Vance met local utility workers surprisingly familiar with American conservative literature. He called them "dedicated conservatives" who had read his pieces in National Review. This unexpected link showed how ideas travel globally and how cultures intersect in strange,unexpected places.
Vance's thoughts on Caernarfon Castle reveal a deeper appreciation for history and time's passage. His story shows how travel can change one's view, prompting a deeper understanding of both personal and collective histories .
