Romans, countrymen...

By the time I'd spent 48 hours in Wales, I'd realised that what you read is not what you say. Town names are spelt one way and pronounced another, so if you do ask for directions using, what you assume, are correct phonetics, you might get a blank stare.

But then there is no need to ask for directions as long as you have even passing map-reading skills, because the Wales Touring Map is detailed and accurate to the smallest country roads. Armed with this map I had to make my way from Chepstow in the south to Caernarfon (pronounced Kar-na-vun) in the north. Helpful websites will give you exact driving directions with highway numbers and an accurate mile reading, and these sites will also give you the driving time.

But just forget about being able to stick to the latter if you have your camera with you. I was blessed with a sunny day, a sizzling car and I realized that bundled along with tongue twisting names of towns, came mouth-wateringly twisty roads between them. My first stop that day was Caerleon.

This little town which could also be called a large village, is today a quiet place with gardens, cafes and pubs. But in 76AD, this was an important command post and one of the three important military bases of the Romans during their conquest of Britain. Home to the elite second legion, Isca Silurium as it was called then, wasn't just a military camp but a township 9 miles in circumference.

Today, enough has been excavated to give the wonderstruck visitor an idea of what the town must have looked like. There are Roman Baths and an amphitheatre, which though ruined, are fascinating to wander through. Touch-button speakers give details of what the baths must have been like when they were in use.

Just a short walk from the Baths is the Roman Legionary Museum, which has artefacts found in the area and life-sized mannequins dressed up as Roman soldiers of the period. Anyone with even a passing interest in history will find that museum fascinating. So after having looked back into an era long gone, I pointed the nose of my Toyota MR2 north, and headed towards Snowdonia, a rolling knot of hills in North Wales.

Describing the place is beyond the scope of this piece, but what I can tell you is that the roads were fascinating. Like a ribbon of tar over and around undulating hills of green, I had a ball with my shiny red sports car. Past deep blue lakes and healthy sheep we zipped, revelling in sunny vistas and the Toyota's sharp cornering capabilities.

Bryan and Angela from Bach Travels had arranged my itinerary and because I like to drive, they'd factored in some fantastic driving roads. By the time I got to Caernarfon (recall how that's pronounced?) I had a huge grin plastered on my face. But this wasn't the end of my time in Europe.

Rishad Saam Mehta, Courtesy The Hindu