abbey in ruins

I visited Tintern Abbey years ago when I was in England with a study abroad program and I remember being enchanted with the ruins. It was one of those places I hoped to see again someday. Fortunately for me, Stacy hadn't been to Wales before, so it was on our must-see list.

The history, a la Rick Steves:

Founded in 1131 on a site chosen by Norman monks for its tranquility, [Tintern Abbey] functioned as an austere Cistercian abbey until its dissolution in 1536 ... Most of the external walls of the 250-foot-long, 150-foot-wide church still stand...

We spent over an hour and a half wandering through the ruins. These old churches are always impressive, but the abbey's ruins impress in a different way. The roof is long gone, but the walls continue to stretch up to the sky. The stone floor has been replaced by grass and flowers and a few brave plants have taken root on the walls themselves. I can't help but wonder how it will have changed in a hundred years. How long will it stay standing?

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Nor wilt thou then forget,
That after many wanderings, many years
Of absence, these steep woods and lofty cliffs,
And this green pastoral landscape, were to me
More dear, both for themselves and for thy sake!
~ the final lines of William Wordsworth's "Tintern Abbey"