Wales! We made it to Wales! And I must say, it is quite adorable, and very festive, well at least the town of Conwy, in North Wales is. I loved the colored houses, the flag banners zig-zagging across the tiny streets, and of course the castles! Conwy has two majestic castles for which it is famous.
We began with Caernarfon Castle
Caernarfon is massive and impressively restored. It is full of history and unique architecture features, and is still the place where princes are "crowned." Charles, Prince of Wales, received his title here in 1969. We had the most wonderful local guide, who give us an extremely in depth tour of the castle grounds and it's history.
Despite the deceiving beautiful, blue skies, it was absolutely freezing! And by the end of our outdoor tour, I couldn't feel most of my body. So with our free time, we sought out a quaint, family owned restaurant to get something warm for lunch.
I wasn't super hungry, so I just ordered a steaming cup of hot cocoa. complete with whipped cream and mallows. It definitely hit the spot on that chilly day.
After our busy morning at the castle, we had a nice leisurely drive through the GORGEOUS Snowdonia National Park. Our tour director put on an Enya cd, and told us that listening to Enya makes anything look more majestic, I might have to agree with him on that one.
After our relaxing drive, we were brought back to the town for a few hours of free time. Dad and I explored some of the shops, and I bought a beautiful Welsh Love Spoon. Then we made our way to Conwy Castle.
We took a vote, and both of us actually liked visiting Conwy Castle better then Caernarfon. While Caernarfon is more well known, and famous for it's construction and history, we thought Conwy Castle is much more magical and scenic. Plus, you can climb the watch towers and get amazing views! We picked the highest tower and climbed all the way to the top!
It really doesn't get more beautiful then this
My dad served his LDS mission in England, and he remembers visiting Conwy and taking this exact picture on this bridge. I was hoping to have found that picture and post it next to this one, but I totally forgot about it until I was posting this post, so I will find it sometime and come and add it in. But I thought that was a pretty cool memory to recreate!
Then we walked the quick mile or so back to our hotel to meet up with mom for dinner. There was a pretty fancy wedding reception being held at our hotel that night, and to end the party with a bang (pun most definitely intended) they lit a bunch of fireworks off from a boat, so they would reflect over the water. I had a perfect view from my room! It was gorgeous! Those Welsh people really know how to throw a party.
A temperature memory...cold, sticky toffee pudding...hot, also a tasting memory! I loved the stories she told about the castle and how they never put up the fourth wall...then said the Welsh had to come into town every week and pay an entry fee. So they came, brought in their weapons and walked into the castle from the town and took it. Such a great story. But it was unconquerable from the water, which was where they figured the enemy would come.
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